The ancient practice of mindfulness – a technology for developing human awareness – has been passed from person to person for over 2,600 years in the East, and now in the West it is widely accepted. Mindfulness is not new or New Age. What is new is bringing its power and potential to the offices and work places of corporate Australia.
Mindfulness is about paying attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment. It is about observing ourselves in real time. As we pay attention, we begin to see ourselves more clearly. And based on our clear-seeing, we are able to make wiser choices – so we can respond rather than react.
Mindfulness transforms – it is the major instrument for change, yet at the same time, it wants to change nothing. Change does not transform. It merely plasters one thing on top of another. But mindfulness transforms. Through mindfulness we observe without judgment or resistance, and allow what is emerging to transform.
Some of the many benefits of mindfulness
- Increase awareness of our habitual responses
- Respond more effectively to complex or difficult situations
- Develop an expanded perspective and see situations more clearly
- Experience more creativity
- Achieve balance and resilience
- Improve productivity
- Improve relationships
- Experience more joy, less stress
- Learn to focus on what has meaning
- Align ourselves with our values and sense of purpose
Learning Mindfulness Through Engagement with Horses
By their instant and accurate reflections, horses show us moment-to-moment where our thoughts are, and respond to our emotions, intentions, beliefs, and authenticity. For them to willingly engage with us, we must be present, mindful, and congruent (alignment of thoughts, beliefs and behaviours).
Practicing mindfulness with horses enhances the integration of our 3 brains—head, heart, and gut. It does this by activating wholehearted engagement, cultivating mindful self-awareness including tuning into the body, and developing mastery through embodied practice.