Sunday, 24 August 2014

When fashion meets fine art equine photography

For the first time three of my passions are one: creating clothes, art, and horses.

A unique clothing piece, self-designed and self-crafted embellished with an outstanding image by Tony Stromberg, a world known fine art equine photographer.A truly unique piece of clothing.


Fot. Patryk Rylik
Patryk Rylik
Fot. Patryk Rylik
Fot. Patryk Rylik

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

The best time to bring happiness into your life is NOW

There is no other thing on the whole Earth that I can compare with the experience that galloping with a horse can give me. Whoever said that 'while galloping we borrow freedom from a horse' could not be more right. The most beautiful, joyful and precious moments in my life are these I was gifted by a horse when galloping with him across endless space of breathtaking trails. Pure joy, an absolute fusion with the present moment and a complete connection with a wild nature of a horse. There is something very mystical in it for me. It is like touching something intangible, profoundly pure and flawless. It is like touching and for a moment being one with a horse wild spirit. It is like pure BEING.

How can I make this feeling last forever? I asked myself once. Why shouldn't I feel like this in my daily life too? Simply being happy.

A way too long I lived my life with a misleading belief that happiness was a risky business. Any joyful and pleasant experience always had to be somehow earned or worked off with pain, misery and suffering. As if being happy was a sin that would consequently bring guilty feelings and punishment. Who would even dare to think about being happy in a world like this? Having tried to avoid pain I kept postponing all the good things that I would dream about and strive for otherwise. Until I met them. 

Horses taught me that an authentic life requires courage to face the pain on the way to reach happiness. 'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional' says an old saying. Problems will come to our lives anyway, good things we have to invite. Saving happiness for tomorrow is an easiest short-cut for greatest regrets and sorrow. Pain is inevitable, suffering is not necessary. 


Komorze, Fot. Gosia Letki

Thursday, 17 July 2014

What is your TO BE list?

to DO list:                                                                                                                                                                 
earn money
do shopping
do cleaning
pay bills
answer emails
answer phone calls  
buy a house
buy a car

 .....
    
Midões, Portugal
    
 to BE list:
feel the rain on my skin
hear the birds singing
see the birds flying
smell the flowers
    see the clouds moving on the sky
       ride WITH a horse
experience his company
smile
share silence with a friend
see what colour are his/her eyes

......

   what is on your to BE list?
                                                   

Thursday, 10 July 2014

'Just let your body go'. Czyli o tym, jakie tajemnice skrywa nasze ciało



Świadomość naszego ciała ma niezwykłe ważne znaczenie w skutecznym porozumieniu się z koniem podczas jazdy. Kondycja naszego ciała decyduje ostatecznie także o jakości tego porozumienia. Spięte, nierozluźnione ciało jeźdźca to spięty i mało elastyczny koń. To bezpośrednia zależność oparta o zasadę wzajemności.

Podobna zasada dotyczy naszych kontaktów ze światem zewnętrznym i relacjami z innymi ludźmi. Relacje nie są raz na zawsze zadane, one tworzą się za każdym razem. Wnoszę coś do relacji ja, ale wnosi coś do niej i mój rozmówca, partner, towarzysz. Jeśli wychodzę do kontaktu z uśmiechem i otwartością jest bardzo duża szansa, że świat/ludzie odpowiedzą nam w ten sam sposób. Jeśli zanim nawet rozpocznę rozmowę, buduję już w swojej głowie negatywny obraz jej przebiegu, lub zniechęcam się do rozmówcy, najpewniej mój czarny scenariusz się sprawdzi (przetestowałam pozytywne nastawienie na pracownikach Poczty Polskiej i w większości sprawdziło się!)

Dość niedawno doświadczam sytuacji, w której zignorowałam tę prawdę i poniosłam dość bolesne, ale na szczęście niegroźne tego konsekwencje. Zdecydowałam się na jazdę mimo tego, że kondycja mojego ciała była bardzo słaba, czułam się zmęczona nie tyle wysiłkiem fizycznym, co emocjonalnym. Szukałam rozwiązania w zajęciu myśli czymś innym, zamiast zwrócić uwagę i zająć się tym, o co prosiło moje ciało - o odpoczynek.

Spięta, podenerwowana, pochłonięta myślami o problemach, czekających na rozwiązanie wsiadłam na konia. Jazda była poprawna, sprawnie wykonywałam kolejne zadania, ale zupełnie nie mogłam odnaleźć w tym przyjemność, nie byłam w niej obecna i tylko coraz mocniej zmuszałam się do wytężonego wysiłku. Nie wiem nawet kiedy poczułam niepokojący ból w szyi - skończyło się naciągnięciem mięśnia i kilkutygodniową przerwą w jazdach. Zapłaciłam cenę za oddanie kierownictwa umysłowi tracąc kontakt z rzeczywistością, o której sygnalizowało moje ciało.

 Midões, Portugal by Horse

'Just let your body go'. Or in other words, what secrets are kept in our body, how we can use them in life and where is Midões


Body consciousness is essentially important for effective communication with a horse while riding. Eventually, it is the body condition that shapes the quality of our connection with a horse. Tense and inflexible body of a rider means a tense and inflexible horse. This direct relationship is based on the reciprocity rule. The same rule applies to our relations with the world and people around us. Relations are not set once and forever, they are constantly being created. It is me who contributes to the relation from one side, and my partner, a friend, a fellow from the other. If I approach him or her with a smiling and open attitude there is a high probability I will be received by them/the world in the same way. But if I create in my mind a negative scenario of a conversation or I build up some negative prejudice towards my partner long before I even start to talk to him or her, then it is pretty sure that this negative scenario will come true (I have conducted the positive attitude tests on Polish Post Office employees known for being not too enthusiastic and in most of the cases it worked out!).

Quite recently I have experienced a situation where I have neglected this Truth and I had to bear some painful but fortunately not dangerous consequences. I decided to ride a horse even though my body condition was not too good. I felt tired not as much with a physical effort as with an emotional one. Instead of drawing my attention to what my body was actually asking me for and having some rest I was looking for a solution in misleading my thoughts to something else. Tense, nervous and with mind far away dealing with all problems that were waiting to be solved out I got onto the horse. It was a correct ride, I performed well all tasks but I could have not found the least of pleasure in it. I was not present in the ride and the only thing I was doing was making myself (my body) working harder and harder. I do not even remember when I felt that disturbing pain in my neck - I ended up with a painfully stretched muscle and a few-week break in riding. I paid the price for letting my mind a complete control and losing contact with reality that my body was pointing me at.

Midões, Portugal by Horse