How a Single Step Inward Can Change the Path Forward

This is an excerpt from The3rdSpace blog “Can Calmness Have Direction?” available HERE. This beautiful writer is an anonymous client of Horse Sense North, and shares about their horse experience with our equine partner, Loki.

Stoic wisdom tells us that strength comes from mastering our internal state, but translating that philosophy into the body is a visceral practice. There’s a world of difference between feeling safe and actually leading from safety.

Much of my time with Horse Sense North in equine facilitated learning has been about helping my nervous system remember what safety feels like. Learning to breathe, learning to stay anchored in the present, and discovering that peaceful connection is possible without abandoning myself to be with another being.

My previous sessions with Flurry and Simon taught me how to receive peace and know my worth. Today, a horse named Loki invited me into something new.

This time the question was not, Can I feel safe?
It was, Can I lead from that safety?

…

Flurry taught me that peaceful connection is possible. Simon reminded me that I am worthy of that peace. And Loki added the missing piece. He showed me that I can actually act from that worthiness.

I don’t have to hand over my sense of direction in order to keep a relationship. I don’t have to wait until I feel completely confident before taking the next step. I can pause, breathe, and remember who I am, and step forward anyway.

Hesitation will probably visit me again. It’s been a faithful companion for a very long time, and there’s no shame in that. My nervous system learned to be hyper-aware of others because that sensitivity kept me safe.

Loki wasn’t asking me to lose that sensitivity. He was asking me to become more defined within it, to stay myself while meeting another being, and to trust that my presence is enough.

Driving home, I realized the muscle Loki helped me build isn’t traditional leadership. It is heart-led leadership rooted in self-trust. The heart, mind, and body moving with a single intention.

When I trust that inner alignment, leadership becomes far simpler. It becomes holding space with clarity so others can choose to join me.

Loki didn’t teach me how to lead. He helped me remember that I already knew how, and invited me to step into that knowing with my whole self.

This is an excerpt from The3rdSpace blog. Read the full post HERE.