The Equestrian Tai Chi Podcast

This episode is about taking a little time to address habits that are not helpful to us, that we wish we could be free of.

This Episode is about when we have to do something in a certain timeframe and we don't have enough time.

We look at three things to consider in relation to this and how we can use another type of time to help us, when we are under pressure for time!

According to Taoist cosmology, Wu Ji is the undifferentiated source of everything.

Although Wu Ji is the source of everything, it has no desire to create and for this a creative energy is needed, and this creative energy is Tai Ji.

Tai Ji can give birth to, or generate any set of complimentary opposites, both physical and abstract. This episode is about looking at the opposites of Hope and Fear in relation to something you want to do.

I hope you enjoy it and find it useful in some way.

A fundamental part of Taoism is the interplay between complimentary opposites, night and day, dark and light, big and small and so on.

This Episode is about making things that seem big for us smaller, and highlighting the small things that are stopping us from doing them, so they become bigger.

This Episode is about creating new things or adding to existing things at the time of year when Yin energy is at its strongest.

In the deep dark quiet of winter, if we spend time thinking about things that we want, they can be nurtured in the quiet stillness that surrounds us and is in us around the time of the Winter Solstice.

Links mentioned in the episode.

https://www.equestriantaichi.com/info-stable-clearing/

This short episode is about the online Equestrian Tai Chi Certification Programs for Riding Instructors and Therapeutic Riding Instructors.

If you'd like more information about the programs please visit https://www.equestriantaichi.com/

This episode is about ponies proactivley asking for and arranging Equestrian Tai Chi practice, well one pony in particular!

Equestrian Tai Chi is a shared practice for horses and ponies just as much as it is for us and if anything they seem to enjoy it even more than us, or least this give more outward obvious signs that they do!

Now is the time of the wood element in the northern hemisphere. It’s spring the trees are coming into leaf, things are coming into bloom and growth is abundant all around us.

In Taoism and other tradition too, the wood element is one of the five elements, wood fire earth metal and water. At different times of the year, each of the elements is predominant and that is a good time to work with the energy of that element, though all the element are always there in all seasons.

This episode is about the wood element and connecting with a tree to ask for help with something.

This episode is for riders who feel nervous sometimes and it’s to invite them to consider changing saying or thinking the words ‘I am a nervous rider’ to ‘sometimes I feel nervous when I ride’!

Taoists believe that we can create identities or egos for ourselves without even realising!

When we unwittingly create identities for ourselves, we can live from them and be controlled by them, without us really knowing and this can close down our lives in ways we might not have imagined.

This episode is an overview of the development of the Equestrian Tai Chi Program for riders. It’s about how the different trainings in the Program developed,and how we can almost use parts, or all of them, every day out riding, to keep ourselves and our horse calm, to feel our chi flow in harmony with our horse riding, to communicate with our horse through our energy riding, and to even have a spiritual connection with our horse riding.

This episode is about how we can regenerate and smooth our energy with our practice, in the same way a heating system fitted with a magnet can!

It's New Year's Day today and this is a time when we often look ahead to the year to come and our hopes and dreams.

This episode is about using the Tai Chi symbol to help us achieve something that we really want, but are blocked in some way from achieving. 

You'll need a big sheet of paper and a pen and some time to get your thoughts down relating to the Yin Yang of the situation!

I hope you enjoy this exercise and find it useful! 

This episode is about loosing a tooth, but gaining the joy of connecting with it. It's also about love flowing in at the dentist and how quickly the ego can kick in to take advantage!

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, different emotions, both positive and negative relate to different organs. This episode is about the benefits of Equestrian Tai Chi in relation to balancing the emotions!

According to many of the ancient traditions of the world, including Taoism, all matter and all relationship dynamics, are composed of some energetic combination of the Five Elements, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. Some traditions have only four elements, some have air and not metal. 

This episode is about the importance of the Earth Element for all the other elements.

Along with weaning, loading is another thing that can have a big effect on the foal's life, though not to such an extent as weaning.

This Episode is about how I taught my foals to load and about their first journeys. Wu Wei means Non Action or it can mean Effortless Action!

Wu Wei is a Taoist Concept that can mean Doing without doing, or Effortless Action, sometimes Non Action. Weaning foals can be quite stressful for the mare and the foal if it is done too early and in a harsh and abrupt manner, this episode is about how I discovered a way of weaning foals that was easy for the mare and foal and the humans involved!

In taoism, and in other traditions too, the different energies of the 5 elements are regarded as being very important. And they express themselves in fire earth, metal, water and wood. According to taoist tradition all matter, all beings, and all relationships are comprised of some energetic combination of these five elements. The energy of the different elements are dominant at different times of the year.

In the previous Podcast Episode I talked about how Equestrian Tai Chi practice helps the horse to have sovereignty of himself and rise above feelings or anxiety he or she might have, and in this Episode I talk about how the connection we develop with Equestrian Tai Chi practice helps our horse feel safe with us.