(This blog was originally posted on August 19, 2014)
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| Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan |
When I was an
editor at Black Belt® magazine,
I often came across the following quote in which martial artists were urged to
practice mushin no shin or “mind of
no mind” during combat or competition. Basically, this term philosophy urges
you to empty your mind and turn off your
emotions so you can think and perceive what’s going on around you. I had an
opportunity to practice this philosophy while I hung out with Galahad this
afternoon.
The time I
spent with my horse was not in combat but in a kind of moving meditation as I
groomed him. Once I had him secured in the cross-ties, I turned all of my
attention to making him feel relaxed while I gently curried away shedding hairs
and dirt. He did a lot of sighing and fluttered his nostrils a few times, so I
am pretty sure he was beyond comfortable and probably a little blissed-out
during his mega-grooming session. (My trainer has commented several times that
my horse is a bit hedonistic.)
Unlike
Galahad, complete relaxation has never been easy for me; it is a rare day that I am not doing two or three things at one
time. Even spending quiet time at the barn is not an inherently relaxing
activity. For example, I always need to know where my feet and hands are to
avoid being accidentally stepped on or nibbled when I give Galahad a treat. I
have to be careful not to let my horse walk directly behind me when I lead him
or he could run right over me if something spooked him and he bolted forward.
When I ride, I must use various parts of my body to ensure that I communicate
exactly what I want my horse to do and he understands what I am asking for. In
addition, my entire body must be soft and relaxed while I remain aware of my
surroundings and alert to anything that could spook my horse, including changes
in my body that indicate I’m not focused on what I’m doing.
Of course, the
reason why I sometimes have so much trouble quieting my mind and directing my
focus is, multi-tasking is my go-to behavior. It is my known. Even though I was physically relaxed while I groomed my
horse—the repetitive motions of currying and brushing are actually hypnotizing,
pun intended—my mind was anything but. Random thoughts kept popping into my
head: What should I blog about today? Has
so-and-so received my e-mail? I have to get ready for that meeting tomorrow,
etc. Whenever my thoughts drifted away from what I was doing with Galahad,
he would politely by pointedly change his posture as if to remind me to pay
attention to what I was doing. After all, this was his time to be with me and get fussed over.
Spending time
with my horse is my favorite time of day and my absolute favorite thing to do,
but I sometimes have trouble completely turning off the rest of the world even
when I’m with him. Today was one of those days. I know I shouldn’t have to work
so hard at relaxing but, let’s face it: sometimes tuning out is really hard
work. My conscious mind knows that it should not be more stressful to relax and
take time to decompress from the day than it is for me to multi-task various
responsibilities I must fulfill and projects to complete during the day. My
subconscious mind knows otherwise: Multi-tasking is my default, go-to behavior.
It is a subconscious known, an established behavior, a mental script. Furthermore,
according to John Kappas, Ph.D.’s Theory
of Mind, I reinforce that behavior every day, when I am working (e.g.,
preparing for a session, working and following up with clients after their
appointment and taking continuing education courses). Then I go out to the barn
and ride/hang out with my horse, where I typically do several things at the
barn just to stay safe. (As much as I love and trust Galahad, I know that I am
physically no match against his 900-pound might if I ended up in the wrong
place at the wrong time.)
Well, I have
been working very diligently to rewrite that old subconscious
mental script that says I have to multi-task every minute of my day. I’m
pleased to say that after a few false starts this afternoon I was finally able
to get into a groove with Galahad when I was able to tune out that extra
chatter in my head for longer and longer periods of time. When I caught myself
thinking about something that didn’t have to do with him, I simply re-directed my
attention back on Galahad where it belonged. By the end of our afternoon
together, the image and sound of him contentedly nibbling on grass and the
earthy smells around me were the only thoughts on my mind.
Mind of no mind.
Trauma Relief Hypnotherapy
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Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in
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