Equine “Truth Detectors”

We are truly blessed to have 9 wonderful equine co-facilitators here at Stand InBalance.  As sentient “truth detectors” they help us humans connect with the deepest parts of ourselves — particularly those aspects that have been silenced and denied.  Lynn* (22 y.o.) was referred by her therapist for adjunctive help with self-harm behaviors.  Her outgoing, “cheery” facade belied the depth of her pain and self-loathing.  Following a sexual assault at age 19, Lynn started using self-harm as way to cope with the unmanageable aftermath.

In her second session, Lynn created an obstacle course that represented her current challenges and chose a low pole jump to represent her self-harm behaviors. She was adamant about wanting to “get over” them.  Lynn and her horse had been walking around the arena without any difficulty for most of the session. […]

5 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude in the Workplace

gratitudeAccording to a survey of 2,000 Americans, people are less likely to feel or express gratitude at work than anyplace else, despite the fact that 93% agreed that grateful bosses are more likely to succeed, and most reported that hearing “thank you” at work made them feel good and motivated.  A paycheck is only one of the motivations we bring to work. We don’t just work for money. We also work for respect, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of purpose, and more. Gratitude is a non-monetary way to support those non-monetary motivations. “Thank you” doesn’t cost a dime, and it has measurable benefits. Building a culture of gratitude at work may not be easy, but it is worth it. Here are five research-tested tips for fostering gratitude on the job:   #1 – Start at the top: This is one of the clearest takeaways from research into workplace gratitude: […]

11 Benefits of Gratitude – Reasons to be grateful all year long!

As the Thanksgiving holidays approach, GRATITUDE moves closer to the forefront of our minds.  Being thankful has so many benefits – here are 11 that we hope will encourage you to stay grateful all year long!

GRATITUDE…..

#1 – Brings you to the present moment: Being present helps you connect with your authentic self, which makes decision making easier, reduces anxiety and increases clarity and awareness of self & others.

#2 – Shifts your perspective/focus: Feeling grouchy?  Actively think about what you’re grateful for, make a list on paper or in your head. Doing this will help shift you out of your “down” mode and into thinking about what you DO have to be thankful for!

CooperHandHolding#3 – Reduces stress: […]

Horse Wisdom – Clarity & Congruence

Horses are consummate teachers of clarity and congruence.  Not only do the lead mare and stallion demonstrate their worthiness to lead through wisdom, clear communication and coherent energy, each member must participate in giving and receiving clear, consistent messages in order to survive. These are the same qualities necessary for effective relationships, influence and leadership in human herds.

DSC03671The horses let us know when we lack clear intention or clear communication.  Mike*, a 42 year old manager, brought his team to Stand InBalance because of rising conflict and difficulty meeting deadlines.  Each of the 12 team members stated that in general they worked reasonably well together and were clear about roles and responsibilities.  However, the agitation and lack of cooperation from the horses told a different story.  As the group struggled to […]

5 Strategies for Clarity

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When things feel murky and unsure, fine tuning our hearing so as to distinguish the voice of our Innermost Self brings clarity.

~ Kristi Bowman

We’ve all heard the saying, “communication is key” but what is communication without CLARITY?   Without internal clarity combined with congruence between our verbal and non-verbal communication, confusion is eminent — like a garbled voice mail message, obscured by static, the words are there but they’re not clear and the message doesn’t come through.

Clear communication is especially difficult if we are in self-doubt or unsure about what we are trying to communicate.  Inevitably we end up sending ambiguous, mixed messages that hurt our relationships and leave us without the results we hoped for.

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Finding clarity […]