The recent pandemic and related challenges have been a lot for us to handle, a real shock to the system in many different ways, and we don’t automatically know how to process this or get our sense of self back.  Just like a computer, sometimes we have to “switch off and on again” to start working and feeling better!  

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Let the vibrant nature surrounding Tula Vida soothe, nourish and restore you.  Start to notice what is going on with your body and internal state through mindfulness and awareness of self – once we start to listen, it is amazing how much inner wisdom we find we already have.  

Once we are aware of what is going on inside us, we can choose consciously how we want to be or what we want to change.  We will explore what we can learn from horses and how to live more like they do, restoring and revitalizing our own energy and rediscovering and trusting our intuition and natural senses.  

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• Connect with horses in their natural environment

• Practice becoming grounded and present, aware of feelings and accessing intuition

• Allow yourself to listen to your internal state (rather than just your thoughts)

• Feel your positive energy flowing and rediscover your sense of purpose

• Learn tangible tools to support this (such as breathing practice, HeartMath exercises, regulating our nervous system, using emotions as information, reading energy and using it to communicate non-verbally – and much more)

Often we are in 'doing' mode, moving from one thing to the next, and don't spend much time just being.  We expect ourselves to be able to handle whatever life throws at us – and we learn to try to control things to relieve our fear or frustration, without ever really calming down.  

Horses are experts at 'being' in the present moment and tapping into a natural state of calm and peace on a regular basis, enabling them to digest their food, shake off their stress and go back to grazing – which is essential for health and survival, as well as taking effective action.  

We will explore mindfulness and self-regulation and practice consciously soothing and creating peace and positive presence for ourselves.  Learn tools to balance and regulate your nervous system and to show up to situations differently – choosing your presence and how to respond in a positive way rather than unconsciously reacting (or over-reacting) and needing to withdraw, control or fight back.

• Practice mindfulness tools and change your relationship with stress

• Learn what makes you feel out of balance and what horses (with incredibly sophisticated nervous systems) can teach us about our presence

• Understand the influence your presence and internal state has on others

• Experience and practice connection, using nonverbal energetic language

• Find your own version of powerful peace

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Social intelligence is the capacity to know yourself and also to read, know and effectively interact and build relationships with others – horses are lifelong masters at this.  They have individual personalities as well as complex social group/herd dynamics and they communicate non-verbally (so language and mind-chatter don’t get in the way).  

Let the horses show you how they “read” you and how you can adjust your presence and energy to build trust and create connection – the bedrock of effective relationships and social influence.

We will explore horse herd dynamics through a model developed by renowned author, Linda Kohanov, in a way that is directly relatable to human social groups.  This theme is popular for family sessions and corporate teams, and is really beneficial for any types of relationship and group.

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• Observe and experience herd dynamics and apply these to human groups

• Explore non-verbal communication as a way of connection - using body language and energy/presence (90% of our communication is non-verbal)

• Increase your awareness of your impact/influence on others and gain practical experience of how to consciously shift this

• Learn how to build mutual trust and set clear limits to create authentic relationships

• Refine your problem-solving and creativity skills as you practice Socially Intelligent Leadership, learning from herd/social dynamics

Horses actively seek connection with us (as herd animals, connection means safety).  Their reaction to us shifts as we open up, allowing ourselves to feel our real feelings and follow the guidance of our own hearts and intuition. This is where true connection happens and where horses live most of the time.  The horse herd is a place to discover where ‘being me’ is enough.  

Pause to listen, to hear what your gut-feeling or inner wisdom already knows, and trust it as coming from your true self.  Combining this intuitive information with what our logical brain tells us greatly increases our capacity to feel fulfilled and free, to connect with others, to make balanced decisions and to take action that is aligned with what our whole self wants (not just what we think we ‘should’ do).

Once we start listening, we can start building the self-trust muscle and using the measures of success that mean something to us, to create a life that gives us more of what want to feel. 

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• Explore the idea of our body senses having their own wisdom

• Learn how to open up to intuition (we all have this extra sense) as a guide

• Understand more about your true, inner self by seeing yourself through the eyes of the horses (they react to your presence, not your education, look or even words)

• See what happens when you quieten the mind and your inner critic to give your authentic self a voice

• Feel part of the herd, fully connected as your true self, and discover what is possible from this place 

Horses are communicating all the time and we humans, unless we tune-in, can miss a lot of the questions they ask or the feedback they give us.  They read our internal state and intention, as well as our physical movements, and it is confusing when these don’t match up.  Horses want us, and all the other herd members, to be in our best place, present and congruent, as that is best for survival of everyone.

Become aware of what you are unconsciously communicating to your horse with your energy and learn how to shift this into more intentional, conscious and mindful interaction.  Discover how small adjustments and slowing down can have a big impact for you both.

The priority is the relationship - this is where the work needs to happen and it starts with self-mastery.  For example, if I don’t know what is going on with me, how can I expect the horse to understand me?  With curiosity, we can learn to start tuning into ourselves and reading the horse’s  ‘misbehavior’ as communication, which is a helpful guide to where adjustments need to be made.

• Explore what your body language and energy is communicating to the horses and learn to read their energetic cues and feedback

• Practice listening and offering / receiving connection in different ways

• Experience how horses are masters at reading intention, and what clarity of intention creates

• Learn how to ask for things in an effective and mutually respectful way using an energy dial

• Discover how your own mindset, emotions and inner voice are impacting your relationship with your horse

• Join our horses as part of the herd, feeling more horse-like and seeing things from their perspective