Video: Chi Lessons from Horses : Spirituality & Health Magazine

Video: Chi Lessons from Horses

Allan Hamilton was all by himself one morning years ago when he leaped off a fence at summer camp and onto the back of a horse named Thunder. No saddle, no bridal, and no clue how to get down. And so the future brain surgeon simply hung on as the horse wandered. He missed lunch and dinner and rode late into the night, until a camp counselor finally showed up with a flashlight and got him down. The long ride left him so sore he couldn’t walk, but it transformed him from being the shy and fearful new-kid-at-camp to being the camp hero. It was also a giant leap into a lifelong love affair with horses and a fascination with how humans and horses connect.

In the current issue of Spirituality & Health, Dr Hamilton writes about lessons in spiritual leadership that can be learned from horses. He also promised video examples of some of these lessons. He’s been working on the videos for the last couple of weeks at his ranch in Tucson, where he and his wife Jane teach equine-assisted therapy. Check out the video below to see this fascinating work in action, and click here to see even more. Hamilton’s wonderful new book, Zen Mind, Zen Horse, is also available at Amazon.com or your favorite book store.

Last February I had the opportunity to experience these lessons firsthand with Dr. Hamilton. The videos don’t capture the thrill of learning to control a beautiful horse with a simple shift of intention. At the same time, it is amazing to see footage of what I experienced directly in the horse ring. My skeptical left brain still doesn’t know what to make of this silent, right brain communication, but having experienced it in person and watched it on video, I find it difficult to deny.

There are great lessons in these short clips. Enjoy!

Stephen Kiesling is editor-in-chief of Spirituality & Health magazine, winner of the Folio Gold Award for best magazine in religion and spirituality. Kiesling is the author of four books, including the bestselling The Shell Game: Reflections on Rowing and the Pursuit of Excellence. His writing has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, and Outside. Kiesling has been featured on NBC’s The Today Show, NPR’s All Things Considered, and in the New York Times.