The Zen Horseman

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Authors Andelora, Joshua Francis

Publisher The University of Arizona.

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Creative Thesis, Artist Statement The Zen Horseman Joshua Andelora

In an effort to convey that one must be present in the moment, a wise Zen Master once told his student “Do or do not, there is no try.” Can anyone tell me which master said this? The answer is 874 year old Jedi Master Yoda. On May 25th, 1977 George

Lucas and Steven Spielberg introduced the United States to Zen on a large scale through

Jedi teachings. This was my first exposure to Zen Buddhism, and at the time I didn’t even realize that Yoda’s teachings were Zen. At the age of six my parents took me into a video store to look for movies to add to our collection. My father and I found our way into the Sci-Fi isle. I remember him looking at me as he picked up a gold and black box set of VHR’s with a black mask on it – I would soon find out that this was Darth Vader.

The day that my father introduced me to Star Wars was the day that my life changed. I remembered him sitting down next to me when we were watching Star Wars Episode V:

The Empire Strikes Back1 and saying, just before Yoda was introduced, “pay attention to

Yoda’s teachings son,”. It wasn’t until I took Dr. Jameson’s Introduction to Zen

Buddhism course here at the University of Arizona that I realized just how similar Zen

Buddhism is to Master Yoda’s Jedi teachings. So I called my father to tell him my epiphany – you could feel his smile through the phone as he said “Of course, why do you think I introduced you to Yoda”. This was the day that I realized Zen had been a foundation in my life for many more years than I ever anticipated.

1 Lucas, G. (Producer), & Kershner, I. (Director). (2004). Star Wars: the Empire strikes back [Motion picture on DVD]. Beverly Hills, CA: Lucasfilm LTD. Andelora 2

I’ve always been a “Zen Horseman” at heart. Although my father primed me to

Zen at a very young age, when I was a child, I would dress up in my boots and hat, parade around and pretend that I was in Tombstone, AZ or out in the desert riding on my

Mustang. Little did I know, the two are correlated in a more significant way than I ever imagined.

A little over four years ago, during my freshman orientation at the University of

Arizona, I was sitting in a very warm room on the second story of Slonaker House listening to an Honors College representative speak. He was addressing all of the prospective honors students in the room. I remember hearing the house sparrows outside the open window singing as he discussed the honors thesis that we would all have to partake in. I wanted my thesis to capture my passions and celebrate who I am as a student and human. The journey of writing this thesis however, has further revealed to myself who I am and what I am passionate in.

If we track back four years ago, I thought I wanted to become a doctor of the body. Perhaps a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. I enjoyed physiology and how the body works, but I realized that to become a healer of the body in the typical medical sense was not my passion. I wanted to deal with the mind-body connection. It became clear to me in Physiology 202 that many issues with the body originate with the mind, especially through stress. My own coping mechanisms for stress included meditation and interacting with horses; whether it be just playing around with them or actual riding.

I wanted to see how these play into psychology. Given that these are my interests, I declared a major in Psychology and a minor in Religious Studies during my junior year here at the University of Arizona. I fell in love with the major and became aware of a Andelora 3 newer psychological therapy that dealt with horses. The official name is Equine Assisted

Psychotherapy. This is the therapy that inspired the basis of my thesis. Although, the positive effects that horses hold on the human body and psyche occur without undergoing formal therapy.

Through the writing of this creative honors thesis I have utilized many resources and greatly expanded my own network. Given that this thesis integrates four separate aspects: Religion in regards to Zen Buddhism, Horsemanship, Physiology, and

Psychology, I have had to gather a strong team of mentors. My official Honors Thesis

Advisor who has been mentoring me through this entire process is Dr. Hester Oberman of the University of Arizona’s Department of Religious Studies and Classics. Dr.

