Empty Your Mind

(This blog was originally posted on August 19, 2014)

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 complete Galahad, 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.

               

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2017

All in the Family

Galahad when he was approximately 12 hours old

Photo courtesy of Sara Fogan

This afternoon while I groomed Galahad I couldn’t help but laugh as clumps of gray hair came off his body. The weather in Southern California is so warm that he already had his first soapy bath at the end of February.  It’s not even officially Spring for another few days, but my horse has almost completely shed his thicker winter coat, with the shorter hairs of his summer coat laying smooth and flat against his body. I wondered how much more I looked like my horse with so much of his hair sticking to my sweaty skin and clothes. Never mind. Galahad was thoroughly enjoying the extended grooming/massage session I was giving him. His eyes were half-closed, his neck stretched and a hind hoof cocked. As my trainer likes to say, Galahad is a hedonist like his father was. That works for me. I could groom him like that all day. I love it that much, too.

This observation got me thinking about my horse: his equine family, his pedigree, how similar and different we are as members of different species. My trainer owned and bred Galahad’s parents—the Arabian stallion, Calypso, and the Lipizzan mare, Alisa—nineteen years ago. I did not know either of my gelding’s parents, but I have been told details about each horse and some amusing anecdotes about Alisa’s pregnancy and Galahad’s birth. Although the mare gained weight, she continued to tease Calypso throughout her pregnancy to such an extent that my trainer didn’t even know she was in foal until the vet came out to investigate her tremendous weight-gain. Galahad was born in the middle of the night (as foals often are) a few weeks before he was due, so when my trainer came down to feed breakfast the following morning she was surprised to see four dark legs beside his mother in the stall he now occupies, alone. He was already standing and had figured out how to nurse on his own, and looked at the human on the other side of the stall as if to say, “What?” My trainer gave me the photo I have shared with this blog; this was the first and last time he has ever looked like he didn’t really know what was going on, she says.

As I continued to brush and curry away Galahad’s winter coat, I noticed the flecks of chestnut hairs dispersed throughout his coat. He has a constellation of these marks just above his cheekbones, like the freckles I have in this area of my own face. Otherwise, his once-black coat is gray and getting lighter every year, except for those chestnut flecks. His sire had been a chestnut, with the self-confidence and charisma to go with his status as the foundation stallion of the property. I have been told that Galahad has inherited his father’s confidence and self-assurance. Like Calypso, he is also very protective of his human (me), which he frequently demonstrates by placing his body between me and his pasture-mates when I catch him in the turnout.

Galahad is also like his parents in terms of his tremendous work ethic. He seems to have a lot of pride (and ego) about his training, because you can see it in his body language that when the work is going well, his tail swings gently and the expression on his face can only be described as “soft” and relaxed. How many times have I felt Galahad shift his weight underneath me if I start to lose my balance? His sire used to compensate for my trainer when she had a bad ride, too. She says Calypso’s attitude seemed to be, “I got this, just let me handle it and don’t make me look bad up there!” I can see that in my horse, too. I often get the feeling that he is very careful about what he does when I am on his back; I can usually rely on him to be very sensible and not shy at every little thing when I ride.

Like his dam, Galahad does not like the far corner of the arena where his half-brother, Amadeus, is stabled. If he is going to shy, this is the area where it happens. Like his sire, my horse often grunts when he is working on his right side; although his stride is even going in both directions, it is more work going in this direction and he likes to let me and my trainer know it. Sometimes Galahad also likes to play catch-me-if-you-can when I go out to catch him in the paddock; apparently that was also one of his father’s favorite games.

My horse is the last gift my grandparents gave to me. My late grandfather was kind, loving and chivalrous. He played clarinet and violin, and knew a bit about classical music, but he hated Ravel’s Boléro. My horse also seems to enjoy music—my trainer often has classical music playing in the barn when she is working with the horses or riding. Unlike my grandfather, whenever Boléro comes on Galahad gets an extra spring in his step and his tail starts to sway with the rhythm. This irony is priceless, precious. It’s like my grandparents continue to live through my enjoyment of my horse the same way his own parents live through him. While the individuals never had a chance to meet, their likes/dislikes and behaviors live on through the relationship that Galahad and I share, right down to the last note of music.

 

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016