Every now and then, I come across a
term or phrase that is so right I just have to pass it on. This one comes from
our dear friend, Karen Scholl, who has helped Diana and me immensely on our
horsemanship journey.
Horses mirror us in many ways.
When we are tense or anxious, our horses often pick that up and reflect it
right back at us, which can set in motion a vicious cycle of escalating
tension. We can break the cycle by deliberately calming ourselves. But simply
saying, “relax” or “calm down” or even “breathe” to ourselves or to students often
doesn’t cut it. Karen found a more
provocative, visual way to get the idea across. “Slow down your molecules,” she
would say. For me, this creates a vivid mental picture that I can work with. I
see my tension as molecules whirring about in my body, bumping into one
another, and I can visualize slowing those molecules down and creating order
among them. This is very similar to the effect of Transcendental Meditation,
which I practiced regularly at one time in my life. Both are ways of settling
your mind, which is the first step in settling your body and settling your
horse.
So give it a try the next time you
need to calm yourself. Slow down those molecules! I’m betting it will work for
you just like it works for me.
Learn more about Karen’s work at
www.KarenScholl.com.
