Resolve to Evolve

NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 1, January 2006

This is the time of the year when my thoughts always turn inward, reviewing the past year, thinking about the new. One of my rituals at the end of each December is to flip through the past year’s magazines which I have collected, tear out any articles I want to keep, and take the rest to the recycler (or pass them on to a friend who I think will enjoy them). I’ve written several times before about what I learn in my yoga practice and how it translates closely to what I learn in being with my horses. Once again, I found a connection. Last January’s Yoga Journal had a brief item entitled “Resolve to Evolve,” giving a yogic twist to the concept of New Year’s resolutions.1 The typical resolution, the author points out, is negative in tone, focusing on a perceived negative aspect of our current selves – stop doing something, lose something etc. Instead, the author suggests, using positive affirmations, i.e. make a sankalpa and explore what is behind the negative thoughts or actions rather than just determining to stop the results.

Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word that means “will, purpose, or determination.” To make a sankalpa is to set an intention, it has a broader aspect than the traditional resolution, it is less specific. To make a sankalpa, the yogis believe, is an exercise in effort and surrender, you create an intention and open yourself to the universe. It is an exercise that encourages us to look back and then let go, perfect for the turning of the new year cycle.

My sankalpa is to open myself to new possibilities in my horsemanship and in my experience with my horses this year. For me 2005 was a challenging year. I lost my beloved old horse Legend in April then, the next month, my mare (and main equine partner) Savannah had an injury that left me unable to ride her for the rest of the summer and fall. On the positive side, I found time to focus on my gelding Shadow and to learn a lot about him, and about myself as a horsewoman (and as a person) through spending more time with him. Then this fall, we adopted Bob, a completely unplanned event, and I know we are only beginning to get to know who he is as a horse and member of our herd. It was a year of change and I didn’t always embrace the possibilities that came with the changes.

As I look forward to 2006, I see an evolution in my own horsemanship, and I see a turn in the area of Natural Horsemanship in general. I see a more open focus on the whole horse, the mind-body-spirit connection (with added emphasis on the spirit), a search for what clinician Clay Wright calls a deeper level of communication with your horse. So I set my intention to be more conscious of the need to evolve, and I see in the natural horsemanship movement an opportunity to infuse the new year with positive change for horses and humans alike. Happy New year!

Anna Banks, Editor womentalkhorses.com
editor@womentalkhorses.com
Moon Hill Ranch, Idaho

Notes:
1. “Resolve to Evolve” by Catherine Guthrie, Yoga Journal, January/February 2005, p. 20.