For Jan’s dog, I’m putting this first because it’s interesting to many and there’s so much information in it.
Reminder – healing techniques are excellent, but before, during and after applying any techniques, we’re always going to be open to the big picture of “What’s going on here? What’s ALL the threads of what’s going on here?” Specially what opportunities could there be here? What possible rightness could there be behind the wrongness of those legs that are slowly collapsing? Being open to the idea that some of our feelings about what we see are going to be us experiencing our connection to someone else and by understanding ALL those feelings, ALL those threads, we open up to the limitless possibilities in the Paradox of healing.
Robyn’s dog leading technique
I have used Robyn’s technique countless times in rehabbing dogs with hip dysplasia and as a physical therapy to recover from cruciate ligament damage and all kinds of other muscular skeletal problems.
What Robyn got me to do for Lily Bear was basically this balance leash that she demo’s in the video below, but with the very important addition of finding that good posture in ME, that springiness where all the angles of my body are working like a spring and to hold that contact with the dog, with a connection. So that the contact through the lead itself, reflects and communicates that springiness of our own posture – like it does through the reins when we’re riding a horse in “perfect posture”. Then the dog mirrors our posture and then THEIR body too starts working in THEIR good posture and then their body can heal the way it was designed.
Here’s a lesson from Fast Track about us finding that posture in a walk. I use a slight slope to help people get the idea of this because on a slope you can easily feel your core tightening when you’re in the right position.
Here’s also a lesson on the “slide the tailbone closer to the ground” that someone asked me about last week.
So you walk the dog on what Robyn calls the balance leash, in good posture with the springiness in your body giving the dog a yummy feeling sensation of close connection – walking every day for 10 minutes or so (use your Feel and your Not Quite Right, specially at the beginning when it might be need to be dramatically less time) for … I think it was six weeks for Lily Bear. Again you use your Feel for how long to do it. You’re helping her re-shape and strengthen the muscles AS THEY WERE DESIGNED TO BE USED and as that happens, the bones come into alignment.
Toenails are critical
The length of their toenails are going to be very important in this too. If they’re too long, they’ll use their bodies differently than they should, in order to avoid the discomfort and eventually the pain that’s caused by the long toenails. What’s too long? Basically if you can hear them clicking their nails on the floor, that’s an indicator that they need trimming. And yeah I get how horrified some of you will be about that. I was too. The difference it made to Lilybear was life changing and extended her life.
There’s been a whole community built up around a brilliant vet who developed (or maybe communicated better than anyone else) a method of doing even incredibly long toenails in a way that the quick (the part that bleeds if you cut it) pulls back quite rapidly over just a few weeks. So you can shorten even dramatic and painful toenails in about 6 weeks. Here’s a link to a page with an excellent video on the why and how of nail trimming and a Facebook page / group with all kinds of great resources, including positive training and where to get really good clippers.
Steve – here’s that Bowen move for a blind horse
What was behind Adrianne’s breakthrough.
Hey – I’ve been wanting to write but I had emergency oral surgery the day after the first meeting and so missed the Thursday/Wednesday meeting as I was doped to the gills. I don’t feel pain at all until it’s really bad and I apparently had an infected tooth for quite a while until I finally felt it and then it was an emergency. I’m feeling much better as the infection is now gone and healing has begun.
I had been – again- waking up every morning utterly distressed – for weeks. Take your pick- missing my beloved Carl, missing Kyrie, feeling completely cut off from the Universe, feeling unworthy and alone. Feeling like I should rehome the horses since I think they deserve someone better… and so on and so on. That’s why I was talking about not being able to cope at the first meeting. And then feeling worse because my new pup, Niamh, is a CARETAKER! Every time I’d start to cry she’d cuddle up and lick my tears away and try to comfort me… every time. I tried to figure out if it was mine and it seemed to be mine- nothing came up, ever. Nothing came up about what to do about it… And then the oddest thing happened last Friday night (first night after the first meeting that I was back to myself again- off the pain meds and not in mind blowing pain by then) I had dreams that I don’t remember but know I had them and I woke up and….nothing! No sadness, no despair. All gone. And it’s been the same every morning since- I just wake up and it’s all OK. It’s great! I just wish I knew what got fixed, what got healed, what happened- it all got fixed under the covers somehow…
Anyhow, looking forward to Thursday/Wednesday …. carpe diem!!!
