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Horses as Healers for Trauma Survivors
Shelley Rosenberg and Nancy CoyneHorses as Healers for Trauma Survivors is a four-day workshop utilizing experiential learning and corrective emotional experience with horses as our wise co-facilitators. Each day will include specific information on trauma and healing from trauma. Work with the horses will mobilize healing and help restore damaged trust. Tools for healing and self care include mindfulness exercises and yoga practice, creative process-drawing, writing, and painting to awaken creativity, attention to the body, food and exercise. Work on safety, boundaries, authentic relationship and community, and emotion as information will be reviewed and deepened. Other available strategies--body work, psychotherapy, EMDR, medication--for healing from trauma, will be discussed and may be demonstrated. Ample time is allowed for walks, pleasant meals, and good conversation.
The daily schedule will include interaction with horses on the ground and on horseback. No riding experience is required. Tools will be reviewed and practiced, including the emotional message chart, skills for authentic community, body scan, reflective round pen and reflective riding. Shelley Rosenberg will offer the connected round pen and journey ride as well as ritual pony painting. Nancy Coyne will offer yoga, creative process--to record the horse-human experience in images and writing. Riding lessons will be available, as well as psychotherapy sessions, individual and group yoga coaching and massage.
Shelley Rosenberg is an accomplished dressage trainer, rider and judge. An Epona approved advanced instructor, she is the author of recently published My Horses, My Healers, a memoir chronicling her journey to healing from a childhood of neglect and sexual abuse. She is also a gifted horse artist. She is the ranch manager at the Epona Center in Sonoita, Arizona. dressagecenter@theriver.com
Nancy Coyne, M.D. is a psychiatrist with many years experience working with trauma survivors. An artist herself, she uses creative process--writing and drawing, yoga and bodywork, EMDR and equine facilitated psychotherapy, as well as talk therapy, to help people heal from trauma and flourish in their lives. She is an Epona approved instructor and psychiatrist in residence at the Epona Center. ncoyne@gwi.net
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Riding Your Way Into a Mutual Relationship
May 18-20, 2010
Facilitated by: Shelley Rosenberg, AAI, Epona Senior Faculty
Cost: $975
Hours: 9am-5pm daily, includes lunch and materials each workshop day"Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand."--Anonymous
This unique and powerful workshop applies the Epona Approach principles (emotional fitness, body awareness, mindfulness, and authentic interspecies community building skills) to working directly with horses, taking into consideration the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual dimensions of both species.
During this three-day introductory workshop, participants will explore innovative ideas on riding and relationship building. Participants will learn to recognize and respect the energetic boundaries of the horse, as well as themselves and the other participants. Shelley: "When you begin to learn how to read 'misbehavior' as a form of communication you will be well on your way to developing mutuality in your relationship with horses."
Daily reflective riding lessons along with the core Epona principals; teach participants how to develop authentic and satisfying relationships in the saddle as well as on the ground.
The agenda will incorporate three private riding lessons for each participant, with your own horse or one of ours. No previous horse experience is necessary. Enrollment is limited to 6 participants. This is an introductory-level workshop and meets the Epona prerequisite for individuals who wish to do advanced work at Epona or apply to the Apprenticeship Program.
For more information or to register, contact dressagecenter@theriver.com or 520-455-5918. Cancellation Policy: Cancellation up to 30 days prior to the event start date results in a credit of one-half the workshop tuition. There is no tuition credit for a cancellation 30 days or less before the event start date.
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Accessing Your Inner Horse Whisperer
The Epona Approach to Integrated Horsemanship and Enlightened Riding
April 8-14, 2010
Facilitated by: Shelley Rosenberg (with other Epona Approved Advanced Instructors)
Cost: $2,300Workshop begins at 10am on April 8th and concludes at 5pm on April 14th. Fee includes workshop materials, lunch, snacks, and bottled water each workshop day.
Shelley R. Rosenberg is an accomplished horsewoman, trainer, rider, artist, teacher, and author of My Horses, My Healers, a book about healing from childhood trauma with the help of her horses. Rosenberg's skills with horses and humans help people develop awareness and authenticity within themselves and in their relationships with others. As a U.S. Dressage Federation "L" judge, she also continues to provide lessons and training for riders from beginners to the Grand Prix level. Riding since the age of 12, she has over 30 years of experience training horses, teaching riders in western, jumping, dressage, hunter, and driving horses. Rosenberg's experience with horse breeds spans from Arabians to Haflingers, Warmbloods, rescued Mustangs, and horses recovering from abuse that require rehabilitation. In her long career she has successfully competed for the long-list on the U.S. Olympic equestrian team; co-created and run (with Barbara Rector) a therapeutic riding program for adolescents at Sierra Tucson; and conducted Dressage clinics. Rosenberg was president of the Tucson Dressage Club, and for 18 years ran her own Dressage Center in Oro Valley, Arizona.
