Life is a feeling- so pick a good one
Apr 27th, 2010 by Carolyn Resnick Method
To download the MP3 version, right click this link and then select Save Target As.. or Save Link As
This blog was inspired by one of my Insiders Circle student’s comments on the blog, thank you Connie Huibregtse. Connie, You can make joy happen because Joy is a practice.
Horses are great helpers to return us to a natural state of joy and well-being, a state that we often take for granted or think we do not have. Wanting or not wanting joy does not change the fact that there is always joy within our core of existence. The reason I know this is that you cannot know what it is not to have joy unless you have experienced having it in the first place.
Some people may feel guilty for thoughts of feeling joyful when others around them are suffering. How to step over feelings of guilt is to understand that when you exercise joyful states of being within yourself and acknowledge the joy that is always present, it effects the well-being of others in a positive way. It is more a powerful tool for effecting change and the well-being of others than any other. Going with the flow of nature helps nature to support us. Cultivating feelings of joy is a very strong way to help the planet to flourish.
When you feel well being, you automatically gain an ability to know how to bring about positive change in yourself and others. You get in touch with your natural genius. Something that is usually ripped out of use from our experiences growing up and through the ways we are educated.
Effortless joy is always available. But how to return to this knowingness? That is the question. Where to start? Start by going back to the very moment you were aware of a feeling of peace and happiness. Please list for me 10 things that have brought you joy no matter how small; like finding change in a drink machine or maybe returning to your car with the parking meter expired, to discover you did not get a ticket, things like that. If we make markers of our joyous moments to our consciousness, they accumulate and will raise our vibration. Collect up all these moments of happiness and relive them through your feelings. By bundling these moments together, they accumulate an even greater strength than they had as separate moments. Just as remembering and reliving traumas has a negative effect, remembering joy has a positive one.
When we stop thinking we need certain conditions for our hearts to be open, we can then truly connect with horses and feel a natural sense of how to evolve a deeper connection with them. To connect with life is easy and natural, the outcome is a feeling of well-being and joy.
If you are feeling lost, know that joy can be retrieved. Formula: all you need to do is recall a feeling of joy and then grow the feeling inside of your body to raise your vibration. When your vibration is raised, it then connects you to the well-being that surrounds you in nature. When you connect with Nature it will vitalize you, raising you to an even higher level of joy.
As this relates to horses, when you focus on the lack of connection with your horse, it drives the connection farther way. It’s better to take the time to focus on what you enjoy about your horse in the moment and allow that feeling of joy in the moment to restore the magic of the connection.
Example: If I was sitting sharing territory with my horse and I was focused on the fact that he was not standing right next to me, then that feeling of lack would actually push the connection farther away. Instead, I could choose to focus on the happiness I AM experiencing, just being in the moment, sharing territory with my horse. This simple perspective change brings about the deeper connection I am seeking and evolves the relationship.
Carolyn’s 10 joyful moments:
- I take Apollo out to go potty I only have 5 minutes, and he goes.
- I remember at Christmas time, I didn’t know I wanted a bicycle and there was a bicycle under the tree. It was an unexpected thrill to see it. I remember that feeling as if it happened today.
- I needed to take Apollo out to go potty at 2:00 am instead of it being cold it was warm and I could see because it was full moon.-The moon spoke to me, changing the chore into magic.
- Chocolate!
- I am standing at the Grand Canyon, looking at a sunset, and an overwhelming feeling of joy entered every poor of my existence. It wasn’t even the view, it was a feeling of the atmosphere, a shift of wind, a cool breeze, I felt more alive than I had ever experienced.
- This morning I recall, I gave a lesson over the phone on single lining that went a smooth as butter. It was an exhilarating feeling when I realized that I could teach this method that I thought would be impossible to pass to others face to face, much less over the phone. It caused me, to vibrate with the universe around me all morning.
- How touched I am reading the comments this week to see peoples hearts exploding with enthusiasm –seeing the benefits of simply sitting with there horses and finding their own belief in how to approach growing their connections with their horses.
- Yesterday Alessandra brought me 2 pounds of rose petals; I have made a concerted effort to appreciate them all day.
- CHOCOLATE!!
- Sense of accomplishment for creating this list.
This is the practice of joy.
Carolyn
No related posts.
I am just catching up on the blog posts so I am a bit behind but my ten most joyful things right now are:
1. Sharing Territory by sitting with my horses in the round bales.
2. Working with people and their horses with Liberty work and helping them find the connection with their horses.
3. Sitting in my hammock under the maples for a few quiet moments which are few and far between.
4. Playing with my dog and a toy.
5. Sitting by the Reservoir with my man.
6. Having a nice meal with my man.
7. Vacations in Hawaii!
8. Sunsets in Hawaii!
9. Nature
10. Discovering Liberty work and chocolate…eating chocolate while doing liberty work! : )
Dear Caroyln,
What a beautiful post! Thank you for putting into words the feelings I believe everyone on this blog shares.
1. Waking up each morning grateful that I have another day to live, love and share with all who are in my world, animals and humans fills me with joy.
2. The beauty of the morning light shining through the trees, shimmering across my horses coats and glistening on the dew on the bright spring grass in the pastures.
3. Calling my horses and having them gallop across the pasture to greet me, nickering at me when they are close.
4. My incredible sister who inspires me daily.
5. My wonderful partner Mark whose goofy sense of humor makes me belly laugh on a daily basis.
6. Chocolate – dark, delicious chocolate and coffee.
7. When going out to feed in the morning , thinking that the humidity and heat have arrived and I will be sweating my guts out, and discovering its cool with a lovely breeze and no humidity.
8. Being semi-retired and nearly debt free at 48 yrs. old.
9. My health and being able to do all of the physical activities of life with horses.
10. Finding you Carolyn, and learning about your methods. It is how I have felt about my horses and all of my animals my entire life, but was always considered “strange” because my belief was so different from everyone else. It is wonderful to know I am not “strange” and to be among all of the kindred spirits on your blog.
Dear Carolyn,
Again, thank you for sharing your wisdom. I just read your text this afternoon and it spoke precisely to the mood I was in today. It was windy, and that wasn’t helping my strength or my focus. Your entry reminded me of how simple it is to go back to a good place inside. Here’s my list as it comes to mind:
• My girlfriend’s smile.
• A horse’s soft, loving look.
• A moment of silence and peace, with vibrant stillness in the air (no wind!).
• Dancing salsa.
• The song that sometimes bursts out of me in the mornings while I clean the stables.
• My sister’s laughter (she’ll sometimes snort).
• One summer evening when I was with a friend quietly floating belly up in the sea… and all the air around us became intensely pink.
• A much wanted nap.
• The feeling of learning in the same moment as I am attempting to teach something.
• Stillness inside.