I was listening recently to a podcast by scholar Joseph Goldstein. He talks about the discourses of Buddha as being invitations not instructions, as a conversation not a philosophical exposition (“Insight Hour, episode 53). In more common parlance, “here is an idea, go and try it out”. This subtle distinction […]
Emotional intelligence
11 posts
I wanted to talk about The Path of The Mindful Horse, what is this? Well it brings together my learning and personal practice over the last 10 years. I have talked about this path before, but with a little more breathing space I realise that this path is also my […]
I guess we are all seeking the authentic. But would we know it if we found it? Those of us who deliver Equine Assisted or Facilitated work often talk about the horse seeing us as our authentic selves. Not the titles or positions, not our qualifications or religions, not our […]
What did I do? This week I wanted to get back to my roots - blog-wise. I wanted to reflect on emotional intelligence (EI). Not the theory, but the practical. The learning and the lived experience. I have been an advocate of Daniel Goleman’s work for many years. I am […]
The last few days have really made me think about this idea of “good people making bad decisions.” When we are directly impacted by those decisions, we become quite vocal, and often quick to demonise. How often do we see others doing things that we judge to be irrational, unreasonable […]
Welcome to the unknown. This week I find myself thinking about a phrase often used when discussing Resilience or Presence, “being able to access the best and most resourceful version of ourselves in times of challenge.” It has always sounded a beautiful and important concept, but now it is reality. […]
Maslow started with the basics – first the physiological, simply keeping ourselves alive, then safety. It is a foundation. Without safety our functioning is compromised. Performance stilted by the low-level stress reactions of insecurity. Our cognition often fogged. Our creativity dulled. Sadly our brains are very good at perceiving failings […]
The actor Christopher Reeve famously said: pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice. Amazingly, it was when Superman hung up his cape that he become a real super hero. His tolerance of condition after a life-changing riding accident was an inspiration. There is a metaphor in Mindfulness based on the […]
So how do horses make us human? There is a question. I was recently asked to do a talk on empathy. More specifically about empathy in the relationship between horses and humans. And that was where the question arose for me. Empathy is generally described as the ability to put […]
The literacy of feedback involves an understanding of the conscious and unconscious language within exchange. The workshops I have been running over the last year or so, whether in board rooms or stables, consistently return to one topic. That is, developing a meaningful level of self awareness. Even if not […]