Presence
It is always about this very moment - we try to learn to be in the moment, because for the horse it must look like only our shell is there and the inner is gone, if we let our minds travel in time. Horses don't do that, and they cannot understand it. For them it's always about right here and right now.
Authenticity
Noora talks about "masks" that people are wearing, how the horses never see what we try to be, but who we really are. So we need to find our way back to our pure inner self. No masks, no ego.
We need to find the courage to look at the things horses mirror back to us, when they try to help us see.
Devotion
I didn't want to title this last one Love so I put devotion, sounds fancier. But it is the same. What we give, we get. Everything we do with horses, should be done with warm heart. We should not only thank for good job, we should stay grateful for their willingness to teach us.
All animals gathered around us during our sessionsI asked A-M, the hostess of our last clinic, to write something too, which she kindly did:
"I have been twice on Noora´s clinic. It looks like we mainly work with our horses in order to find new balance, or actually a new path to go together with them. But for me it appeared like a painful battle in my soul and mind before any light was there. During the last year I have been asking myself why on earth my mare ever came into my life, because she is so "difficult". Now she has given me very deep and honest answers which came clear to me during the clinic. She is like a photo of my true inner reality today. What she explained was the message to stay calm and peaceful, this is "feet strongly and softly on earth", what ever happens. She asked me to keep my limits, the physical as well as mental ones, too.
The magic of Noora is her true authenticity and the ability to live in that very moment. She has extraordinary sensible antennas for what is going on in peoples as well as in horses minds and hearts from moment to moment. She gives people place and time to figure themselves out what is it all about. This means she is truthful in her words, but never hard and gets something broken."
Thanks, Jen-ska for posting this! Everything you say makes so much sense. It sounds like the clinic supplements the work the horses are trying to do with us. What A-M says about her "difficult" horse shows that sometimes we have to be willing to be in the dark for a long time before we can see. I've been going through a difficult time with George, and it's clear that the answers are not always what you expect them to be - you have to wait for the answer and not grab it.
VastaaPoistaCan you give any examples of how Noora works in practical terms?
these qualities - presence, authenticity, and devotion - are good to remember!
VastaaPoistaHas Olga participated in one of the clinics?
VastaaPoistaIt warms my heart and soul to read this, thank you Jenny for sending a link. Here´s my short answer to June: what we do depends totally on the horse, the person and the moment. There is no method or no fixed plan.
VastaaPoistaIt can be anything; sometimes in the beginning instead of doing people need certaind discussion, learning what the horse or the person is about etc. It can be learning about body signals, solving ´practical problems´, physical work, riding... It all depends what´s right for the horse and for the person at that moment!
It´s important not to just ´do´ something but to learn to be sensitive, aware and clear each moment. This we must then extend to what ever we do with horses.
Did this clarify anything?
With smiling heart,
Noora
Yes - thanks, Noora!
VastaaPoistaIt sounds like what I do with my horses - in other words, not really knowing what's going to happen before it does happen.
But I also had in mind stuff like - if you do work on 'practical problems' - how might you approach them? Because all this is quite new to me, I don't work on practical problems the way I used to. So I guess what I was looking for is kindof a "story" maybe of how, in a particular instance, you solved a particular problem which presented itself in that moment. If you see what I mean!
Thanks again!
I understand but as funny as it sounds, for me it´s very difficult to just write about the approach. Because it depends so much on the horse and the person and although we do things, the main focus is not on what we do but how we ARE and how we feel when we act - or don´t act.
VastaaPoistaSo I could only describe physical actions and even if people would appreciate them, I would feel bad writing such things which can be seen as tricks.
But a little example: such common issue as problem with leading can be born from many different reasons. Sometimes the horse is difficult for the owner but is calm with a calm person. So the approach could be to teach the person to be more calm and find her inner strength (easier said than done), to be more upright and aware and learn some things about positions etc. In easy cases the difference can happen quickly, some times it´s really a road for the person and maybe also for the horse.
Or the problem is that the horse just doesn´t yet know to respect the person´s space and maybe this is the issue to work with. Again, sometimes it´s a small issue, sometimes a bigger one. The approach depends on the individuals but it´s NOT anything mechanical or though!
Or the problem is that the horse is just ´made´ quiet and he ´behaves´ but is not there with his soul and then the solution is far away from the leading itself. Or this can be the case even if the horse is not behaving and still it´s the biggest thing to focus on, not the behaviour ´problem´ itself.
Etc. etc. etc.
Do you see what I mean? :) And maybe someone else have more stories to tell. I can only say: problems just start to melt away when both the person and the horse feel themselves strong inside, calm, trustful and truly understood.
This I wish for you all.
Thanks, Noora - I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question!
VastaaPoistaI agree - it's a mistake to look for fixes, or to have a problem-oriented approach. I guess that's why stories are more helpful than formulae, as stories don't focus on "how to" but rather give insight into personalities and relationships and states of mind. Kind of like how a good novel can tell us more about human nature than a psychology book.
I guess things like "positions" can be helpful the way a yoga posture can be - it can open up part of your body that's closed, or point to a direction one hadn't thought of.
I know what you mean about not wanting things to be seen as "tricks." Once you and the horse have the energy of yourselves gathered up in harmony, then just a thought suffices to create movement, but the only way to do that is to experience it and find it for yourself. (And please don't think that I personally find it very often - not there yet!!!)