Gaining Awareness through a Paintbrush and a Horse.
“Be vulnerable with me and I will show you what you do not see.”
A couple of weeks ago, Annie and I had another beautiful session.
We partnered with “B”.
It was not B’s first time in the round pen.
This visit was about expressing her vision.
Her tools, a paint brush and paints. Washable of course.
Her canvas, Annie.
What happened was curious and illuminating.
At two points during the experience, Annie shifted her body, moving away from B, so that she had to stop painting.
The first time it happened, B conceded.
She moved on to clean her brush.
Choose another color.
And began to paint another piece of her vision.
Moving to an open space on Annie’s beautiful brown coat.
The second time Annie moved, she blocked B from continuing. B felt compelled to walk around to face her equine coach.
She told me later that Annie stared her straight in the eye. This reinforced for her that there was something for her to “see”.
She began to talk to Annie.
As the human coach, I held space and watched the conversation unfold.
The conversation was barely audible to me.
It seemed important. For B.
It seemed important. That I not engage in it.
I stood at a distance.
Comfortable in the fact that Annie was offering something to B.
Confident that B would work through and find “it”.
Which she did.
It was fascinating to observe.
As B gained clarity, Annie began to move her body, an invitation to this human to complete her painting.
B walked around to her canvas and did just that.
As we debriefed the experience, both of Annie’s movements were significant.
Both of B’s responses were important for her and her journey.
We talked about a new belief that would help her take this new awareness forward.
A belief that would honor the learning she experienced through the gentle and loving way that Annie responded to her energy.
Evident through the paint on the paintbrush.
We are all conditioned human beings.
Being aware of what we believe to be true and how that influences our energy which in turn impacts how others respond to us, this is a life-long journey.
A journey of living and leading consciously.
A journey of offering grace to ourselves and others.
A journey of leading with power, humility and confidence.
A journey with which horses can help us, in ways that at times, can be hard to explain.
A journey that horses can help us in ways that fellow humans cannot.
If this story provides you with some insight into how coaching with horses can help you be a more conscious leader, a more conscious human, I invite you to step into your courage and into the round pen with my herd and I.
Red Chair Ranch - Where Horses Help Humans Discover
