Between 60 and 80 percent of human communication is nonverbal, spoken in the physical languages of movement and touch. But while we are talking” all the time, we lack a clear vocabulary and
syntax of the body. In this fascinating book, dancer, choreographer, and visual artist Paula Josa-Jones combines her two greatest passionsmovement and horsesin order to help us develop
somatic awareness: Consciousness of breath, integrated and coherent motion, and development of movements and touch into sensitive channels of communication. Through stories and exercises,
Josa-Jones demonstrates how connecting with the horse can develop this awareness. The body and mind of the horse and the human, she writes, are connected at the deepest levelsanatomically,
energetically, psychically, spiritually, and emotionally. And because horses are authentic beingstheir inside feelings and intentions match the outside expression and behaviorour interactions
with them can help us become more aware of our inner emotional landscape and its relationship to what we are expressing outwardly. Horses offer us the opportunity to become more trustworthy
and more comfortable in our own skin. By listening inwardly, feeling the connections between our mind states and our expression, we become more attuned to the currents passing among us, more
able to blend, empathize, and act with balance, sensitivity, and kindness.