Shelley Rosenberg's Integrated Horsemanship and Enlightened Riding Programs incorporate the Epona Approach to developing emotional fitness applied to the relationship between horses and humans. This unique and powerful workshop applies the Epona Approach principles (emotional fitness, body awareness, mindfulness, and authentic interspecies community building skills) to working directly with horses, taking into consideration the physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual dimensions of both species.
Throughout this extended clinic, participants will explore innovative ideas on riding and relationship building. Participants will learn to recognize and respect the energetic boundaries of the horse, as well as themselves and the other participants. 90% of our interspecies communication is non-verbal and goes unacknowledged creating dysfunctional relationships and unhappy horses leading to dissatisfied owners. Shelley says "When you begin to learn how to read 'misbehavior' as a form of communication you will be well on your way to developing your inner horse whisperer."
Daily mindfulness practices along with the core Epona principals are combined with riding and training experiences, teaching participants how to more efficiently and enjoyably develop authentic and satisfying relationships in the saddle as well as on the ground.
Assessing Your Inner Horse Whisperer ultimately explores ways of more effectively collaborating with these remarkable animals, of finding that often elusive balance between setting boundaries and giving your equine partners choices, as well as listening to the needs of your own body and soul. The week-long class includes a day of integration for relaxation, reflection, connecting with nature, and herd observation. The agenda will incorporate at least 3 private riding lessons for each participant, with your own horse or one of ours.
We welcome new horse owners, people who are just getting back into riding/training, as well as accomplished riders and instructors in all disciplines. Some previous riding, training, and/or horse handling experience is suggested but not required.
This class is limited to 12 participants, and involves a brief application process.
If you would like to attend this 7-day clinic, please send a letter of interest to dressagecenter@theriver.com attn: Shelley, briefly outlining your horse experience, your training/riding challenges and interests, your general fitness level, if you have attended a previous Epona workshop, and your goals for attending this program. Don't forget to include your contact information (e-mail and phone number). The workshop fee of $2,300.00 includes all workshop materials, lunch, bottled water, and snacks each workshop day. For more information or to register and make payment arrangements please call Shelley Rosenberg at 520-455-5918. A deposit of $500 is required upon registration with final payment due no later than March 8, 2010.
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Australia: Epona Advanced Study Experience
AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE THROUGH THE WAY OF THE HORSE
For more information and to begin the application process, contact booking@theeponacenter.com.
Facilitated by Epona Approved Advanced Instructor and Senior Faculty Carol Roush, and assisted by Approved Advanced Instructor and Senior Faculty Shelley Rosenberg
This two-part advanced intensive program is an in-depth exploration of the Way of the Horse as a profound journey of self-discovery and transformation. With horses as your inspiration and guides, you will learn skills for increasing self-awareness, accessing inner peace, and developing an approach to life that enables you to live deeply and awaken to your life's purpose.
In the programs currently available, a maximum sixteen (16) carefully chosen individuals will meet for a week on two occasions. Prior to acceptance in the program, applicants must complete an introductory level Epona Approach workshop. Please see the listings on the Epona website of Introductory Workshops at Epona and Introductory Workshops Worldwide for qualifying workshops. Preference will be given to participants who resonate deeply with the Epona Approach, who have understood and begun integrating in their personal lives the information taught in the Emotional Message Chart, the False Self/Authentic Self metaphor, and the insights gleaned from their own personal reflective round pen experience at an Epona Introductory workshop. The EASE program will further define and integrate the Nine Essential Skills for Authentic Community Building through reflective, active, and mounted work with horses and through group process work with two-legged herd members.
The sixteen (16) individuals accepted into the program will be divided into smaller groups, and each group will be assigned a facilitator who will act as a guide and advisor, both at Epona and during the months between sessions. (Group facilitators are Epona Approved Instructors who have successfully completed the Apprenticeship Program and are actively engaged in their own practice of assisting individuals through the Way of the Horse.)
The overall theme of the program is beautifully described by Sue Monk Kidd in her book When the Heart Waits: "Is it possible, I asked myself, that I am being summoned from some deep and holy place within? Am I being asked to enter a passage in the Spiritual life, the journey from false self to true self? Am I being asked to dismantle old masks and patterns and unfold a deeper, more authentic self, the one I intended to be? Am I being compelled to disturb my inner universe in quest of the undiscovered being who clamors from within?"