Me to everyone in the clinic: Note that it was a PHYSICAL problem at the root of Adrianne’s mental and emotional overwhelm. I find it useful even under the circumstances of a sudden reduction in overwhelm, to keep myself open to noticing the big picture of what was happening – still open to notice the rightness behind the wrongness of that physical problem. I’m sure Adrianne doesn’t want that kind of overwhelm popping its head up again somewhere else hey?
Adriane’s reply to that: AHAH! That’s IT! I’m suspecting I need to pay more attention to my Physical feel more, I know I ignore it a fair amount of the time.
But funny you should ask about the curiosity … was doing a QM in bed this morning and got: You’ve got work to do. Great! Now I just need to nose out what the “work” is…
heavens, LOL, see first sentence!!
Me again: “Who else among us can pay more attention to our Physical Feel?” I ask, smiling!
Email from Melissa and Indigo
If you haven’t had any prompts to think about something either in class or by email, please bring that to my attention so I can attend to it. Everybody does their progress differently, root causes of things will be as varied as the people here – every insight and every solution will be unique to you. What we’re doing here is inspiring each other and at the same time noticing and celebrating our differences.
Wow, Jenny. These are some powerful prompts. Thank you so much for sending them! Below is how working with them has been going. Apologies for the long email!
I’ve begun working mostly indoors in meditation and random captured moments. When I’m out tending to the boys though, I’m working with holding the feel of that open curiosity and wonder state. I do believe that my access to “information” is coming easier at times, it’s like listening without borders. When the weather is a bit more hospitable here, I’ll try to get some video. There’s the additional hurdle that my round pen is being ‘remodeled’ at present, so I’ll keep my eyes & ears tuned for an alternate set up. For now it’s me working in the interior landscape and connecting to Indigo there. But I love watching how it’s effecting my interaction with the boys, Indigo in particular. I feel more accepted as one of the herd.
From the prompts:
YOU: ”just do a little pause and get curious about the charge that’s on those two words”, (rage & brutality):
ME: Guidance can come through the intelligence and wisdom of our scars, rather than through the pain of our wounds
YOU: “how do those words affect my relationship with Indigo”
ME: Rage is my response to the brutality…panic, constriction in my throat, can’t speak, hard to breathe, helpless, paralyzed, hopeless, alone…then…, soft smiling eyes, it melts.
YOU: “I wonder what relevance the emotion around those words has on my ability to create the changes that I want?
ME: I don’t want to get it wrong, do the wrong thing. I often don’t know what to do (working with the horses)…I don’t do anything. It breaks my heart, my reluctance to engage. I stand paralyzed in my longing.
YOU: What could it be that they are able to tell me? What power to create what I want to create, could I have, if I understood those words?
ME: Wondering, Is the rage mine, this response to the brutality? Both seem to be ambient, free floating, in my early days coming up. But today, is it mine? No, it seems to be bigger than me, beyond any one person…ancestral maybe? Or beyond, human consciousness maybe? But, what is mine is the power to heal it in my small way. I’m recalling what I wrote you in one of my initial emails, about wanting to learn and develop what I call, ‘direct knowing’. I see, really see in a new way, how this kind of healing we are all learning in this class is our way of direct knowing, not knowledge, but a two-way communication with the intelligence that permeates life. This feels lighter than I think it may sound. When this last bit came in the wee hours last night, I experienced it as a mist that was simply neutral information.
Here’s a quick back-story about Indigo when he was still a baby-brain about 4 yrs old. About 10 years ago, I worked with a trainer for a year, (a tall strappin’ cowboy type from Alberta, living in Texas). Super super nice guy, but old school in his training attitudes. One evening, after working quite a long lesson, he asked for one last thing. Indigo & I were tired, but we gave it try which ended in Indigo bucking me off – first time that had happened. Eric asked me to bring Indigo to him, he got on and rode him hard for what seemed like an eternity (Indigo bucking a good bit of the time) while I watched. They ended when Indigo was heaving and sweating and depleted (brutality?). I was horrified and felt responsible and helpless (rage?). To me it was unforgiveable. Talk about him being misunderstood! The other farther back back-story… When I was about 4 yrs old, I watched my older brothers take a beating from my father. My brothers could be mean at times. I’d done something, they got mean, I yelled & cried… My father had enough, I guess. I watched him from the doorway of my dark bedroom, horrified, responsible, helpless and completely unforgiveable. The two experiences felt parallel as they collided in my recall.
