EMBRACING THE NEW…
What would you do if you weren’t afraid? How would you show up in the world…for yourself, for others? If a lifetime competing horses has taught me anything it’s that fear, doubt and nerves will always be there waiting to take over
JANUARY 2026
What would you do if you weren’t afraid? How would you show up in the world…for yourself, for others? If a lifetime competing horses has taught me anything it’s that fear, doubt and nerves will always be there waiting to take over but practice, self discipline and compassion are tools we have at our disposal to help overcome these thoughts that can keep us from showing up for ourselves and doing our best for our horses.
Starting out on a new path at any stage in life is daunting, but heading into my 40s, undertaking a yoga teacher training in a new country and not being considered “bendy” by any stretch of the imagination was a whole new level of stepping out of my comfort zone. Finding myself feeling awkward and uncomfortable and feeling overcome with impostor syndrome the training was challenging and anxiety-ridden to say the least. But…how many times had I felt like this as a rider, not coming from a “horsey” background, not having (any) money behind me, feeling afraid, feeling like I didn’t deserve to be there, feeling like I wasn’t good enough. This I’ve come to discover is an all too familiar feeling for so many of us these days.
Deciding to step into teaching yoga was borne from an innate desire for self-improvement but the deeper I went into the training I realised yoga is not about being bendy and doing fancy poses on your mat. Yoga is about showing up for yourself, getting to know yourself and your body. It gives you a toolkit to help you get through your day, manage your stress and show up for yourself and others each and every day. Since I’ve become more consistent in my yoga practice I’ve been able to be more in tune with my body in and out of the saddle, I’ve handled my nerves better with specific breath work practices (anything from trying not to stay calm while my horse decides the next gateway on our peaceful hack is indeed the portal to hell to trying to load a difficult loader without losing my s**t….trust me there’s a breath work practice for that!!)
For anyone who’s curious or for those of you more familiar with yoga, I’d be honoured to share the journey with you.
Just like with our horses….practice, patience and compassion…