Let's take five minutes to enjoy a slow look at this painting, 'The Horse Fair'.
So starting by sitting in a relaxed but upright posture, dropping your shoulders
a little to let go of tension there, and feeling the contact of your body against
the chair,
before taking a moment to acknowledge the thoughts in your mind.
Is your mind racing or still? And then picturing a horse. Imagine that you're
sitting up high riding, a warm breeze against your cheek, plodding along a road.
Sensing the rise and fall as you sway back and forth, feeling the warmth of the
horse. Touching its coat and mane, sensing its smell.
And then as we start to look, imagine riding into the horse fair, gently
breaking into a trot, and then into a canter. Taking in all the commotion around
you. Hearing the thunder of hooves, men shouting, whips cracking, horses neighing.
Seeing the battles between horse and man.
Mighty horses galloping, or bolting free,
rearing up in fright. Handlers commanding all their force, fighting for control, or
gripping tightly to the reins.
Smelling the dust and dirt kicked up,
and then enjoying the dance of legs and hooves, and the sunlight on the horses
backs.
A dappling of their coats, the play of light and shade, and the crowds gathered to
watch on the grassy bank, as the horses clatter away. Like the horses, sometimes
our minds can feel frenetic, our bodies stressed, but by gently bringing our
attention to the sensations in our bodies, and to our thoughts, and the
sights and sounds around us, we can take back the reins and steady ourselves as
the commotion of life goes on around us.