In response to those questions, The EASE program will focus on teaching you how to take new tools and expanded self-awareness back into your life, family, relationships, and community. You will learn how to be more authentic, set healthy boundaries, and actually live from a larger perspective of who you are and what's possible for you. You will learn how to apply Epona principals to everyday life: congruency over conformity, authenticity over perfection, and adaptability and inquisitiveness over methodology.
The program will offer experiences in the following areas:
Distinguishing False Self from Authentic Self Beliefs and Behaviors
Advanced Reflective Round Pen Work
Energy Boundary Work
Active Round Pen Work
Mindfulness Practices
Intuitive Communication
Horse Dancing
Consensual Leadership Techniques
Reflective RidingIn the end, what horses know is that everything changes...constantly. They teach us to be mindful of the present moment, free of preoccupation and judgment. It is then that we are automatically imbued with lightheartedness; it is then that we can step far enough from our old survival beliefs and behaviors to make room for a sense of humor, self-acceptance, and loving kindness that are at the core of our authentic selves. It is from this connected place within that we discover the true nature of who we are, create authentic relationships, and live in peace. In the safe and congruent environment of EASE you will have the opportunity to explore what feels emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually expansive for you and become truly awake to your life's purpose! We will take as our texts for the program all three of Linda Kohonov's books; The Tao of Equus, Riding Between the Worlds, and Way of the Horse, as well as Eckhart Tolle's, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, and from the Institute of Noetic Science, Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life.
SCHEDULE AND FEES
Week 1: March 23-28, 2010
Week 2: August 2-8, 2010
Tuition: $3990 (USD)PAYMENT SCHEDULE
$1990 (USD) non-refundable application fee/deposit
$1000 (USD) due March 1, 2010
$1000 (USD) due June 1, 2010APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
Please take the time to thoughtfully answer the following questions and return your application as an attached Microsoft Word document to Carol Roush at booking@theeponacenter.com.
Applicants will receive email notification as to whether or not they passed the paper-screening phase. Phone interviews for those passing will then be scheduled. The application process will continue until the program is full and a waiting list is established.
APPLICATION FORMAT
Date application and include name, address, phone number, and email address.
What was your initial experience with Epona? Indicate nature of experience (workshop, private sessions, or an intensive), the name(s) of facilitator(s) and of workshop(s), and dates.
How has your initial experience with Epona influenced your life?
How has this influenced your relationship with your horses?
Which of the Epona concepts or activities were difficult to integrate when you returned home? For example, the concept of emotion as information, authentic community building skills, and the false self/authentic self metaphor.
Which of the concepts were most useful?
What area of interest appeals to you most during the year of the advanced study program?
A significant emphasis in the EASE program will be on building authentic interspecies communities. Do you feel ready to participate in an intensive group experience which will require you to be able to sit with uncomfortable emotions, identify your own triggers, and hold the sacred space of possibility for others to allow them to move through their own process?
Describe the role that intuitive insights and/or shamanic states of consciousness play in your life.
Do you have an idea or a desire to integrate this experience with your career or life's work?
For more information contact booking@theeponacenter.com or 520-455-5058. Qualified EASE participants interested in becoming Epona Approved Instructors may apply for the Apprenticeship Training program that will be scheduled in 2011. Please indicate if you have a desire to continue with Epona in an apprenticeship program.
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France: Epona Advanced Study Experience (EASE)
AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE THROUGH THE WAY OF THE HORSE
For more information and to begin the application process, contact booking@theeponacenter.com.
Facilitated by Epona Approved Advanced Instructor and Senior Faculty Carol Roush, and assisted by Approved Advanced Instructor and Senior Faculty Shelley Rosenberg
This two-part advanced intensive program is an in-depth exploration of the Way of the Horse as a profound journey of self-discovery and transformation. With horses as your inspiration and guides, you will learn skills for increasing self-awareness, accessing inner peace, and developing an approach to life that enables you to live deeply and awaken to your life's purpose.
In the programs currently available, a maximum sixteen (16) carefully chosen individuals will meet for a week on two occasions. Prior to acceptance in the program, applicants must complete an introductory level Epona Approach workshop. Please see the listings on the Epona website of Introductory Workshops at Epona and Introductory Workshops Worldwide for qualifying workshops. Preference will be given to participants who resonate deeply with the Epona Approach, who have understood and begun integrating in their personal lives the information taught in the Emotional Message Chart, the False Self/Authentic Self metaphor, and the insights gleaned from their own personal reflective round pen experience at an Epona Introductory workshop. The EASE program will further define and integrate the Nine Essential Skills for Authentic Community Building through reflective, active, and mounted work with horses and through group process work with two-legged herd members.
