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[Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from Kathleen’s new book,Heart to Heart With Horses: The Equine Lover’s Guide to Reiki byKathleen Prasad, with a foreword by Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M.,M.S., and published by Animal Reiki Source, San Rafael, CA,2017. This excerpt is chapter 5.]

Chapter 5: Horses as Teachers

When we listen to our horses, we get an education. When we don’t, we get experience.

—MARK RASHID

HORSES INNATELY HELP US to open our hearts so thatwe can access the limitless love that resides there. Forme, sharing Reiki with horses is not just about healing

injuries, illness, or emotional issues. At its core, practicing Reikimeditation is a profound way to let love flow outward into theuniverse, not only for the horse we are with, but also for all thehorses who need healing in the world. Reiki helps us to remember that we are all one in this beauti-

ful universe. As the love flows out, as we hold a compassionate,loving space for our horses, there is a beautiful, healing rippleeffect out into the world, bringing the power of limitless love toall horses, and all beings. Energetically, our small acts of loveresound very loudly into the universe.So when you are connecting heart-to-heart with your wonder-

ful horse, set your intention to share that beautiful heart-spacewith all horses around the world. Why not spread the love?

Teachers of meditationWhen we spend time with our horses in that natural quietness

of their way of being, even if we’re just in the pasture standingwith them as they graze, our busy human minds can easily emptyof everything. We feel much more at peace just being near them.In our day-to-day lives we might find ourselves sitting on our med-itation cushion, trying so hard, saying to ourselves, “Okay, I’m try-ing to empty my mind, trying to get quiet and get close to the

energy.” But we might find it difficult to sit still, or frustratingbecause our minds are so active and distracted. When we’re witha horse, we can find peacefulness effortlessly. We can quiet ourminds easily. Time goes by and we hardly notice it. The feel oftheir manes in our fingers, the sound of their teeth pulling upgrass, the earth beneath us and the sky above—these are all ingre-dients of mindfulness that are inherent in spending time with ourhorses. Thus we can see our horses are wonderful meditationteachers. They are still in communion with the earth in a way thatwe humans have lost in our modern, technological world. Sharingtime with horses can help us to find that connection again.

Teachers of natureAs a Reiki practitioner, I’ve connected with lots of horses over

the years, from high-level show horses to sanctuary and rescuehorses. Horses have taught me so much about energy�about whatit is, how it works, and why it’s important to our healing. To me,horse energy is the perfect balance of earth and sky energies.Horses are so grounded and powerful—close to and rooted firmlyto the earth. At the same time, the spirit of our horses is wild andfree; they are sensitive to the more subtle, spiritual aspects ofexistence that might be difficult for us to connect to. In this wayhorses are expansive, like the sky. And so horses are our teachersof nature. Nature is a beautiful manifestation of healing and abalance of the earth and the sky�of things that we can see withour eyes, and things that we understand do exist but cannot see.Being with our horses brings us closer to this harmony of natureand our connections to the earth and to our subtle spirit, and sothey are very healing for us.

Teachers of energyBeing outside with our horses helps us become aware of the

beauty of nature around us, which in turn helps us go to thatquiet place inside us where healing energy flows so easily. Ourtrue self, our inner essence, is composed of energy—that subtleforce that lies at the center of all things. It’s so hard for us humansto sense, yet our horses are powerfully in tune with this energy

Reiki with HorsesThey are the Teachers

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already—this is one of the reasons they are so responsive to shar-ing Reiki meditations. Connecting with our horses can help usbecome more aware of these more subtle aspects of existence. Ittakes a lot of practice, but with the help of our horse teachers, wecan also learn to speak the language of energy. In reality, the lan-guage of energy is really just the language of the heart. When ourhearts connect, this is the place where true healing can begin.

Teachers of “being in the flow”“Being in the flow” is a way of being in the world, no matter

what we are doing—healing, riding, talking, walking, etc.—andthe techniques of Reiki can help us to create this possibility ofharmony in all that we do. If you spend time with horses, you arealready practicing being in the flow, whether you realize it or not.That’s because horses already live in the flow, and they help us tolive there too, at least when we are with them.For example, let’s take a look at the similarities between shar-

ing Reiki with a horse and riding in harmony with a horse. Shar-ing Reiki is about connection and Oneness. Interestingly enough,to be a good rider is also about becoming one with the horse—inessence, finding that energetic connection between two beings.

