Reclaim Lost Time for What Matters Most #105

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our new series. The extra-early bird discount expires on Dec. 31, 2024, so act fast.

It makes a great gift, too! 🎁 Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series  ⬅️⬅️⬅️

Learn how you can find hidden pockets of time in your busy schedule so you can make progress toward the things that truly matter to you. Drawing from Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais's wisdom, "you have to know what you're doing to be able to do what you want," Mary guides listeners through practical strategies to track and reclaim lost time.

Learn how to identify time-draining habits like mindless phone scrolling and transform them into meaningful moments with your horse. Discover the power of treating horse time as non-negotiable appointments and how this simple shift can revolutionize your daily routine. Whether you're a busy trainer wanting more quality time with your personal horse or an amateur rider seeking to deepen your horsemanship, this episode provides actionable steps to make it happen.

You’ll also hear about an upcoming FeldenkraisⓇ series called “Effortless, Balanced Sitting,”  offering listeners a concrete way to implement positive changes in their equestrian journey.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Track your time in 15-minute increments to identify where hours are being lost
• Treat horse time as non-negotiable appointments in your calendar
• Minimize "brain rot" activities that steal precious minutes from your day
• Use simple tools like paper tracking sheets to avoid online distractions
• Apply intentional time management to improve both your life and your horse's well-being

Resources:

💥Learn how the Feldenkrais Method can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos masterclass: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥

Join our waitlist! https://www.marydebono.com/joinhorse 🐴

Email [email protected]

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and doesn't constitute medical, veterinary, or professional training advice. Always use extreme caution when interacting with horses. 

About the Host:

Mary Debono is a pioneer in animal and human wellness, blending her expertise as an international clinician, best-selling author, and certified Feldenkrais Method® practitioner. With over three decades of experience, Mary developed Debono Moves, a groundbreaking approach that enhances the performance, well-being, and partnership of horses and their human companions.

Recognizing the profound connection between equine and human movement, Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for the equestrian world. Her methods have helped horses and humans:

• Improve athletic ability and performance
• Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
• Deepen the horse-human bond

Mary's flagship online program, "Move with Your Horse," offers equestrians a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of Feldenkrais® while also learning her signature hands-on work for horses. This transformative approach has helped riders and their equine partners achieve harmony, both in and out of the saddle.

As a speaker and educator, Mary has touched the lives of equestrians across the globe, empowering them to unlock their full potential through mindful movement and enhanced body awareness.

Discover the power of Debono Moves and transform your equestrian journey. Visit https://www.marydebono.com/you-and-your-horse to learn more about Mary's unique work.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi. How would you like to have an extra hour, maybe an extra two hours in your day to do something that you really want to do that's going to help improve the quality of your life, the quality of your horse's life? Well, in case we're meeting for the first time, my name is Mary DeBono and this is the Easier Movement, Happier Horses podcast. Yeah. And let's talk about time.

Many of us feel like we don't have enough time in the day, you know, enough hours in the day to do what we want, you know, or we may have certain goals and we're like, oh, if only I had time to devote 45 minutes or an hour to this, then I knew I could make progress. But what if I told you you probably have that extra hour, you just don't know it.

You know, there's something that Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais, the man who created, originated the Feldenkrais method for humans. It's kind of a form of movement education awareness for, for us, it's very, very popular for equestrians, and I base my work on it. He often said, you have to know what you're doing to be able to do what you want. And the thing is, many of us don't know how we're spending our time.

You know, we get up in the morning, we go through our habitual routine. Maybe we get a cup of coffee or drink a cup of tea or a glass of water or, excuse me, or a protein drink or whatever it is, kind of just like go into the same routine that we have and, you know, we spend some certain amount of time with our horse. Or maybe you're a trainer and all day long you're with your horses, but maybe your own personal horse doesn't get as much attention or you don't have time to do like the fun, you know, stuff of really doing the, what people call a spa day, you know, the really playing with your horse's mane and tail and getting the coat so shiny and.

Or maybe learning how to use your own hands to help your horse feel better in body and mind. Hint, I teach that. Or maybe you feel like you don't have enough time to do those Feldenkrais lessons that I also teach so that you can ride more easily, ride more effectively, be more balanced in the saddle, have freer hips and a stronger, supple, pain free back. So maybe you just want more time to do other things as well, you know.

So let's think about this again. Moshe said, have to know what you're Doing to be able to do what you want. So do you really know how you're spending your time? How many times do you pick up your phone? Right? This is so common. I see it in people of all ages, right? They constantly picking up their phone. It's, it's so tempting. It's designed to draw you in, to grab your attention.

Attention. It's not just about the phone. There are other ways that we distract ourselves, right? That we do things that aren't moving the needle for us forward in a positive way. So let's think about first of all making some time for what's non negotiable. Now we're probably all going to say horses. Okay? So write that down. Like take your daily planner. I like to do things old school, paper and pencil.