Oberman has helped tremendously with my third chapter, correlating Horses and

Meditation and has helped me refine and edit the entire thesis overall. For my religious portion of the thesis, regarding Zen Buddhism and zen meditation, Dr. Alison Jameson of the Department of Religious Studies and Classics as well as East Asian Studies here at the University of Arizona has been mentoring me. With her specialties in Neo-

Confucian and Chinese Religion she has provided me with wonderful readings to enrich my writing as well as refine and hone in my ideas in regards to Zen. These two superb mentors have greatly inspired me and pushed me to generate the best work that I am capable of. However, beyond my two mentors, I have engaged in many experiences to help bring credibility and authority to my honors thesis.

To provide for first hand experiences with meditation and breathing, I have become involved with the University of Arizona’s Counseling and Psych Services’

Mindful Ambassadors as well as enrolled in Dr. Ann Baldwin’s course, PSIO 415, Mind Andelora 4 and Body Physiology. My experience with Mindful Ambassadors has trained me in a various array of Mindful practices, including meditation. Our mission is to spread mindful awareness to the University of Arizona’s community, including both faculty and students. This experience has allowed me to lead groups of Wildcats through meditative practices and actually ask them about their experience, how they feel, and how it has affected them. Granted, this sort of experience only goes so far. Therefore, in PSIO 415,

Dr. Baldwin has focused her course on the effect that meditation and mindful practices have on the human psyche and body. Through research dealing with Heart Rate

Variability (HRV) and meditative practice, this course has provided me with valuable experience, knowledge, and research for this thesis. Dr. Baldwin also engages in research with Horses and HRV, which has provided me with actual studies and knowledge regarding the effect that equine interaction has on the human body. This course, and Dr. Baldwin, have proved to be an invaluable resource.

For my material about equine interaction, I have had two paramount mentors: Dr.

Allan Hamilton and Sherry Simon-Heldt. Dr. Hamilton is a neurosurgeon, horse trainer and author here in Tucson. He is the author of the book Zen Mind Horse Mind2, a book about training horses through meditative Zen mentality, as well as how horses and humans are interconnected. During this thesis, I began working for Dr. Hamilton has his media intern, writing posts about horsemanship, researching articles and posting about equine therapy and more on his Facebook and Twitter. His book and work have proven to be invaluable to my thesis.

2 Hamilton, A. J. (2011). Zen Mind, Zen Horse: the science and spirituality of working with horses. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., LLC.

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Sherry Simon-Heldt M.S., is the owner and operator of Equine Explorations, an equine therapy facility on the east side of Tucson. Her work focuses on the mind and body connection between horses and humans, and how interacting with these hoofed animals affect our physiology and in turn our psyche. I have interviewed Sherry twice and was allowed to shadow her for almost a year now. Throughout writing this thesis

Sherry has invited me to aid her in her month long Homicide Survivor equine therapy workshops. I was granted permission to be present and observe in the activities with

Sherry’s clients, on the condition of upholding strict confidentiality. This experience that

Sherry has provided me with is exceptional. Not only was I able to experience Sherry interact with clients and help aid homicide survivors through equine therapy, I was able be there with the clients, present in the activities and witness just how positively the psychological effects of this practice effected them. Without Sherry, this thesis could not have happened.

This thesis serves to combine psychology and religious studies, as well as integrate my passions and career aspirations. In order to fully understand the effects of the practice of zen meditation, it is paramount that I have an in-depth understanding of the religion of Buddhism, its origins, how Zen came to be, and why the meditation is taught the way that it is taught. For this thesis I took my general knowledge of

Buddhism and Zen, and through the guidance of Dr. Jameson, greatly enhanced my knowledge of the religion of Buddhism and the school Zen. The amount of Buddhist text analyzed and meditative practice performed proved to be far more in-depth than the courses that I have taken in my undergraduate career. Andelora 6

This thesis blends the religious practice of meditation and the thousand-year-old practice of interacting with horses, with the technicalities of physiology and how this physiology affects the mind. Ultimately, this is precisely what I wish to do with my future career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and certified Equine Assisted

Psychotherapist.