Being Peace with Your Horse Meditation

OPEN YOURSELF TO THE ENERGY of peace and calm that sur-rounds you. Stand outside your horse’s paddock or pasture in acomfortable position, spine straight, shoulders and arms relaxed.Your eyes should remain open and in soft focus. Place your handsover your lower belly. Relax your entire body as you breathedeeply a few times. Imagine there are roots growing down fromthe base of your spine, deep and wide into the earth. Imaginethat the powerful, grounding energy of the earth can flow up

these roots into your lower belly, giving you stability and peace.Take ten breaths, and on each inhale, feel peaceful earth energycoming up into your lower belly. On each exhale, release anyemotions, fears, or worries you may have out through your roots,easily dissolving them into the peacefulness that is earth energy.With each successive breath, feel more and more stillness andstability within you. Once you have completed the ten breaths,allow yourself to relax in the space of earth energy and stabilitythat you have created with your breath. Once you feel fully calm and connected to the earth, simply

invite your horse into the peaceful space you have created withyour breath. Imagine that within this space, all is perfect andbalanced, and that your horse can join you there. Feel harmonyenveloping both you and your horse. Let go of your expecta-tions, along with any worries about what needs to be healed, andcontinue to breathe the calm and strength of earth energy intoyour belly as you share this space with your horse.Notice if your horse comes closer or stays farther away. Place

your hands gently on your horse if he approaches, or keep themon your belly if he chooses to remain at a distance. Signs ofrelaxation and stress relief in your horse will indicate that he issharing your peaceful healing space with you. n

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As a rider, I try to use the same principles to excel that I use inmy Reiki practice. I recently taught Reiki to my trainer, Susan,and we were talking about working with the energy and how itmight be similar to what she already does in dressage. She start-ed talking about the “quiet space” she goes to when she rideswhere all else falls away, and connection becomes effortless—thecommunication between horse and rider, the flow, just beingtogether, and so on. As she spoke about it, I thought to myself:This is exactly what I’m doing when I share Reiki with horses. I’mfinding a quiet space inside myself, and in this space there is a connec-tion with the horse where the healing can happen. The next time I rode, I thought about the similarities

between Reiki and riding. When I first started sharing Reikiwith horses I focused on Reiki’s mechanics: where my handswere, if my hands were touching the horse or not, etc. I oftenfelt pushback or resistance from a horse because I was trying sohard to “do” Reiki. In time and with practice, I was able to letgo and just relax into the feeling of being Reiki, and letting theenergy carry us both wherever it chose to. Similarly, while rid-ing, as beginners we must first focus on the little details—ourbalance, the positions of our arms, legs, hands, shoulders, and soon. As we practice more, we can let go and clear our minds.When we manage to do this while we ride, everything falls intoplace, and it becomes almost effortless to ride correctly—ourhorses become happy and responsive as they feel us becomingmore in tune with them. This is the same kind of appreciationI receive from horses when I’m sharing Reiki with them. Theygive me such a beautiful kind of attention and kindness, as ifthey are saying, “Wow, I’ve been waiting for a person to reallylisten and connect to me on a deeper level.” Riding in perfect harmony is one way to experience how we

are all connected to each other. Reiki is just another way toaccess this connection. Practicing Reiki techniques can help usdevelop our connection to that quiet space inside of us where allthese wonderful possibilities exist; where we learn to deepen ourbonds with the horses we love. 1

Kathleen Prasad is founder of Animal Reiki Sourceand president of the Shelter Animal Reiki Associa-tion (SARA). A Reiki Practitioner since 1998, shehas taught Reiki to the staff and volunteers of or-ganizations such as BrightHaven, Best Friends An-imal Society, The San Francisco SPCA, GuideDogs for the Blind, The CARE Foundation, The Ele-

phant Sanctuary and Remus Memorial Horse Sanctuary. For more in-formation please visit www.AnimalReikiSource.com orwww.ShelterAnimalReikiAssociation.org.

Case Study: Horse Healingby Emma Duvefelt

EARLY SPRING MORNINGS can be quite cold in northernMaine. On one of those mornings, when I went out to the barnto feed the goats and horse their breakfasts, I found the small-est goat, Alouette, standing quietly, head and tail down, toocold to move. The other two goats were standing nearby. P, ourhorse, was watching from her stall.I turned up the overhead barn heater, put some fresh hay in

front of Alouette, and ran back to the house to get some warmwater and a heavier coat for myself. When I returned, in greathaste, Alouette had nestled down under the heater and the othertwo goats were lying near her, making small chanting sounds. Pwas eating her hay quietly, keeping an eye on her goats.I poured some warm water for the goats. Alouette had

stopped shivering. Her twin sister was lying near her, theirheads almost touching. A third goat was lying not far away. Isat myself down and prepared to share some Reiki. I focused onmy breathing, bringing my breath deep into my hara. Occa-sionally a worried thought would pass through my mind, but Icontinued to breathe slowly and deeply�or so I thought.The goats stopped their chanting, and P began to toss her

hay around, obviously irritated, moving restlessly. Somethingwas wrong. I stopped and listened with all of my senses. I real-ized I had barged in to a healing space that the goats and P hadcreated on their own. I was surrounded by the vast, gentlespace they had already created for Alouette. As I got up toleave, the goats resumed their chanting and P again began toquietly eat her hay. In my humanness I had thought that Ineeded to be the one to save the day. Not so. Not so at all. n