The Equestrian Tai Chi Podcast

This episode is about ponies proactivley asking for and arranging Equestrian Tai Chi practice, well one pony in particular! Equestrian Tai Chi is a shared practice for horses and ponies just as much as it is for us and if anything they seem to enjoy it even more than us, or least this give more outward obvious signs that they do!

Now is the time of the wood element in the northern hemisphere. It's spring the trees are coming into leaf, things are coming into bloom and growth is abundant all around us. In Taoism and other tradition too, the wood element is one of the five elements, wood fire earth metal and water. At different times of the year, each of the elements is predominant and that is a good time to work with the energy of that element, though all the element are always there in all seasons. This episode is about the wood element and connecting with a tree to ask for help with something.

This episode is for riders who feel nervous sometimes and it's to invite them to consider changing saying or thinking the words ‘I am a nervous rider' to ‘sometimes I feel nervous when I ride'! Taoists believe that we can create identities or egos for ourselves without even realising! When we unwittingly create identities for ourselves, we can live from them and be controlled by them, without us really knowing and this can close down our lives in ways we might not have imagined.

This episode is an overview of the development of the Equestrian Tai Chi Program for riders. It's about how the different trainings in the Program developed,and how we can almost use parts, or all of them, every day out riding, to keep ourselves and our horse calm, to feel our chi flow in harmony with our horse riding, to communicate with our horse through our energy riding, and to even have a spiritual connection with our horse riding.  

This episode is about how we can regenerate and smooth our energy with our practice, in the same way a heating system fitted with a magnet can!

It's New Year's Day today and this is a time when we often look ahead to the year to come and our hopes and dreams. This episode is about using the Tai Chi symbol to help us achieve something that we really want, but are blocked in some way from achieving.  You'll need a big sheet of paper and a pen and some time to get your thoughts down relating to the Yin Yang of the situation! I hope you enjoy this exercise and find it useful! 

This episode is about loosing a tooth, but gaining the joy of connecting with it. It's also about love flowing in at the dentist and how quickly the ego can kick in to take advantage!

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, different emotions, both positive and negative relate to different organs. This episode is about the benefits of Equestrian Tai Chi in relation to balancing the emotions!

According to many of the ancient traditions of the world, including Taoism, all matter and all relationship dynamics, are composed of some energetic combination of the Five Elements, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. Some traditions have only four elements, some have air and not metal.  This episode is about the importance of the Earth Element for all the other elements.

Along with weaning, loading is another thing that can have a big effect on the foal's life, though not to such an extent as weaning. This Episode is about how I taught my foals to load and about their first journeys. Wu Wei means Non Action or it can mean Effortless Action!

Wu Wei is a Taoist Concept that can mean Doing without doing, or Effortless Action, sometimes Non Action. Weaning foals can be quite stressful for the mare and the foal if it is done too early and in a harsh and abrupt manner, this episode is about how I discovered a way of weaning foals that was easy for the mare and foal and the humans involved!

In taoism, and in other traditions too, the different energies of the 5 elements are regarded as being very important. And they express themselves in fire earth, metal, water and wood. According to taoist tradition all matter, all beings, and all relationships are comprised of some energetic combination of these five elements. The energy of the different elements are dominant at different times of the year.

In the previous Podcast Episode I talked about how Equestrian Tai Chi practice helps the horse to have sovereignty of himself and rise above feelings or anxiety he or she might have, and in this Episode I talk about how the connection we develop with Equestrian Tai Chi practice helps our horse feel safe with us.

In this Episode how 'Equestrian Tai Chi can help the horse to have Sovereignty of Himself', I share about how Equestrian Tai Chi practice can help the horse to rise above feelings of anxiety, and to safer in this world. To begin I share about how the background from which the horse experiences his world is created, and how this governs how he operates in his everyday life. Then I share about how it's possible the horse may have a different experience of our practice than we do (not withstanding the obvious differences) and how he can be more affected than we are, and therefore benefit more obviously.

This Episode is about how we can engage or horses attention through connecting through our Chi or energy. As well we can feel a shared connection with our horse to the world around us as the Chi moves in the higher layers of our energy.

This episode is an exploration of the emotion of fear in our horse in terms of Yin & Yang. We look at the effect of fear on our horse and practice a little exercise to help our horse if he is afraid and how our Chi energy can help.

Equestrian Tai Chi can be different things to different people, to able bodied people and to people who are not as able bodied. It can benefit people with learning difficulties and people who don't. It can benefit riders of different ages and levels of ability. Above all Equestrian Tai Chi supports our connection with the horse! Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

This Episode is about how when we can't access our energy it feel's like we're in the dark, but when we can, it's like a new world opens up to us inside of ourselves that the horse can tune into as well. Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/  

A Crisis Brings Clarity and shows what is true and what is false. Taoists say that when what is false leaves, only the true remains and a crisis is an opportunity to see what it true and false in our lives. In our minds the things that are most dominant are false, but these submerge in a crisis and leave us with what is true. Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

This Episode is about the Winter Solstice and Newgrange! Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

This Episode is about 3 aspects to the emotion of fear, I also share about the Corona Virus in Ireland today and the importance of having compassion for ourselves as well as others so we don't make ourselves afraid all the time! Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

Horses are Masters at reading energy, it is easy for them to connect in this way, we ourselves are not so natural, but it is something we can learn in Chi Connected Riding. Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

This episode outlines my hopes and wishes for the coming year, if any of them resonate with you, I hope they come true for you. Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

We all have filters, they can be identities we create for ourselves or egos. These create a sense of separation between us and our horse. Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!

Please click here to see a list of current courses for Riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers in Equestrian Tai Chi!

This episode is about how I came to feel my Chi Flow Riding and about how clear my Taoist Training became to me in this process.

The first day I felt my Chi flow was a marker in time for me and I'm still in awe of the way it is so simple and yet so subtle.   

How we can become taken over by thoughts about someone or something when we're riding and how to free ourselves from this, so we can connect with our horse and the flow of life again!

We can inhibit the smooth flow of Chi through our bodies when we're riding without realising it. 

Equestrian Tai Chi Movements have a balancing quality that affect our horse's energy as well as ours

Please enter this link into your browser for a list of current courses in Equestrian Tai Chi! https://www.equestriantaichi.com/courses2021/ There are courses for Riders, Therapeutic Riding Instructors, Riding Instructors, Body Workers and Healers!