It may be the strangest sentence I’ve ever written: how horse medicine helped me during labor. But surely, stranger things have happened, and been written. And in hindsight, horses are a tonic in so many other ways - so why not also to get me through the most painful, daunting initiation of my life?

My “you can do this” could only have made the impact it did coming from a hypnotic Labor Land induced vision of my horse, because in my life, horses are the beings who consistently push me, and reassure me that I indeed, can do this. And the inspiration I get from them informs absolutely everything else. I believe we don’t actually need to ride horses, or even be training with them to feel the benefits of equine therapy. We need simply to open ourselves to their guidance. Then it’s our job to move on, one step at a time.

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If there is tension at the poll, (which there could be for any number of reasons, including poor saddle fit, pain from the bit, or even pain in the forelimb and feet) then the full range of movement of the poll joint and atlantoaxial joint will likely be obstructed.  And thus, if the poll joint is restricted in its movement, the other cervical vertebrae will chime in to get the job done when the horse is being asked for lateral flexion (or vertical flexion and extension for that matter). That’s when we start seeing the horse tilting their head instead of turning (eyes unlevel), or refusing to bend period.

That’s why before simply expecting my horse can flex their head when I ask them from the saddle, or on the ground, I have started to do range of motion exercises to help the occiput, atlas, and axis stay in good shape.

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How was this horse seeing me so clearly? X-ray vision was an amusing explanation for my imagination. X-ray machines can detect bone fractures, some types of injuries to the soft tissue, tumors, even lung or heart problems. However, emotions and their movements, or lack thereof, within the body, remain unseen by even the most sophisticated machines.

The emotional, unseen realm is where horses have technology beat, without question. Horses possess a wisdom akin to what is hard-won by our species most devoted sages and seers. If a part of me had ever doubted this truth, even after a lifetime of being in relationship with horses, this experience would make me a full-fledged believer.

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Our work in this life is to live in a way that brings balance to our elemental constitution. Ayurveda teaches us that disease can be caused from becoming distorted from our true nature.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve experienced Nature “correcting me on my path” countless times. We can do everything we can to “make things happen”, but if Nature has other plans for us, she’ll make them happen. And Nature always wins. The key is, and what we’re really getting into in this post and episode #6 Elemental Constitutions and Right Relationships, is how to not be in conflict with Nature… our Nature and our horse’s to be exact.

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I know firsthand how emotions can be… well, overwhelming! And thus, why we suppress them into the deep, dark corners of our mind - and body. If you’ve listened to episode #4 Emotional Intelligence and Returning to Our Bodies, then you know my story about how I effectively suppressed emotions from traumatic childhood events until my early 20’s. To truly return to my body, I had to address the chronically held emotions that had taken up residence within me until I was ready to look at them, and ultimately, free them. Long story short, I had to become emotionally intelligent.

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For some ‘Horse Medicine’ may a touch too “woo-woo.” However, hear me out as even though woo-woo is my native language (as I grew up in a very hippie small town in Northern California), I feel it’s a flexible enough term to encompass the vast, expansive and complex territory of the healing and horsemanship world.

The goal of this post is to map out the topographical prominent landmarks in this area of horse-human interaction so that we can get to the heart of what is so therapeutic or empowering about our relationships with them.

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Responsible for detoxifying chemicals and metabolizing drugs, the liver is important to talk about as it plays a vital role in our bodies. And with countless jobs it performs for us day and night, it’s no wonder the liver is commonly in a state of imbalance in our culture as we tend to overwork ourselves into exhaustion in the pursuit of our goals. The reason I want to talk about the liver today is because what is less understood about the liver en yet is equally as important as knowing it is an organ of detoxification, is that it is responsible for the healthy flow of energy, blood and emotions and powers our forward movement.

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Breath is our first medicine. We can go days without water, weeks without food, but only minutes without breath. Breathing is the most vital process, and perhaps most underestimated catalyst for healing in our body. We are wired to sustain our breath whether we concentrate our efforts on it or not. Our respiratory and nervous systems are beyond brilliant, for when we cease the moment and focus on our breathing, the results are also stunningly beautiful.

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