I also do lots online, but I like having a paper and pencil. And I have an appointment book. So write down the time you want to spend with your horse and like mark it as an appointment, you know, just, and, and, and then be true to that. Right? The same way you wouldn't just cancel on some professional appointment you had, you know, if at all possible, don't cancel on your horse.

So that's number one. I, I remember that from years ago. I was working at a ranch and we, I was with the owner. We were making plans for me to come back to meet, you know, to work with the horses again. And you know, I had my paper appointment book and she looked over and we were flipping through and she's like, what are all those marks? Like what, you already booked that far in advance?

And yeah, and you know who the appointments were with my horse. And I told her and she laughed and she was like, wait, what? She said, I never do that. She was a busy woman. She had a big, beautiful ranch. She had all these horses. But she also worked a lot and she worked from home. Even this is way before the pandemic, she worked from home. But she said it never occurred to me to like actually make the time to spend, you know, like to actually market in my book as an appointment.

And that really changed things for her because then she started having more time to do the things that were important to her. And she was able to fit in the work, you know, in her working hours and to then have more time to enjoy her life. And that's what I want for you as well. And so, so let's get back to this idea of tracking time because as Moshe said, you have to know what you're doing first, right?

So you don't know how you're spending your time. Probably at least most people don't. They don't realize that there's extra. An extra hour, maybe an extra two hours in their day that, you know, maybe they. If they added up the 10 minutes here, the 15 minutes here, right, that would come to an hour, maybe two, maybe more now. So, so what I. What I suggest is you just get a simple tracker.

You can make one on yourself, you know, or you can just find a template online. They're super easy, print it out, or you can just do it online. I like it printed because if it's only online, then you start getting online, you start going down that rabbit hole of something else you saw on some, you know, other site that grabbed your attention. But if you just have it where it's easily accessible, could be a little notebook, could be a little piece of paper, you know, on, you know, paste piece of paper on your desk.

And like, every 15 minutes, you just fill in what you're doing. And what I like to do is have like a highlighter or something. And those times where you mindlessly or scrolling or doing something like that, you just make a little note, you just put a little highlight, like, you know, so that's something you can do to start to be more intentional about how you spend your time.

It doesn't mean that we want to have every second, what they call time blocked, where you're saying, okay, from 10 to 10 15, I'm doing this. From 1015 to 10 18, I'm doing this. I mean, no, don't need to do that. And just notice what you're doing right now. Okay? And by writing it down, you'll start to get a sense and you'll start to find those blocks of time that you.

You're kind of in that, what, the new word now, I guess, is brain rot. It's two words, but whatever, where you're just kind of being really mindless about it. It's like eating junk food without thinking. So when you're doing those mindless things, notice it. And when you notice it, then you can do something about it. You become aware of it. What gets measured gets managed. You become aware of what you're doing.

Again, all credit to Dr. Feldenkrais. It's. You have to know, you have to become aware of how you're spending your time to be able to then spend it mindfully, intentionally, because you know why? I want you to have fun. I want you to enjoy your life. I want you to live your life in a way that aligns with your values that you know helps you move towards your goals and to, to feel better in body and mind.

And in case you didn't know it, I am offering very soon. It's going to start January 7th, but there's discounts for signing up early. A Feldenkrais series of lessons specifically around helping you sit in a more balanced, effortless way so that you can have a more secure, balanced seat on your horse or you can even sit behind the wheel of your car in a more balanced way so you don't get that sciatica, that achy back stuff that a lot of people get right or just you can sit at your desk in a healthier way.

So we sit in our, in our, in our lives. A lot of us sit a lot. Okay? We want to minimize that. And when we sit, we want to sit in a way that is healthy for us, healthy for our horses and all that good stuff. So I will be teaching a series of six classes. It's one per week. They're going to be Tuesdays at 11am Pacific, but don't worry if that doesn't fit with your time zone or your schedule, which now, of course, you know your schedule because you've been writing it down.

But don't worry, they will be replays and there'll also be Q and A opportunities to, you know, ask me questions. And I have all kinds of good stuff for you. So super excited about it. There'll be a link in the description to get more information on it. I will say I would encourage you, if you're interested, to act on it because I'm giving you a super good deal if you sign up before December 31st.

Also, you can buy it as a gift for someone else. There's a gift option, so when you click on the checkout, you know, when you click on the information, it'll say if you want to send it as a gift, you just put the person's email address in and then they get to attend the classes and again, they get the replays. They get it. You have lifetime access, so it's all good.

Anyway, you can let me know if you have questions about that. But what I encourage you to do, track your time, be more intentional with how you're spending your time. Okay. We want you to live the best life possible. We want your horses to live their best lives possible and for the two of you to feel great together. So thank you so much for joining me and you know, I love hearing from you, so feel free to email me.

Maryarydebono.com and I'll talk to you very soon. Bye for now.