CEGA


Discover your ideal relationship with your horse

CEGA creates an atmosphere of openness and trust in which to explore your own special horse-human bond. We want to help you remove blocks, deepen your awareness of the power within, and help you achieve your goals.


Saturday, July 31, 2010

August is almost upon us, and here in northern New England I can hear the cicadas buzzing and crickets chirping. A flock of geese is gathering in the field next door. It's both the height of summer and the end of summer.
Sometimes life is so busy, it's hard to truly focus and be 100% present while riding. So I've started a regular practice that has been incredibly helpful and successful for me.
Try this: Each time as I begin a ride (usually at a walk on a long rein, but I can do it anytime), I allow all the busy thoughts to just whirl around uninterrupted. There are a few that keep recurring. I take a deep breath in, and while blowing it out through pursed lips, I see the biggest worry/distraction/thought blowing away. I tell it I can't have it right now. It can come back later, but right now I'm blowing it clear from my mind. I do this two more times. It seems that 3 is the magic number. Whatever 3 things are foremost in my mind, I blow each away in turn. So I've relaxed my mind and through the breathing relaxed my body as well.
Sometimes, I think I know what the three things are for sure, yet when I take the breath and blow, something unexpected pops into my head. So I let it come, and I blow it away. Even when I think I "know" what's bothering me, this exercise lets underlying or suppressed thoughts surface and show how much they were really at the heart of matters.
3 breaths, 3 worries sent away and a greater feeling of peace and well-being. Happy Riding!!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I don’t normally write down the things that happen in a day. So trying to find ways to write and share information in a blog is a new concept for me. I really want to share experiences that help people to understand more about what CEGAwork is, in the hopes of helping them become more aware of the benefits of this work.
Yesterday, when I was sharing the concept with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I realized just how excited I am about this work.
We began to discuss how most people don’t take the time to take control of their lives or their rides on their horses. We tend to react to stimuli that appear before us, rather then choose how to respond. We sometimes feel as though we don’t always have a choice. There is so much happening in each moment, particularly when we ride. We are so easily distracted by something in our life or something our horse does.
I began to talk about how I was finding that I actually got more done, had more time in my day and felt better about my day when I was able to take control of myself. I want to create my life from a place of knowing, a place of flow, where I get to choose how I want to respond to the things that happen in my day. I have been noticing that my focus has changed when I ride I am more present. I used to get stuck in a moment of anger or fear when my horse did not respond the way I wanted. Now I let it go and ask again. This is why I love doing this work. I am able to bring my awareness to whatever I do in a new way. The results have been astounding in my riding and in my life. The horses I ride become more responsive. My aids have become quicker and quieter. My transitions are more fluid. I see the people change at their core as we work with them. I am so excited to be able to share this work.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Why CEGAwork?

As a member of the CEGA Team, I am often asked to describe the benefits of CEGAwork. Here's one example of someone who could benefit from CEGAwork--Me! I invite you to see if you can find similarities in your own situation.

A couple of nights ago, I went to a local cross-country course to school my horse, Simon, with some friends. I love riding cross-country, whether foxhunting or in an event, and had been really looking forward to the time with my friends, my daughter, and our horses. Well, right before Hannah and I left to trailer down, I got a phone call about a crisis at work that I had to deal with. It took longer to sort out than I wanted, and left me feeling mentally drained and unfocused.

When we arrived at the farm, Simon was being a big bull--not respecting my space, stepping on me, both literally and figuratively, and generally being unpleasant. We mounted up, and I worked hard to get him to focus on me, not on the other horses. He was sluggish, behind my leg, looking for any excuse to suck back and wait for the other horses, and every approach to a jump was a "Will he? Won't he?" moment. The low-point came when I did a lousy job of planning an approach to a fence, Simon swerved hard on landing, and I came off with a thump. (I am profoundly grateful that I was wearing my safety vest!) I remounted, continued to school him over fences, and the rest of the session went was uneventful but not stellar.

What happened? It was as though I had completely forgotten everything I have learned in my years of riding, showing and taking lessons. I needed CEGAwork! I needed the tools that CEGAwork provides, to help me refocus my energy, reconnect with my horse, and get grounded in the Now! Because if you're not grounded when you're working with your horse, at best, you're not putting forth your best effort. At worst, it can have really unpleasant or even disastrous results.

If you've ever felt scattered, unfocused, or disconnected from your horse, I strongly encourage you to check out CEGAwork, and let it work for you. You will be amazed as you discover new powerful partnership possibilities and uncover hidden strengths.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

What to do in the heat? Try to keep calm, work light, and spirits up!

When I visit the horses in the barn during these intense hot humid days, I notice how they try to do just that--they are peaceful, even if sweating while standing still, they are always happy to see me, and they appreciate a minimum of work at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Today I heard a quote: "Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses." So with that in mind, I went to the barn to listen, instead of talk. The horses were snoozing for the most part--waiting for it to be cool enough to go outside. A few wanted to chat, though. They are feeling very positive about the people here and the planet in general. They are eager to be our partners as we grow and learn to step up to our limitless potential--whether as riders or just beings on the earth.

And, since it's too hot to ride, I will "dive" into my favorite training guides (Podhajsky, Herbermann) and practice with my mind and spirit til it cools off enough to practice with my horse.

Stay cool!