What would be revealed? Would I come undone? I was excited and also feeling vulnerable about how the weekend might unfold. But I’d read Paula’s book and knew that her words and experiences were familiar to me validating actually. I didn’t know what to expect from this experience. When not working directly with horses and clients, I’m in my head. Clearly, I don’t always listen to my body. She is also the author of Our Horses, Our Selves Discovering the Common Body published by Trafalgar Square Books in 2017. She believes that this approach helps deepen connection to others and ourselves by opening access to our innate, intuitive, and creative selves. Paula brings an improvisational perspective to all of her work with horses and humans. In October, a colleague and I drove to Connecticut to participate in a two-day workshop with Paula and her two beautiful horses, Amadeo and Capprichio. “I’ve been embodying stillness.” Then I slept.Ĭhoreographer and movement artist Paula Josa-Jones introduced me to this idea of embodying stillness. My husband noted that it would be difficult for me to sleep that night because I’d been sleeping all day. (Note: I am incredibly grateful for his support this past week as he has taken on all of the chores that come with a farm while I am recovering). Step, step, step…”this is near” - step, step, step – “this is far.” At the end of it, even Grover needs a breather. “Sit with me for a while.” His constant movement took me back to an old episode of Sesame Street, the one when Grover shows us near and far. The frenzy and intensity attached to each step felt tiring. That weekend, with eyes closed trying to manage my raw post-op pain, I listened to the flurry of my husband’s steps around me. Home just hours following my surgery, I spent the first few days almost motionless on the couch. Healing from this experience required me to stop experience the now be non-productive. This followed months of feeling unwell and a trip to the ER because I refused to listen to my body. A short while ago, I had surgery to remove my appendix. What does it mean to embody stillness? Myself, I struggle with being still. With awareness, we can have a brighter, more cheerful, joyful and alert life.” - Anat Baniel Awareness is a skill that we need to grow and evolve throughout life if we are to enjoy freedom and true choice. “Awareness means that you are in the here and now, living in the present.