One thing I’ve come to value deeply is the experience of feeling grounded, connected, steady, and stable.

Many ancient practices involve some form of ‘grounding’.

For me, it is simply to anchor the bottoms of my feet to the ground, or you could say to the earth.

A definition of anchor I resonate with is “to connect, to attach, or to secure.”

Many of us spend SO much time in our heads, often deeply disconnected from our bodies. The practice of connecting with our feet while on the earth can be a simple and accessible way to re-ground oneself.

When I metaphorically anchor myself to the earth, I’m using the power of my mind - the practice of visualization, to energetically attach my feet to the ground and allow myself to feel very heavy.

Doing this brings me back to the present moment and out of my ranting, circling mind.

It slows everything down. It brings my often upward-spinning energy downwards and helps me to feel more settled. This, in turn, supports me to make better decisions at the present moment.

I use this practice countless times per day.

Many of us tend to think small. A gift that time with horses offers us, simply by being in their presence, is getting familiar with thinking bigger. Zooming out, and taking a wide, broad perspective.

In my younger years, I seldom looked around, I couldn’t perceive that my environment had any effect on me or my actions. I would just react, react, and react again. I always looked down and had a very narrow view of my world. I now think this was a defense mechanism which I thought kept me safe.

In a very “think small” kind of way it probably did. My thoughts and actions were often scattered and I felt ‘all over the place’ much of the time.

Maybe you relate, does this sound familiar to you or someone you know?

I learned through the practice of EGE that I was worth a heck of a lot more than I had ever thought and that my decisions, even though I’m only one person, are important.

I wonder what you will learn, notice, and discover when you practice taking a wide view and practice being horse-like, by taking a 360-degree view of your current situation.

What is the first thing that you do when you walk out your front (back) door? What is your mood, your state of mind?

Ariana’s favorite quote, heard repeatedly by all her students, is “Notice what you notice.” What catches your attention? Period. Practice being curious as your awareness heightens. Notice if you slip into judgment (good/bad) or if a mental story begins to arise. This seemingly simple practice can delve deep and offer SO much rich insight into our often unconscious patterns or ways of seeing and being in the world.

When we become more aware of what our minds are actually up to, we can use the tool or resource ‘remaining grounded’ (see #1) to gain a NEW way of seeing, hearing, and experiencing life around us.

Yes, this could be considered a ‘meditative practice’ only this time, we are focusing outward.

We are checking in with our bodies, we are sensing, we are observing without any judgment or story, and we are feeling, hearing, and taking in, that which captivates our attention.

In our lives of the internet, cell phones at less than 3 feet from our bodies at any given moment, or tablets or laptop computers which can be taken anywhere, we are asked to respond to any question or situation 24/7, as if everything in our lives is an emergency. The pressure we put on ourselves forces our bodies into a state of constant high alert!

Horse Time is the practice of slowing down.. We can apply Horse Time to any aspect of our lives. “Specifically it means pausing your minds’ rush to interpret what is happening, and what assessments you are forming …. letting your other senses of sight, smell, tactile, intuitive, kinesthetic and anything non-linear come alive and have the space of time to actually SENSE.”