To continue , from my  last post , My Inner Texan, and Meditation, where I started to develop  a model of looking at the process of addressing meditative activities. We have the rider, the horse, and the environment.  So without defining each too concretely as to different parts of engaging yourself, the rider with all of his/her gifts and deficits decide what and how to do, Then asks the horse to do it. Both the rider and the horse are dealing with the environment they find themselves in and their own strengths and deficits. It could be hot, cold, raining , mountainous, flat, walking through cactus, summer ,winter, both could be well rested, they could be tired, it could be dangerous, or safe or and endless array of environmental and physical circumstances. The rider brings themselves to the process of directing the Horse given all of the factors and the horse does its best to do what the rider asks of it, given all of the feeling, sensing, and realities of the terrain,  that the horse is dealing with.  In this model, it is very helpful if everyone is on the same page.

This morning, my Chi Gung was about blending  the rider and the horse with the season of the year. If you hadn’t noticed our body/minds react differently to the different times of year.  We are all a part of our natural environment, it affects our body/minds.  The Ancient Chinese practitioners were well aware of this fact. They noticed the changes of the cycles of the year and created Chi Gung to blend with each season. It is called solar Chi Gung and it aligns the body/mind with the time of the year. The month which last about two weeks on the Dung Shu,( An Old System of looking at the year with an eye towards the flux and flows of Chi in the environment) is Ch’iu Fen or the Autumn Equinox.

The idea here that we all can learn from, is to live a life where you have less friction in the system.  It is important to bring your awareness to different aspects of living and try and be in balance with everything going on in this dynamic flux and flow of change around us. There is no perfection only essentially correct. To walk outside and get a sense of the environment and blend with it, brings a sense of calm to the horse and the rider.

I remember watching my cousin Kelly, who trains horses, she is an amazing trainer/teacher. One of her students was dealing with a horse that was bucking, miss behaving, and fighting with the student, was it the fault of the horse. Nope, it was the signals mental and physical from the rider.  As soon as My cousin got on the horse it calmed down.  It felt the guidance of my cousin, the poise, and awareness that she brought to the situation and the horse instantly responded. Instantly! There was “balance”.  Through her trained body/mind the horse had a clear direction of intent, the horse was part of the system, in cooperation with the rider and ultimately itself.  Everyone felt safer. When the Girl got on the horse a few minutes later she had a clear image of what to do.  The horse being directed from a calm place and the rider bringing a sense of calm, receptivity, and strength. It is the same with us. Paying attention, to the flux and flow of change, and bringing a directed awareness to the way you interact with yourself, brings a sense of calm, that doesn’t control life but enables you to move through it with less friction. The Rider and The Horse are able to move through their environment. The question is, what signals are you sending your body/mind how is it reacting to the ever-changing flux and flow of life and the signals you send. If you feel out of control there is a good chance the signals you are sending  to your body/mind are not balanced and you need to spend some time finding balance and poise. Here is a good place to start. Meditation 1.

A funny picture below. Me, a big man on a little horse. Poor little guy, look at the stance of the rear legs! It was on a ride in San Miguel D’Allende and he was a very sure-footed animal which made me happy especially riding through cactus that was 20 feet tall. Though he was carrying a heavy load I remember bringing a balanced mind to riding him, which included working with my balance to best accommodate him. However, I am no master horseman!