Coping with COVID-19: The Herd is Here to Support You

While in-person activities are not advisable, Possibilities Farm is offering online support designed to help you stay
calm in your mind, strong in your body, and connected to your community
We hope you enjoy these videos and resources, which will be posted regularly on Facebook and archived here for easy reference.  We welcome your feedback and suggestions - please contact Carrie Brady at possibilitiesfarm@gmail.com.

Put on Your Raincoat

In the past 3 weeks as the days have gotten longer, the horses have lost most of their warm winter hair. Even though they almost never need protection from a coat, today in the snow and sleet they do. The challenges of the past few weeks have tested humans' resilience in unprecedented ways. Like the horses, we may have lost some of our natural protections and need to put on a raincoat to help us get through challenges that normally would phase us. Your raincoat may be a break from the news, a cup of tea, a funny movie . . . anything at all. The important thing is to know when to put it on so you can take care of yourself and each other.

Singing Bowl Concert

Enjoy the first day of spring with the incomparable Karin Reetz of www.kariomhealing.com as she leads us in a calming 12 minute singing bowl concert with Mere and Paddington.

Identify Your Intentions

Horses are masters of reading intention. Sweet Potato, as the sentinel of the herd, is always tuned in and assessing each situation. Intentions have power, not only to affect others, but also to profoundly change our own experience by becoming the lens through which we view events and respond.  What are your intentions during this extraordinary time? Share them in the comments to inspire others (or through a private message to me if you prefer) and I will add them to the intention tree that the horses look over from their paddocks.

Being There

Humans often try to fix things for each other and may get frustrated when they aren’t able to change a situation. Horses know that just being together is often the best solution. For example, wild horses will stand together to face a strong storm “butts to the wind”, which I observed at the remarkable Nokota Horse Conservancy last fall. Paddington knows that being there makes a difference. When we go on community visits, just by being himself he brings great joy.  How can we band together during this COVID-19 storm? By reaching out and letting others know you are there. A simple phone call checking in might make all the difference to someone. Just like Paddington, being you is enough to bring joy!  Please click here to see Paddington on a special visit to Stamford Hospital.  ​

Balancing Connection and Distance

Happy Spring Equinox, a day light and dark are perfectly balanced. COVID-19 is challenging humans to find a new balance in many areas, including the balance between connection and distance. As always, the horses at have wisdom to share. Communication is the key to both!

Expanding Awareness 

Horses are in tune with all of their senses simultaneously. As humans, we tend to focus on a dominant sense and largely ignore the others. This peaceful 5 minute video is just the horses - no talking. I encourage you to enjoy the video a few different ways: 1. With sight and sound; 2. With your eyes closed to see what other sounds you hear when you just listen; and 3. With the sound off, watching as a silent movie to see what you notice.  Enjoy expanding your awareness!  

Curiosity Leads to Calm

​When we are curious, we can calmly respond, rather than react. Though we are living in uncertain times, the alarming stories we are telling ourselves about the future don’t help us in the present. Being curious keeps us open-minded in the moment and helps us return to calm in the face of unfamiliar situations. No one knows precisely what’s coming next but being curious will help us see the good with the bad and be better prepared to cope with whatever comes our way.

Breathing with Paddington

Awareness of our breath is a powerful way to promote peace of mind and body. Five part breathing is a tool I often use to calm myself and the horses down. Silently and slowly count to 5 as you breathe in and 5 as you breathe out. As your breath becomes deeper and longer notice how your body feels and whether you’d like to pause for a few seconds in between breaths. Try this several times a day whenever you start to feel tense. It’s an easy way of resetting your system. If possible, try it outside in a sunbeam. You just might end up napping like Paddington.

Possibilities Farm Pandemic Playlist

Based on recommendations from the Possibilities Farm community, an uplifting playlist to bring you joy. 
Listen, or even better sing or dance to it, to release stress.  We welcome more song suggestions - send them to possibilitiesfarm@gmail.com.

Return to Grazing

Learning to return to grazing while in a state of high alert is a powerful lesson horses can teach us. Staying in fight or flight disturbs our peace, stresses our bodies and weakens our immune systems, which we need to keep strong right now. Make a list of sensory joys - sounds, smells, tastes, sights, movements that bring you delight - and commit to integrating at least one (preferably more) into your day.

Coping with COVID-19 Programming Overview

This video explains the goal of Possibilities Farm COVID-19 programming - to help you stay calm in your mind, strong in your body, and connected to your community.  The herd has wisdom to share.