The sixteen (16) individuals accepted into the program will be divided into smaller groups, and each group will be assigned a facilitator who will act as a guide and advisor, both at Epona and during the months between sessions. (Group facilitators are Epona Approved Instructors who have successfully completed the Apprenticeship Program and are actively engaged in their own practice of assisting individuals through the Way of the Horse.)
The overall theme of the program is beautifully described by Sue Monk Kidd in her book When the Heart Waits: "Is it possible, I asked myself, that I am being summoned from some deep and holy place within? Am I being asked to enter a passage in the Spiritual life, the journey from false self to true self? Am I being asked to dismantle old masks and patterns and unfold a deeper, more authentic self, the one I intended to be? Am I being compelled to disturb my inner universe in quest of the undiscovered being who clamors from within?"
In response to those questions, The EASE program will focus on teaching you how to take new tools and expanded self-awareness back into your life, family, relationships, and community. You will learn how to be more authentic, set healthy boundaries, and actually live from a larger perspective of who you are and what's possible for you. You will learn how to apply Epona principals to everyday life: congruency over conformity, authenticity over perfection, and adaptability and inquisitiveness over methodology.
The program will offer experiences in the following areas:
Distinguishing False Self from Authentic Self Beliefs and Behaviors
Advanced Reflective Round Pen Work
Energy Boundary Work
Active Round Pen Work
Mindfulness Practices
Intuitive Communication
Horse Dancing
Consensual Leadership Techniques
Reflective RidingIn the end, what horses know is that everything changes...constantly. They teach us to be mindful of the present moment, free of preoccupation and judgment. It is then that we are automatically imbued with lightheartedness; it is then that we can step far enough from our old survival beliefs and behaviors to make room for a sense of humor, self-acceptance, and loving kindness that are at the core of our authentic selves. It is from this connected place within that we discover the true nature of who we are, create authentic relationships, and live in peace. In the safe and congruent environment of EASE you will have the opportunity to explore what feels emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually expansive for you and become truly awake to your life's purpose!
We will take as our texts for the program all three of Linda Kohonov's books; The Tao of Equus, Riding Between the Worlds, and Way of the Horse, as well as Eckhart Tolle's, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, and from the Institute of Noetic Science, Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life.
SCHEDULE AND FEES
Week 1: April 26-May 2, 2010
Week 2: September 4-10, 2010
Tuition: $3332 (Euros)PAYMENT SCHEDULE
$100 (Euros) non-refundable application fee
$500 (Euros) deposit due upon program acceptance
$1366 (Euros) due March 1, 2010
$1366 (Euros) due July 15, 2010APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS
Please take the time to thoughtfully answer the following questions and return your application as an attached Microsoft Word document to Carol Roush at booking@theeponacenter.com.
Applicants will receive email notification as to whether or not they passed the paper-screening phase. Phone interviews for those passing will then be scheduled. The application process will continue until the program is full and a waiting list is established.
APPLICATION FORMAT
Date application and include name, address, phone number, and email address.
What was your initial experience with Epona? Indicate nature of experience (workshop, private sessions, or an intensive), the name(s) of facilitator(s) and of workshop(s), and dates.
How has your initial experience with Epona influenced your life?
How has this influenced your relationship with your horses?
Which of the Epona concepts or activities were difficult to integrate when you returned home? For example, the concept of emotion as information, authentic community building skills, and the false self/authentic self metaphor.
Which of the concepts were most useful?
What area of interest appeals to you most during the year of the advanced study program?
A significant emphasis in the EASE program will be on building authentic interspecies communities. Do you feel ready to participate in an intensive group experience which will require you to be able to sit with uncomfortable emotions, identify your own triggers, and hold the sacred space of possibility for others to allow them to move through their own process?
Describe the role that intuitive insights and/or shamanic states of consciousness play in your life.
Do you have an idea or a desire to integrate this experience with your career or lifeÕs work?
For more information contact booking@theeponacenter.com or 520-455-5058. Qualified EASE participants interested in becoming Epona Approved Instructors may apply for the Apprenticeship Training program that will be scheduled in 2011. Please indicate if you have a desire to continue with Epona in an apprenticeship program.
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