Compass Conversations Podcast

This episode is all about the synchronicities many of us recognize in our lives. Little (or big!) signs can feel like delivery of deeply meaningful messages for our path in life, or simply nudge us gently toward our gifts and passions. Sometimes the universe screams, other times, there are whispers. How can we learn to tune in and allow this wisdom, these responses to our deeply felt questions? How do we recognize them without forcing or grasping, ending up in dismay as they flit away just out of reach? When we are open to meaning however it may present itself, we allow ourselves to grow and evolve into who we are in this moment.
But what happens when the conversation stops? When we are no longer feeling the guidance coming through? In some cases, an absence of signs may simply mean to “stay” with what we are doing right now. Other times, we may need to reorient our reception. When we look for signs and have an expectation around how they may arrive, we may unintentionally blind ourselves to how the conversation has changed and evolved, missing the conservation that is still there. Perhaps we just need to face it a little differently.
These times where we lose the signal may feel extremely challenging to the individual experiencing it - like an abandonment and loss of direction, full of grief and confusion. This is where we have a collective responsibility to help and hold one another through these struggles.
Many have lost a type of ritual in our culture that highly values individual responsibility. Conversations like this one are a tiny step toward re-establishing and normalizing those connections and relationships, where being seen and understood in reciprocity opens doors we never knew existed within ourselves.

Podcast Guests:
Sarah Schlote - www.equusoma.com
Christine Dickson - www.onthepathcoaching.net
Jane Pike - confidentrider.online
Jessica White Plume - www.facebook.com/jessica.whiteplume.5/
Kerri Lake - www.kerrilake.com
Music by Mark Rashid (markrashid.com)

Episode #6 explores the suggestions that get in the way of clarity, receiving and enjoying relationships.

This episode examines a set of questions that many people grapple with: Am I a bad person for asking for something I want? Do they genuinely want to connect with me? What does it mean if they say no? How can I interpret if the “no” is specifically relating to the task, or more generally to my request for connection?

This conversation is in the context of working and being with horses, but the angst and wisdom apply far beyond relationships with horses.

Self doubt, lack of self confidence, and guilt plague many of us when we are unsure if we “should” be asking our horses to work with us;: these feelings within us come across to the horse as incongruent, unreliable, and undependable. Even though it comes from a place of love, when we put a lot of mental and energetic focus on what we might be doing wrong, we may be inadvertently casting a shadow on our relationship.

If we dig a little bit deeper, we find a new question: what is it in us that resists receiving the gift of another’s awareness, attention, and effort? The group discusses ancient stories, how horses played a vital role in the survival of humanity. It’s revealed that these stories can embed within us a deep sense of gratitude, reverence and joy. The joy can emanate from that person, for horses and others to sense the joy from their heart. As we reflect on our own stories, we recognize this as an invitation to see ourselves with a new lens, revel in possibilities and different perspectives that lead to transformation.

What if we shifted our focus from what’s wrong to all the things we are both doing right? If we could honor the horse’s immeasurable capacity for forgiveness, we’d be free to approach every day with joy, playfulness, enthusiasm, reverence, and gratitude for their choice to connect with us. How might our relationship change if we shifted our perspective in this way?
Carla Bauchmueller Kerri Lake Jessica White Plume Chris Anderson Joell Dunlap

Podcast Guests

Joell Dunlap - www.squarepegfoundation.org
Jessica White Plume - @jessica.white.plume.5
Chris Adderson - www.forthehorse.com
Carla Bauchmueller - www.theintuitiverider.com
Kerri Lake - www.generateharmony.com