In order to provide a more wholesome care to my future clients, I hope to integrate practices such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and equine interaction into my skillset. In order to effectively do so, I must have a firm understanding of the physiology behind these methods and the psychological effects that occur. Granted, one may ask, where does religious studies come into play? My education in religious studies will allow me to become more culturally and religiously savvy of my future clients and better my knowledge in regards to what sort of integrative interventions (such as one form of meditation over another) may be more appropriate

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The Zen Horseman

Abstract:

This creative honors thesis, The Zen Horseman, explores the possible correlation between equine interaction and meditation. Through methods such as practicing Zen meditation, working with equine assisted psychotherapists, neurosurgeons, and academic researchers in the field of mind-body physiology this thesis suggests that heart rate variability is the physiological link correlating meditation and equine interaction. Through a review of multiple studies occurring within the past ten years, both equine interaction and meditation have been found to boost immunity, decrease negative affect, decrease anxiety, depression, and stress. The core focal point of these studies is heart rate variability (HRV), which is the foundational physiological phenomenon, which indicates a mind-body connection. By using HRV, evidence based data allows speculation that Zen meditation and equine interaction are linked through their health-promoting effects on the human body.

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For

Ron and Heather Andelora, for never doubting me even when I doubted myself

John Silcox, for giving me the gift of education

Hester Oberman, for motivating me and pushing me to grow

Alison Jameson, for supporting me & reminding me what it means to be Zen

Allan Hamilton, for showing me that hard work and diligence make a difference

And

Sherry Simon-Hedlt, for taking me under her wing, inspiring me, and being such a fabulous mentor and role model.

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Introduction to The Zen Horseman

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Deep breaths, Josh!

Use your body, fix yourself.

Give your command through using your whole body.

- Dr. Laura Walker

Little did I know, the lessons that Dr. Walker presented to us students in

ANS 272, “Introduction to Horsemanship” would reshape and alter my life. At the time, I was a freshman at the University of Arizona (UA). I had just broken in my first pair of Ariat boots and thought that I was the hottest cowboy in town, yet I was full of anxiety. Horses weren’t responding to my commands. The stress of college had taken its toll on my nervous system.

I stepped into the horsemanship class taught at the University of Arizona’s

Agriculture Center expecting to know just about everything. I had been working with horses for about two months prior on a rescue horse ranch – I was a wrangler in training. Although I may have known the technical skills, such as saddling and grooming, I didn’t know the first real thing about these thousand pound, hoofed animals. I thought that I could speak to the horse like a dog, give a verbal command, and the horse will follow. Needless to say, treating a horse like a dog was not Andelora 11 working. Dr. Walker saw this, and put me with a horse that would make me earn the animal’s respect and in turn its compliance.

It took me over twenty minutes centering myself and my reducing my anxiety through deep breathing and body language such as good posture and motioning with my foot, hips, and arm together3 to get that horse to walk, trot and eventually canter in the round pen...but she did, and it was only after I centered myself that she adjusted her attitude.

This concept of fixing or centering myself rather than attempting to fix the horse was a new concept for me, but it changed my life and inspired this thesis. The words at the beginning of this introduction, said by Dr. Walker, have rippled through my memory while writing my creative Honors Thesis, The Zen Horseman.

Roughly four years ago, around this time, I was standing in the horse arena at the

UA’s Equestrian Center witnessing my first Zen horsemanship experience. My professor at the time, Dr. Laura Walker reshaped my entire view of horsemanship.

As Equine Therapist Wyatt Webb states, it’s not about the horse – it’s about you.

I began seriously working with horses at a ranch in foothills of the Tortolita

Mountain range about two months before I took Dr. Walker’s course. As a child I would dress up as a cowboy and my parents would sign me up to go on trail rides, but I never had any formal experience with horses. By the time that I had seriously entered the field, horsemanship had taken a progressive step: rather than committing to old cowboy habits of training horses through the use of force,

3 Body language in horsemanship means to ensure that every part of your body is communicating what you want the horse to do. Every part of your body, from boot to hat needs to be in sync to communicate effectively with a horse Andelora 12 horsemanship has progressed to effectively proving to the horse to follow your command. Rather than a rider and a horse separated by the lead rope, they are connected by the lead rope. This progressive shift celebrates the interconnectedness of beings, much like Zen concept of emptiness – which I will delve into later. Dr. Walker was the first horsewoman to explain to me that when working with a horse, if the horse isn’t responding its usually your fault, not theirs.

