Caught in the webbing of a rein lesson

Today was the mark of the second rein lesson for one of my students. I had to apologize to her, that we would be backtracking in our lesson today, as I felt that I had skipped some important steps when we worked last week. As we went through our lesson today, it became apparent however there was no harm done from last week, as the dots became connected for her.

I feel very motivated when working with students, as it gives me a new way to see the way I can improve my own work and communication with my horses. A good thought came to me, while in asking her to adjust her reins more slowly, pathetically slow even. I thought, perhaps I am not adjusting my own reins as slowly as I could. Made me wonder, how slowly can I do the exercise? Perhaps if I want her to take 20 seconds to pick up her reins, I could attempt 30+? Not to best her, but to best myself, push myself to my own limit and beyond.

I tried to impress on her, that if she is taking 8 or 9 seconds to pick up her reins, she is only half as conscious of the movements she is making as she would be if taking 20 seconds. That is amazing to think, that we can become twice as conscious or aware of our actions by slowing down that many seconds, counting out the fluid motion. Brings me back to dancing. We dance with our horses, whether we like to look at it that way or not. Just as there are all types of dancers, there are all types of riders. Some are extremely fluid and naturally gifted, and some are more naturally clumsy and uncoordinated. So, how do we bring ourselves to becoming fluid when we are not naturally so? How do we find awareness? Move slowly. The faster we move, the quicker our bodies move to what is familiar or habitual, and the slower we progress to the goal.

Slow, I thought about that a lot today at work as well. How slowly could I make my movements during a massage? While still creating fluidity. Bringing me again to the thought of entrainment. We all entrain to each other, everyone affects those around them and vice versa. And another chain, that of balancing extremes. Because we are entraining others while they entrain us, given enough time and close proximity, we will both find the balance between our own extremes.

I think learning is the same way, we must learn both extremes to truly understand the balance. We also have no compassion for what is at the extreme opposite if we never venture there, never discover where our limit is. Some of us on the other hand, always work at our extreme,  we never find the balance, because we never find the opposite pole.

It isn’t finding what is correct that gives intelligence, it is finding all forms of incorrect that allows you to intelligently discover what is correct.

Overall a good day, when you let one thought take you to many..