I recently started playing pickleball, and I love it.
The courts are small so you don’t have to run as much, the paddles are light, and the balls are slower. Aside from the aerobic, agility and hand-eye coordination benefits, it’s fun! It’s easy! It’s social! And it’s available to a huge range of ages and abilities.
Now you’re asking, why is Mane and Soul talking about racquet sports instead of horses? Here’s the lowest common denominator: Flow. Flow of the herd/players, flow of our own bodies, minds and hearts, flow of being in the moment, all in a social setting. After you get into the swing, focused on serving and receiving the ball, it’s not about what’s going to happen next. Rather, how are you meeting the ball in this moment?
You know you’ve “got” this well enough physically – now you coordinate with your partner, in a body-centric way, to return the shot. Can you hit the ball and then let the moment go to be ready to flow into the next, no matter what comes? Or are you dwelling on the last shot you “should have had”? Worried about letting your partner down? Wanting the “win” so badly that you forget to breathe, have fun, or both?
There’s often quoted saying I’ve been pondering : “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Move the pickleball court into your life. In relationships, in decision-making, in walking your life path, how are you responding in the present moment? Are you so busy figuring out what you’re going to say next that you miss listening, with your whole heart and body, to what’s being said in this moment?
Now imagine the possibility of flow in a quiet space with horses. Absent having to swing a ball, or hold down a conversation, you enter a realm of wordless energy beneath the action. Here in the wild, the horses reflect how you do you, naturally and truly. Come visit the herd and find your everything.