Therefore the use of introspection and really being in-tune with my own body is not only useful in this field but also necessary.

This emphasis of self-care and introspection while working with a horse rings a similar bell to the techniques of Zen meditation, or zazen. In fact, when Dr.

Walker advised me to breath deeply and use my body, I innately reverted to my habits developed through years of meditation practice. When practicing Zen meditation, the emphasis lies almost entirely on posture and breathing. I will get into the details in the chapter covering Zen. For now it is important to note that this technique of calming my body down through breathing and channeling my intentions to the horse through use of clear, postured body language, is arguably synonymous to zen practice.

It was not until 3 years after this experience, while sitting in the saddle of my mentor and dear friend’s horse that I made this connection. My mentor, equine therapist and licensed counselor, Sherry Simon-Heldt helped me take this idea and refine it. While I was sitting in her horse’s saddle, I realized that the posture I keep while in the saddle is almost identical to the posture that I keep in zazen. Straight back, arms to my sides while coming together in front of my core, and a relaxed Andelora 13 body. The only difference are the legs. In traditional zazen form, I learned to cross my legs, to signify the oneness of both sides of my body. However, when sitting in a saddle, it is the legs, not the hands that are primarily used to send signals to the horse – from a Zen stand point, this posture promotes the unity between rider and horse. What is important to note about this idea of Zen is that anyone may utilize the meditation techniques, regardless of religious affiliation.

Granted, as enjoyable as it is to delve into the speculations of Zen and equine interaction, without literature backing my claims, they are only claims. Throughout my education at the UA whether in my studies in the fields of Psychology and

Physiology, the epidemic of our time that is discussed is chronic stress. What is unique about this fast spreading problem is that most people have it, yet many people aren’t aware that they have it. Our minds become accustomed to the way our bodies feel and we continue to bear down through our stressors – whether they are school, family, work, etc. Yet, as physiological evidence provides, and I will get into this in a later chapter, chronic stress is horrible for our bodies. Because it is vast applicability to humanity, chronic stress will be the focal point of my argument correlating Zen and equine interaction. Meditation has been used as a way to calm and center the body for a thousand years, but only recently has equine interaction been seen to also help counter chronic stress. Through my shadowing and interviews with equine therapist Sherry Simon-Heldt lectures and coursework with

Mind-Body Physiologist Dr. Ann Baldwin, and work as a University of Arizona

Counseling and Psych Services Mindful Ambassador, I have found literature and first hand exposure that reveal the effects of equine interaction and meditation on Andelora 14 the human nervous system.

Therefore in order to develop an argument that is discussion worthy, I want to engage in how meditation and equine interaction are united, and how I can further add to the literature to promote this. However, in order to fully comprehend the correlation between Zen meditation and equine interaction, it is paramount that I provide an understanding of what Zen is and the physiological effects that accompany chronic stress. The first chapter I will build my argument through an exploration of Zen, Zen meditation, and concepts of attachment and emptiness. The second chapter will further build my argument through exploring the physiology behind chronic stress, why it is so unhealthy. The third will be correlating Zen meditation and equine interaction through multiple studies covering heart rate variability (HRV), an indicator and measurement of stress. With each chapter and section, I will introduce what the purpose of each section is as well as personal experience relating to the topic. With these three chapters I will conclude that equine interaction and meditation are in fact correlated through their effects on the human body stress response and mind-body connection.

