This month with my fellow apprentices, I have been creating a one day Eponaquest workshop around the theme of trust. Developing a sense of self confidence and learning to trust in yourself and your decisions is a pivotal part of creating a happy, healthy life! This article begins to introduce how we can access our wisdom to facilitate growth and joy in our lives.

To live harmoniously, cognitive information from the brain must be combined with wisdom from elsewhere in the body. Research now proves that we have massive information centres in our guts and our hearts which constantly send information to our brain. These, along with other areas within our physical bodies all contribute to the creation of emotion which in turn affects our thoughts and decisions.

The Heart Math Institute has been studying heart brain Neurodynamics and the making of emotions extensively and they have found that the heart is “a point of entry into the psychophysiological networks that underlie emotional experience.” Rhythmic patterns of the heart change according to emotions and they also affect how emotions are perceived and experienced.

Once we understand that our hearts, guts and bodies are speaking to us we must listen to and decipher their messages. Developing a dialogue with your body may sound daunting or strange, but once you begin experimenting I’m confident you’ll be happy with the results.

The body scan is a simple tool for you to use to open up communication pathways from your body to your brain. The good news is its super easy and you can do it anywhere!

Begin by closing your eyes, don’t attempt to stretch, relax or move out of any discomfort you may feel at this point, just close your eyes and either while standing or sitting begin to scan down your body. Pay attention to any sensations you may feel including the absence of sensation, numbness, pain, discomfort, lightness etc.

Every sensation you feel holds information, choose the most prominent and send it breath, awareness and curiosity while asking for the message. Focus on the sensation, allow it to speak, information may come in the form of words, images, fragments of songs/poems, symbols, cliches or any other combination you can think of.

If you feel overwhelmed by the presence of several sensations, simply ask for ONE message at a time. Once you receive your message, thank your body and rescan to get a new base line reading. Stay in contact with your body as you go about your day and notice any changes; remember all sensations hold information!

Equine facilitated learning allows horses to assist us on our journeys of growth and development. To explore this work further please check out my website or contact me directly!

All body scan instructions taken from Eponaquest and the works of Linda Kohanov. Click links to be directed to sources and further information.