Music by Mark Rashid

Photography by Crissi McDonald

Different Paths To The Same Place

In this episode, we come together to explore questions about the ways horses and their people learn to better serve one another.. Starting with a touching and insightful journey into the experience of autism, we learn that there is healing in movement, relaxation through the breath, and connection through touch. Through tales of the group’s varied experiences and perspectives, we find comfort and enlightenment in the realization that we’re all talking about the same thing. Though we’ve each traveled very different paths and are experiencing truth through the distinct lenses of who we are, we’ve ended up in this same place, together. These truths are not something external to us - they are innately inside of each of us, just waiting for us to remember.
While the dots are being connected, the conversation reveals a simple process of self-discovery of who we are in the world, what we stand for and how we organically bond with one another in the interspecies community. Reminiscent of our ancestors and the ways the hunter-gathers prioritized connection with nature as a gateway to growth, well-being and harmony.
Are you open to receiving the beautiful gift of movement that your horse offers? That you can also create just by going for a walk? How can movement calm the nervous system, open the lines of communication, and stimulate learning and social interaction? How can breathing and releasing tension in your hips and legs improve your connection with your horse? Is it possible to rewire our brains and nervous systems to function in a more healthful state? Is it possible to harmonize seemingly disparate ideologies, like ancient indigenous wisdom and modern neuroscience? Are you excited when pieces of “the answer” trickle in, even when you’re yet unsure of the question?
These conversations, in their absence of judgment and appreciation of inquiry, nurture an openness and curiosity in all of us. We hope you’ll join the conversation!
In this Episode:

Barbara Schulte
Terry Kuebler
Kathy Price
Rupert Isaacson
Steve Peters
Kerri Lake

Music by Mark Rashid

What is rest? With everyone seemingly “hair on fire” busy these days, the idea of rest can be really elusive to many of us. But what does it even mean? Sleep? Relaxation? Peace? Meditation? Does the body need to be still to rest? What about the mind?

In this episode, we have a lovely discussion about how we define and feel rest. While each of us is a little different in how we find relaxation, one theme is clear - restorative rest cannot happen without alignment between body and mind. And often, it’s more about stillness in the mind than stillness in the body.

A lot of us feel stress, this tension and pressure in our society to constantly be “doing,” which brings us way up into our heads and causes incongruence with our bodies and with our natural way of being. Cultural norms create tension when our genuine selves do not fit them. We are fighting, rather than flowing; when we are in constant resistance, we wear ourselves out.

If we can find ways to free ourselves from these expectations, to stop measuring by some standard that isn’t “us,” we can lift the heaviness in our spirits, blend with and accept what is, and consequently feel peace, joy and a sense of carefree gratitude.

Engaging in activities and experiences that foster alignment between our minds and bodies can gently guide us away from overthinking and back into the present moment. By nurturing an awareness of the innate wisdom housed within our bodies, we unlock a reservoir of inner peace, wisdom, and insight that exists within each of us. We all have this ability - being born into a body means that each of us can innately attune to the rhythms and the harmony all around us. For some, this flow state can look like gardening with your hands deep in the earth, dancing and listening to music, riding horses, making art, or cooking - whatever it is that makes us feel totally at one with what we’re doing, unaware of space and time.

What is it for you?

Podcast Guests:

Kerri Lake - www.generateharmony.com
Leslie Desmond - www.facebook.com/lesliedesmondfeelofahorse?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Gray Kyle-Graves - www.wholehearthorsemanship.com
Jillian Kreinbring - http://www.jilliankreinbringinspired.com
Kathy Price - http://www.kathyprice.co.uk
Josh Nichol - http://www.joshnichol.com

Episode #7 explores the challenging, beautiful, and mysterious topics of death and grief. Guests on the podcast share their experiences through the transitions of loved ones with vulnerability, gratitude, and curiosity.

Many of us in western cultures are taught to fear death and dread grief. But when we have a deep knowing inside of us that death is not the end (and birth is not the beginning), there is less reason for fear, and sadness becomes a welcome reminder of love. What would happen if we were open to exploring the mystery of life after life?

For those left behind in our bodies, grief is inevitable. Grief is when we miss the beauty of a being’s physical presence. When we miss someone, we’re missing the person that we knew here on earth, in their bodies. But where are they now? Can we still feel their presence? Does it feel the same? If it’s different, how does it feel? Can we feel it all the time, or does it fade in and out?

The more we are open to exploring these questions in our hearts and in our bodies, the more comfort we can take in knowing that we can learn how to connect in a different way.

Join us as we explore the rhythms and cycles of life, death, grief, connection, and consciousness as a beautiful continuum.

Participants

Carla Bauchmueller - www.theintuitiverider.com
Kerri Lake - www.generateharmony.com
Shea Stewart - www.equinebalance.net
Leslie Desmond - www.lesliedesmond.com
Crissi McDonald - www.crissimcdonald.com
Music by Mark Rashid