Wu Wei and Ziran are Taoist concepts that encourage us to be natural, therefore making it easier for our horse to connect with us.

Your horse will be drawn more to connect with you if you can do things in an easy and effortless way when you’re with him. In Taoism the term for doing things in an easy and effortless way is Wu Wei (wei sounds like ‘way’ in English). It is literally translated as ‘non action’ and can be interpreted to mean action without effort.

There’s another Taoist quality or concept that makes us attractive to horses and that is Ziran. Ziran literally means ’self so’. It can be interpreted to mean being natural and spontaneous.

[Read more…]

Equestrian Tai Chi has many levels for developing self-awareness

First of all there is Physical Awareness

One of the things that Equestrian Tai Chi does is to develop our awareness of our physical self, to become more aware of our body and how it moves.

[Read more…]

The philosophy of Tai Chi, and by extension, Equestrian Tai Chi®, comes from Taoism.

Taoism is the ancient, mystical, spiritual philosophy of China. Its emphasis is on living in balance and harmony with the natural world.

The Tao means The Way, to follow The Tao, means to follow the natural course of life. (It is pronounced Dao, rhymes with now)

Taoism has three major classical literary works which form the foundation for it’s teachings:-

1. The I Ching (Classic Book of Changes).
2. The Taodeching (The Way and it’s Virtue) written by Lao Tzu.
3. The Book of Chuang Tzu, written by Chuang Tzu.

[Read more…]

Being Spontaneous in the Taoist sense is different to the meaning we give it in English.

Spontaneity is one of the main concepts in Chuang Tzu. Chuang Tzu and the Taodejing are the two major foundation works of Taoist philosophy. Chuang Tzu is attributed to Chuang Tzu (born circa 369 B.C) and his work  simply bears his name. 

Spontaneity is regarded in Taoism being as important as love and compassion.

[Read more…]

 

Early Taoists promoted simplicity, in working with the intrinsic nature of a thing.

They believed in the equality of mankind and all the creatures of The Earth and that we could all live together as a harmonious whole. They also believed that when we mankind, tried to impose our will on others, without consideration for what is inherently best, we could cause damage at core level.

Chuang Tzu, along with the Taodejing, is one the two major foundation works of Taoist philosophy.

[Read more…]