Sunshine beaming through dirty windows in every room of my home is a beautiful reminder that a Seasonal Shift has blown through!

Wintering has become something I have come to not only love, but I have gotten quite good at it!  The stillness and the patience to do ‘nothing’, are skills I have learned to surrender to!

Taking Nature’s lead over these passed few years has landed me into a much deeper alignment within my Self.  I have begun to find that elusive balance between work and rest, I am getting just the right amount of light and dark; no more ‘hustle and grind’, no more chasing the clock and measuring my earthly worth by societal measures of productivity!  Wintering is about settling into your roots, letting go of ‘production’ and allowing rest to create safety and a space held for finding clarity of purpose for the next cycle!

We have arrived at Spring … renew, rebirth and rejuvenate and it’s all feeling so inspired this year!  The Herd and I are deepening our practices, we are expanding our offerings to reflect the trainings and our own personal growth over the last 18 months!

It’s ironic really that during this wintering I actually let go of more than I took on; my time has been more about undoing than doing … three years ago my word was Surrender … I tried, but letting go of my attachment to measuring my worth in daily accomplishments was really hard!  There was no time for rest; relaxation was earned and the cost  when I took it; was falling behind; so no matter how well deserved I believed some down time was the risks of taking it were too high!

Sound familiar?

Have you ever challenged a way of thinking that you have held for a long time?

Here’s what I can tell you about limiting beliefs … they live in the same part of your brain where your emotions stay; and they hold a lot of power if they aren’t tended to!

First impressions are born of feelings; not thoughts; so if you wonder why you keep making the same mistakes over and over again check in with your feelings, and be especially curious about those first impressions … they’re likely an old belief pattern just waiting to be let go of!

At one point that belief was put in place to keep you safe … if you’re questioning it; that’s a really good indication that it’s no longer needed and you should for sure be looking at why you’re keeping it online!

In my case that need to produce and do, and do, and do some more was running under the guise of a ‘strong work ethic’; something that was highly valued in my family, and something that always put me in good favour with the benefactors of my endless doing!  58 years later this girl is tired; and honestly events of the last couple of years have demolished my ability to live the way I was living; grief takes a back seat to no one, it will have it’s way with you and offer no mercy if you try to resist!

With the Spring Equinox turn of the Wheel I came to realize that my time in my roots over winter has served me well; but now I am itching to grow, to step into some new paths and share some of the lessons this wintering has taught me!  The Herd has been right along side me this whole time, last summer we opened our hearts just a little to the work that has been calling us … this year we are so excited to be unlocking even more of our journey!

I am fresh off of two trainings; Restorative Yoga / the anatomy of rest and most recently the Neuroscience of Horse Human interaction!  Language is important to me, it always has been – words matter, say what you mean and mean what you say … having a brand new language to articulate what is happening when you let your body rest, or when you spend time in the Herd is so empowering!

All too often working with Horses is clumped under ‘Woo or Magic’; but did you know there is scientific data – lots of it – to support the health and healing benefits that being in the presence of Horses offers to humans?  You don’t even have to touch them, you don’t have to wander through a field of them, you can pull up a lawn chair on the other side of the fence and experience the coregulation of your nervous system, your heart rate variability can be improved in that chair too … and if you’re not sure what either of those things are, or why they matter, I will be teaching it all in my upcoming Day Retreats!

Hint … you should know about these benefits!

Spring has Sprung at hOMe, weekly classes are in full swing, our next Wheel of the Year Celebration is Beltane and the incredible Linda from Ur-Nrg is back co-hosting a beautiful evening of connecting with Spirit!  There is so much happening right now and so much on the horizon that I am anxious to get to … the medicine of the Herd is to stay in the moment, let go of the destination and embrace the path to getting there!

 

See you in the Field of Wisdom … love jo & the herd