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Editor's Notes

1. �ݺ�ߣ 1 – INTRODUCTION (Eileen)Wellness – The whole philosophy of wellness is in the positive growth and development of the ‘whole person’ A wellness-oriented lifestyle encourages you to adopt habits and behaviors that promote better health and an improved quality of life. While traditional medicine concentrates on alleviating or curing disease, the wellness approach encourages you to take personal responsibility for your well-being. It also involves the recognition that you have physical, intellectual, emotional, environmental, social, and spiritual needs. Each of these dimensions are necessary for optimal levels of functioning.Our presentation focuses on a unique therapy in the wellness realm. Equine TherapyEquine Therapy is rooted in the concept that interacting with animals heals some emotional and physical conditions. The key of equine therapy is that it is experiential. Horse riding is a way of developing muscle tone and posture to people with disabilities. Equine Therapy also provides social interaction and the opportunity to bond with humans and horses.Here is a short video that demonstrates the wellness potential of horses. It was developed by an organizing called Horses Helping Humans, an Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program designed to help people by using the highly receptive sense of horses.
2. �ݺ�ߣ 2 There are many unique Equine therapy programs focusing on mental, emotional and physical health issues for children, adults and seniors. We chose to focus on one particular niche program, Equine Therapy for Women. One program, branding itself ‘A Spa for the Soul’, is The Sacred You Academy for Women. It is a wellness retreat for women using nature and horses. The Sacred You Academy for Women is located in Epona Ridge in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. The retreat is the inspiration of Barbara Alexander who apprenticed with Linda Kohanov, Internationally recognized innovator of Equine Experiential Learning and renowned author on expanding human potential, healing and transformation Barbara’s programs centre on personal and spiritual development, relationships, emotional fitness, mindfulness, personal empowerment, Reiki energy healing, enhanced intuition and meditation. Here is one of Barbara’s videos from her website talking about how she came to be inspired to develop the retreat.In this presentation we will take a look at how this wellness retreat uses nature and horses to rejuvenate participants’ physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental needs.
3. �ݺ�ߣ 3 – start of musicNow, we’re going to look at the six dimensions of wellness as they relate to The Sacred You Academy for women.
4. �ݺ�ߣ 4 – Physical Dimension Horse riding is recognized as having excellent therapeutic qualities. Simply being enjoying the outdoors can boost general wellbeing and act as a stress reliever. Some of the physical benefits include:lowered blood pressure and heart rateincreased beta-endorphin levelsdecreased stress levelsHorseback riding is a great form of exercise which has both cardiovascular and muscle conditioning benefitsPeople suffering from physical disabilities have been helped by working with horses. Horses have also been used as therapy for people suffering from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal and brain injury, stroke and amputation. Also there are non-verbal messages around us all the time, but most people have a hard time being able to tune in to them. Barbara says that the horses are master teachers of this skill.Biofeedback from horses helps us to fine tune our use of personal energy. We learn how to better modulate our own energy patterns helping us to create a healthier, more effective and fulfilling life.Some of the types of challenges which can be effectively addressed include:Autism, ADD and ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Developmental DelayDown Syndrome, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive DisordersAnd more.(Horse, 2012)
5. �ݺ�ߣ 7 - SOCIALSocial wellness incorporates a person’s ability to interact with others and be comfortable in group settings as a means to achieving intimacy and a sense of belonging. (Spangler & O'Sullivan, 2006)Some of the social benefits of horses:Reduced feelings of anger, tension and anxiety.Improved personal relationships, trust, patience and self-esteem. In one video from The Sacred You Academy, one woman’s journey (Cindi Moll) talks about the social benefits. Her life was a mess. She was in the middle of her life, she and her husband both lost their jobs and it put a stain on their relationship because of the stress. Her connection with horses and her inner spirit was able to help her hear her heart and balance her emotions.You train your body, your awareness to tune into these different parts of yourself. When you leave you take this training with you. That place of balance affects everything in your life. When you understand how to connect with these different parts of your body, you are open to a wisdom that will guide you for the rest of your life. (Alexander, 2012)Biofeedback from horses helps us to fine tune our use of personal energy. We learn how to better modulate our own energy patterns helping us to create a healthier, more effective and fulfilling life. (Alexander, 2012)
6. �ݺ�ߣ 9 - ENVIRONMENTALEnvironmental wellness recognizes elements of your own personal environment and takes steps to create an environment that better supports your health and well-being. The more traditional view of environment wellness relates to the natural world. (Spangler & O'Sullivan, 2006)Some of the Environmental benefits include:Land and nature preservationAnimal wildlife preservationEpona Ridge is located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just minutes from downtown Asheville, North Carolina.Epona Ridge is a magnificent retreat surrounded by nature. The horses roam freely on the mountain side. At The Sacred You Academy for women horses freely roam the mountain land and have an indoor space designed with sacred geometry that has large openings to the mountains in the distance. They always have a choice when it is time to be present and they have co-created with so many over the years through healing at liberty. (Alexander, 2012)There is a gentle energy that many discover at Epona Ridge -- combined with the powerful support of the retreat's horses.