At Ease with Emotions 

An introduction to understanding emotions and finding freedom with the help of horses.

1-Day workshop

Offered in partnership with Devon Mental Health Alliance.

Tutors: Marie Free & Lea Zaccari

Location: Horse & Heart, Teign Valley, Dartmoor.

FREE Entry – open to everyone age 18+

Have you ever wondered what was the point of feeling sad, worried, angry or anxious? Have you been told that anger should be kept quiet, or felt that grief was stopping you from living fully?

This course is aimed at all adults, and will benefit literally everyone, exploring the tools to navigate emotions in a positive way and understand what they're really about. 

A fascinating journey of self-discovery with horses as teachers – a day that you will remember forever. 

Emotions play a very crucial part in wellbeing, sometimes completely controlling one's actions and social abilities. And yet they are conventionally misunderstood, with no emotional education available in society. 

When repressed, emotions turn into weapons against ourselves and can drive us into a trapped state of mental distress.

But when correctly understood, emotions become our best allies in understanding the world and creating constructive relationships where empathy, clarity and sharing prevail – and joy becomes the norm. 

In this course we will discover the meaning and purpose of all those emotions that we sometimes feel get in the way of a happy life, learn how to express them safely and positively, and understand their messages and gifts so as to learn to turn them into invaluable assets for inner strength and true happiness.

Everyone is welcome, included and respected in their uniqueness, everyone has a voice.

The atmosphere is of gentle holding, and the learning is through sharing, games, stories, guided meditation and self-reflection, and, for those who wish, through interaction and play with the horses, allowing them to reveal their wisdom on balanced emotions and community.

Horses have an innate ability for understanding emotions in a natural way and they love to share their wisdom with us! That is why horses have long been recognised as highly beneficial facilitators of mental health recovery and emotional release in a safe way. As prey animals and herd animals, they relate to emotions in a pure and authentic way – with no judgement. Their close contact with people for thousands of years has enabled them to develop empathy towards people. Their calming, genuine presence is a healing comfort to most, helping trauma and overwhelm to be shifted where some people would not have trusted a space offered by other humans only.

With their help, we will look at the usually taboo world of emotions, discover ways of expressing them in a positive way and find the gems that we never suspected they held – a deep and beautiful journey to fully recover all of what we are – and be fully human again.

There is no obligation to interact with the horses, there will be lots of exercises outside the paddock and participants are welcome to also simply enjoy the presence of the horses and watch the interaction sessions, or to step in and interact. 

Just come, enjoy, and relax. 

The tutors

The Horse & Heart horses have many years of experience of working with vulnerable people, and they have facilitated the most extraordinary results in people's recovery, confidence and re-building of self, as well as teaching skills to create social bonds in the community.

Marie  is a qualified and experienced Holistic Horsemanship practitioner and  instructor who has dedicated her life to bringing the wisdom of horses into  the hearts of people. Her passion is to work with groups of all  ages and share the skills of self-development and recovery that horses teach.  She has been leading groups for many years with love and care, always in an  atmosphere of acceptance, inclusion and relaxed fun infused with deep  heart-learning.

Lea is a qualified play therapist with many years of experience in holding a safe space for release and personal growth in a gentle and creative way, and in guiding people to finding their true voice again through play. 

Date:

Saturday Sept 29th 2023

Time: 10am to 5 pm with a lunch break

Students must have their own transport and bring their own lunch. 

All info and directions given upon booking. 

This event takes place outdoors, with access to a toilet and shelter in a barn. 

Sadly we do not have an easy access loo yet, but we're working on it – watch this space! 

Once your place is booked please also register by clicking on this link for T&C and to receive info & directions.