If you’ve gotten this far, Jenny, thank you. You said in your email, ‘let it rip’. Ha!
Thank you for seeing us and supporting us and creating this space where we can do the same for one another. See you in class,
Next prompt from me: Rather than “working on holding the feel of that open curiosity and wonder state”, try getting curious about what’s stopping that from being on auto pilot. Just notice what an incredibly powerful idea that is for all of us… “what could it be that’s stopping that from happening on auto pilot?”
Now let’s put that in a heading with drumrolls and surrounded by cute stars.
Smiling curiosity – WHATever it is that you’re trying to do or achieve – what could it be that’s stopping that from happening easily and even on auto pilot?
Breakthrough for Bumblebee with Catherine
Hi Jenny, looking forward to today’s session. Just wanted to let you know that Bumblebee, along the sides of his spine, where before you could see the tension and feel the tight swelling where I showed you in the photo, just before his rump, well that has gone…its incredible!
Nicole came yesterday, the lady assisting me back in to riding, and she trimmed his feet, (she is so good with him and its just till we find another farrier that I can trust and depend on)… He didn’t wince at having his right hind leg raised up, he was apprehensive and it took two attempts for him to allow her to have the foot, and once he did he was fine, he didn’t twist his pelvis like he would do previously his rump stayed straight the whole time… fabulous!
She could notice a big difference in his spine too.
He seems very sensitive in other areas and I feel its from all the compensating he would have been doing.
I haven’t got a video but hopefully get you something by next Tuesday.
Thanks , its a super start to the clinic for me….and listening to the others…I have so many AH-HA moments!
From Kelly:
I really enjoyed the Clinic yesterday, like you I was receiving and giving energy. Possibly I looked like a purring cat, relaxed but very much aware of the energy. Others might have been feeling excitement, I felt peaceful, that was where I was meant to be. Sending the energy to those working with you.
The idea you expressed about observing and storing away the feel good stuff is something I have been teaching my EAL students. It definitely makes a difference to one’s outlook on life, when one is looking for more feel good stuff to store away. Optimism becomes a way of life.
While I feel that I have gained a great deal of insight, I still have to put that theoretical knowledge into practice. When I send you a video of Willow being as unconcerned about leaving her friend as the one I watched last evening, then practice will have delivered some more feel good stuff. I believe that I’m experiencing one of those change places that you have mapped out in your diagrams. Looking forward to looking back and saying, “Crikey THAT was easy.”
Read the following thought today and thought of you: “The space that we leave for the answers to come in, is where magic and miracles occur.”
Enjoying the journey!
Lovely email Kelly. And yes, genuine optimism attracts more to be optimistic about hey? Just reminding you, there’ll be plenty of opportunities ON THE WAY to that feel good objective with Willow leaving her mates and everyone happy, for you to be pausing and soaking up that feel good stuff. For example – I reckon the first time you hear her and her herdmate , pause and take a few steps back towards them, and wait for her to lick and chew – I reckon THAT feeling will be well worth soaking up. What I didn’t make clear in the session yesterday, was that the soaking and processing is very importantly for our horse too. It gives them a chance to change their neural pathways in their brain too. In the old parelli days were taught that it took 3 “good” trainings in 6 – 10 different places before a horse had learned that thing. I’m glad to tell you that’s a crock of you know what. When the new thing is learned with curiosity and they’ve had time to think it through and soak it, it’s done.
Are you cool to share this? It’s a great conversation for others too.
Just read the latest post. Oh my! All these horses trying so hard to help us. I didn’t take time this afternoon to “feel” why the two old mares thought they should come to me today and offer encouragement. There was no place to sit down, and these days I need to sit down to meditate. 😉 Perhaps when I awake in the middle of the night, I shall be curious what they were sharing. Possibly just what you are expressing– that the horses’ neural pathways are changing as mine are.
I am delighted if you can share my moments of insight for the benefit of others. I do love feeling elated, when I read of others revelations and expansions.
I find your advice that what’s learned with curiosity & soaked in, will only take one learning session. That is very good for those of us teaching. Does that work for humans or just for horses?