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Chapter I

Zen Buddhism

Somewhere along the lines of putting together this honors thesis I forgot how to write. I found myself so attached to my own story and my own outcome that I lost sight of what this was about and continued to ramble on about memories. It was in this moment, of realizing my attachment to my own journey that my mentor for the Buddhism portion of this thesis, Dr. Alison Jameson, helped me remember Zen. It was not without her guidance that this chapter and thesis came to be. You can spend your entire life within your own head ruminating on dogma and scriptures, but you will never be, until you are. The teachings of Zen Buddhism could not be fully studied in ten lifetimes, let alone a single Honors Thesis. Therefore, in order to understand Zen, I will provide a succinct understanding of Buddhism. Given that Buddhism is an extensive religion, I will focus on the origin and foundational core concepts that are found in every school of Buddhism. From there, I will transition into Zen itself, specifically Sotō Zen, given its large emphasis dedicated to meditation and the form taken while meditating.

Note: It is critical to take notice of the concept, Buddha nature here.

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Buddhism Before we proceed into the core of this paper, a basic understanding of Buddhism and the Four Noble Truths is necessary. I would like to note that my overview of the historic Buddha is derived from Dr. Alex Nava’s4 course, ‘The Question of God”5. I would also like to recognize Dr. Alison Jameson6 for all of her efforts and guidance through the creation of this overview.

Buddhism is the religion that began with the teachings of Prince Siddhartha

Gautama of the 1st century BCE Nepal region in Northern India. The historic

Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama, was born into an aristocratic family that ruled the land. As he grew he was groomed to become the heir to his father’s throne.

Riches and pleasures surrounded him, yet it is told that he was not satisfied with these material delights. Rather, he yearned to see life outside of the palace. Before he was born his mother, Queen Maya, was given a prophecy that her child would become either a great political leader or a great religious leader. Out of fear that his son and heir would become the latter, his father isolated Siddhartha from the impoverished city around him, forbidding him to leave the palace and tempting him with women, servants, and riches. Yet, it is speculated that this isolation from the city planted a curiosity in the young prince’s heart. His teacher and mentor, after hearing of this curiosity disobeyed the King’s rule and took Siddhartha out to the city. In their travels outside of the palace gate, it is told that Siddhartha

4 Dr. Alex Nava has his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago. He has created multiple courses at the University of Arizona, such as Love in World Religions and The Question of God 5 Nava, A., Ph.D. (16, March 15). Eastern Conceptions of God. Lecture presented in “The Question of God” at the University of Arizona, Tucson. 6 Alison Jameson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. She specializes in Song dynasty Neo-Confucianism as well as contemplative pedagogy. She teaches courses such as History of East Asian Buddhism I and II and Zen Buddhism Andelora 17 encountered suffering beyond his wildest imagination. He witnessed those ailed by incurable disease, those aging, and those dead. However he also met an ascetic, a man who renounced all material wealth in an effort to seek spiritual wisdom, which greatly impacted him. After this experience, it is said that Siddhartha concluded that suffering is at the foundation of all existence.

Once he was exposed to the reality of suffering in the world and the way of the ascetic, Siddhartha left his wife and child, left his life of riches and wealth, and sought to understand the truth of the world he existed in. After leaving the palace the former prince became an ascetic and a beggar, seeking out gurus to help teach him the ways to remove suffering from the world, yet with each teacher, Siddhartha was not satisfied. Each claimed that they knew “the way” yet each way was not complete. He grew tired of rituals devoted to the dominant religion of the time,

Hinduism, and placed his emphasis on a more ineffable power. In his own search for truth he sat underneath a pipal tree and meditated in the lotus pose until he comprehended the truth and determined how to reach salvation.

