Over The Oxer

Are you a leftie or a rightie? It can affect your calmness level!

Did you know that 
 
left-handers are able to perform better under pressure and
right-handers are generally less scared?
 
On this episode, I take a look at these things. How can we all take advantage of the differences in brain organisation, so it doesn't matter which side of our body is more dominant? What can we do to keep calm and draw on our training, even when under pressure?

Hakalau -and getting into the zone

Hakalau is a technique borrowed from Ancient Hawaii. It's perfect for riders, as it only requires that you are in peripheral vision. Whether you're looking for 
calmness,
being centred,
feeling more in the zone,
better 3D awareness,
or a problem-solving technique,
Hakalau pretty much does it all! Here's how to do it.

How to focus on your focus - Part 2

On my last podcast, I talked about focus and why it's important that we're aware of where we place our focus, since we need to make that focus narrow, broad and external or internal. 
This episode is all about how to get focus, maintain it and re-focus after a break.

Focus on your focus - Part 1

Equestrian sports require that we focus on what we're doing(!), however, is that focus better when it's more internal (in your head) or external (your outside environment)? Is it best to have a narrowed-down attention or a broader one? This is the first of two podcasts about focus - the next one will look at refocusing and how to stop focusing on things we don't control or shouldn't affect us.

Hypnotise me confident!!

As hypnotherapy for riders gains ever more interest, here's my take on what hypnotherapy really is (it's not what you think) and what it's absolutely not (again not what you think). I'll debunk some myths that have been around since the Middle Ages and still linger in the 21st century. And just how could hypnotherapy help you?

Overthinking

Thinking, thinking about thinking and overthinking - does that describe you?! If so, it's a habit you can kick, find out how on this episode.

Those IKEA moments and how to decompress

What's flat-pack furniture from IKEA got to do with relaxing and decompressing? Have a listen and I'll tell you all about the IKEA effect! Yes, it's a real thing!

Grounding - not just for electric fences

Do you have a busy headspace? Are you rushing from one thing to another inside your head jumping from one task to another, overthinking, catastrophising? 
Inside our head problems are to do with the fact that we don't ground ourselves, we're too much in our internal world. We need earthing as much as an electric fence, otherwise we don't work!

What do mindset naturals do inside their head?

Some people are gifted with a strong mindset and they seem less swayed by the events around them. What are they doing inside their head? They probably couldn't tell you, it's automatic for them; but we can unpack their thinking and use it for ourselves. 

Unconscious myths

The unconscious or subconscious mind is the mind of emotions, habits, patterns and memories, it is about 95-97% of the mind. Get your unconscious on board and you'll whizz through challenges! 
But the unconscious is not logical and is not the mind of will-power or analysis or rational thinking. So how on earth do we get it to work for us? 

Competing thoughts? You came to the right place

Do you have competing thoughts that stop your enjoyment of competition? Why do we continue to compete? What does competing do for the mind? How can we compete AND enjoy it?!

Horse sense, human sense

Do horses really sense human emotions? And if so, are they impacted by them? Can humans detect horse emotions? There's lots of anecdotal evidence, but what does the peer-reviewed research say?

Can you envisage visualising?

We've all heard how powerful visualising or mental imagery is, but most of us don't do it! This episode includes why mental imagery is a game changer and how to visualise and power up the images. Whether you're good at visualising, middling or don't consider yourself visual at all (like me!) this is for you.

What is this NLP thing?

NLP - neurolinguistic programming - many people use it and have had training or coaching in it, yet if you ask someone what NLP is, they struggle to define it or describe it! In this episode, I explain why NLP is great for anyone, but especially equestrians interested in mindset what it is and what it is not!

Who’s the imposter, is it you?

Many people refer to imposter syndrome, but personally, I have a problem with the term! Let me explain to you why labelling yourself with imposter syndrome is the start of the problem. I'll talk about what imposter syndrome is and how to start to break free of it.