Looking forward to more change places,
Kelly
Me: Depending on what’s gone on in the past, it can take a while and a bit of releasing before learning happens with curiosity – but when it does, I’m pretty sure humans are the same as horses.
Oriana:
Me: I wrote to Oriana to make sure that my focus on winding up a session at the one hour mark hadn’t interrupted a question.
She replied: When you interrupted me I was about to describe what I did to make sure there was a positive outcome with getting the horses out of the grass paddock when it was coming in and feed time. Those actions were to put a halter on Fred ,and take him through another electric gate without panicking. Also, to take more time getting Nuvem far enough away from the gate before I brought him back in, and not feeling rushed about it. We did that, although he was not in a comfort zone about it. I think it was more about showing him a better way, and practising with Nuvem, and feeling more confident myself if I have to put halters on to take them out of the field. In the event they were beautifully behaved, and I am still appreciating that. The good behaviour on this has continued.
I am paying more attention to worrying. Last night was a good example. The horses had been in the field longer than usual, so were not interested in eating hay after their bucket feed. Later I went out and checked on them, as the worry was possible colic. Everyone was fine, and Fred was doing a lot of releasing. I have no idea why, unless he had been feeling my worry…
Worry is part of our inner guidance system that has us much more powerful than we think we are.
Here’s some diagrams that reinforce how unresolved worry about something gets in the road of us creating what we want – whether that’s in healing or anything else. If that’s really true, then SOMEthing in the worry is important and it’s probably not what we think it is, otherwise the worry would have gone already.
How we create solutions or change the things that we care about
Mental Feel is our ability to problem solve creatively.
Our connection to others is an important part of our Mental Feel
Update on Goldie
I had a crappy night going round and round in circles worrying about her – she’d dropped more weight, her breathing was heavier and I was beginning to wonder whether she was going to make it or whether she even wanted to. As I woke in the morning, I went consciously into the rhythm of my breath work to cut through the overwhelm of my thoughts going round and round in circles and get myself back into observing the overwhelm – one of the threads of which, was that vulnerability thing of working with my very sick horse in a clinic and what does it say when I talk about the miracles that are possible if my own horse dies?
The breathwork created the space for me to get back to my inner awareness to flow and I got some derrr moments.
- Goldie is the priority. Not the clinic, not me. That was the “derrr”.
- She is in a whopping healing crisis. A healing crisis is the body literally healing – rapidly and uncomfortably. Sometimes you can balance them, sometimes they are best left to run their course. (They’re always good when they’re happening to someone else.) We humans very often suppress that crisis of healing, by not recognizing it as healing. As an example of healing crises, think abscesses forming in order to push something out of the body, a temperature that is designed to kill the bacteria or virus, a diarrhoea that’s getting rid of stuff the body doesn’t want, mucous from the nose that is draining crap we don’t want in our body.
- Insight – Goldie hasn’t had a lot of choice in her life – her early life was full of “no choice” at all. So she gets to choose how she wants to live or die. Me taking that pressure off has stepped me into the Paradox energy again – which doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s going to live. It will bring whatever it is that we / she needs, whether that’s understanding or healing or expansion or back to the One’ness. Let’s discuss in class how my push / pressure was adding to, maybe even escalating the problem. The “push” of desiring to fix something for someone, the paradox that is behind the problem and that it’s their own inner power that’s going to create what THEY want. So how do we support that rather than control it? Gosh there’s a lot in there and all unique to each individual.
- Goldie took the opportunity in her session that morning, not to work on whatever ails her in this crisis of healing, but to have a Bowen move to ease her shoulders for elbow arthritis. Google Sharon May Davies and her articles about the autopsies where she discovered that every riding horse had elbow arthritis in the front legs. I suspect though, that she’s never autopsied a horse that was ridden what I call properly, which is happily and in self carriage.
The Bowen moves to relieve her shoulders were numbers 14, 15, and 16 from the diagram below. I don’t seem to have a video of these moves. If I was doing this side of the horse, I’d be standing facing the back end of the horse and using the heel of my right hand to bring the skin back and fit the heel of my hand in behind that muscle you can see on the left edge of the arrows, then slightly push into the edge of the muscle for “the challenge” and then pinging the muscle in the direction of the arrows. I’ll see if I can get a video of it.