After sitting in the lotus pose, renouncing fear and temptation, Prince

Siddhartha Gautama spontaneously reached nirvana7 and became the first Buddha, or Enlightened One. From this spiritual growth the Buddha gathered followers and disciples, to whom he preached that the way to end suffering within oneself is to follow the Four Noble Truths – four pillars critical to the Buddhist practice. These truths work in a very logical manner; first they present the problem, then the cause, and then the solution. The first truth reveals the presence of suffering. This truth

7 A complex term, yet for our uses it will mean the end of suffering. Andelora 18 states that suffering originates from our inability to accept impermanence. We as humans fear change and, in accordance, desire permanence. It is not stating that life itself is suffering, but rather that the manner in which we live provokes suffering. The first truth holds two paramount concepts. The first states that the more one attempts to grasp the world as it is, the more it will change. The second paramount concept is that of the non-self; there is no true self that can be grasped by words or experience, rather the true self simply is. The first truth presents the problem of being human. It presents that our domesticated understanding of the world and our self is in fact removing us from our Buddha nature. The essence of the term, Buddha nature is difficult to define, however it is typically described as every being’s fundamental natural way. It is the enlightened being that is within all of us. To engage in Buddha nature we are returning to our original self, which is not concerned with attachments.

The second truth is concerned with the clinging centered around ignorance.

This truth states that everything is always changing; it is best for us to accept this flux. Our fear of change leads to the attachment to our reality as it is. It is these attachments that cause us to suffer: the more attachments that we carry, the more we lose, the more that we suffer. Ultimately, this truth is concerned with a lack of spiritual knowledge, or the presence of spiritual ignorance. If one attempts to cling on to anything, they indulge with the idea that one can grasp on to life and synonymously with oneself. To grasp on to oneself is to lose one’s true self, for one’s true self is not permanent, it is dynamic. Someone with self-knowledge knows this, and knows that there is no duality between themself and the world (Watts Andelora 19

49)8. With the acceptance of this change, one may accept that any situation may change for the better, instilling an aspect of hope for change, rather than the fear of change.

In order to understand the third truth, the Buddhist idea of the non-self must be understood. The Buddha spoke of reincarnation, the idea that one’s soul or consciousness persists past the death of the physical body and begins to exist in another physical body based off of one’s deeds in life. In Buddhist tradition, there is no permanent soul or consciousness; rather there is the non-self. This impermanent concept of the soul is believed to be a collection of thoughts, experiences, emotions, and karma (deeds in life). The non-self is often described as a flame, and reincarnation is the lighting of one candle from another. The candles may vary in sizes, brightness, color and temperature but the flame is always transmitted...until the cycle is broken by the third truth. This breaking of the cycle is called nirvana, or “blowing out”. The third truth holds that there is a cessation to suffering. Through the awareness of the non-self and the removal of false desires such as attachments, one may free themself from the cycle of reincarnation and suffering and enter Nirvana. This forthcoming of nirvana is not something to be desired or achieved, rather it is described as an unintentional spontaneous understanding of the impossibility of grasping the self (Watts 50).

The fourth and final truth provides the path to Nirvana, which is known as the Eightfold Path. Because the Eightfold path is expansive, here it will be summarized into three basic categories, as wonderfully given by Dr. Alison Jameson

8 Watts, A. (1999). The Way of Zen. Random House Inc. Andelora 20 of the University of Arizona’s Department of East Asian Studies9. The first category is moral conduct. This moral conduct holds that the practice of no killing, no stealing, no lying, no abuse of sex, and no drinking of intoxicants. The second category is wisdom. This wisdom comes from studying the Buddhist Sutras

(scriptures) and understanding the non-self. The third category is on the mental concentration that focuses the mind. This involves meditation practices to bring forth mental clarity. This path is the path that Buddha lived by, and the path that he reached enlightenment with. With the right understanding of the Four Noble truths, and the right practice of the Eightfold Path, one may reach enlightenment as well.

Two fundamental concepts of Buddhism The concepts of Emptiness and the Flame of Samsara are paramount to the understanding of Buddhism and Buddha nature. In my work with horses, embracing emptiness further strengthened the bond shared between horses and humans, allowing me to let go of my own harmful attachments and be present in my life. While reading about the Flame of Samsara, take note that stress and desire are interconnected. These false desires cause stress when one does not achieve them; therefore, it is paramount to Buddha nature to rid ourselves of this illusion.

Buddhism itself is vast with scriptures, interpretations, and different schools. Within this myriad of ideologies, two major trans-cultural concepts can be studied to increase one’s Buddhist literacy. The first concept is that of emptiness.

Emptiness is founded on the oneness of duality, a concept that is referred to as non- dualism. This non-dualism infers that nothing exists by itself, “We usually think that if something is not one, it is more than one...But in actual experience our life is not

9 Jameson, A., Ph.D. (2015, June 22). Indian Buddhism. Lecture presented in Introduction to Zen Buddhism at The University of Arizona, Tucson. Andelora 21

only plural, but also singular. Each one of us is both

dependent and independent,” (Suzuki 25)10. Although

Taoist in origin, the Chinese Yin-Yang symbolizes this idea

marvelously. As seen in the image, there is one symbol comprised of two opposite parts, resembled by the light and the dark. This does not refer to just good and evil, rather it is symbolic for all opposites: man and woman, life and death, etc. The symbol itself is the harmonious uniting of these opposites.

When we look in to the light, we see that there is a dark spot. When we look in to the dark, we see that there is a light spot. Darkness could not exist without light just as light could not exist without darkness. This is true balance and harmony, one and two, both individual and together. With that being said, a Buddhist monk would say that there is no light, or dark, there is emptiness. Emptiness in this case does not mean that there is nothing.

The concept of emptiness is difficult to aptly describe through words. In the

Buddhist scripture, the Vimalakirti Sutra, Seng-Chao writes, “That concept

[emptiness] is itself empty, and emptiness cannot construct emptiness”(Thurman)11. Emptiness must be understood and felt in order to fully grasp its essence. Everything in the world is connected, everything in the world is not truly separate, and therefore the truth of the world is emptiness. This is where meditation holds such a powerful place in Buddhist culture; while meditating one

10 Suzuki, S. (1973). Zen mind, Beginner's mind. New York: Weatherhill. 11 Thurman, R. (n.d.). Vimalakirti Sutra - Chapter 5: The Consolation of the Invalid. Retrieved October 15, 2016, from http://www.fodian.net/world/0475_05.html Andelora 22 may not be using words, perhaps mantras, but ultimately it is the spiritual feeling derived from meditation that Buddhist lessons are learned.

Another essential concept found within the Buddhist schools is the Flame of

Samsara, which actually originates in Hindu traditions. Much like the Cave analogy presented by Plato in The Republic12, the Flame of Samsara casts the light of desire and attachment upon the world, causing an illusion of false desires and inducing suffering to those who hold those desires to be true. The Four Noble Truths are the

Buddhist method to extinguish the flame and observe the reality of the world. It is similar to the difference between night and day. If we connect Samsara to the Sun, then we may say that the Sun provides an illusion for us here on earth, the blue sky.

The blue sky keeps us from observing the truth, or the vastness of the universe.

Once the sun is doused, then and only then can we see where we lie in the celestial map. The flame provides an illusion of the truth, not a representation of the truth itself13.

12 P. (1946). Plato: the Republic. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 13 Gascoigne, B. (2001). History of Buddhism. Retrieved October 16, 2016, from http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab77 Andelora 23

The Origins of Zen

A wise Zen Master once told his student “Do or do not, there is no try,”. Can anyone tell me which master said this? The answer is 874 year old Jedi Master Yoda. On May 25th, 1977 George Lucas and Steven Spielberg introduced the United States to Zen on a large scale through Jedi teachings. This was my first exposure to Zen Buddhism. At the age of six my parents took me into a video store to look for movies to add to our collection. My father and I found our way into the Sci-Fi isle. I remember him looking at me as he picked up a gold and black box set of VHR’s with a black mask on it – I would soon find out that this was Darth Vader. The day that my father introduced me to Star Wars was the day that my life changed. I remembered him sitting down next to me when we were watching ‘Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back’ and saying, just before Yoda was introduced, “pay attention to Yoda’s teachings son,”. It wasn’t until I took Dr. Jameson’s Introduction to Zen Buddhism course here at the University of Arizona that I realized just how similar Zen Buddhism is to Master Yoda’s Jedi teachings. So I called my father to tell him my epiphany – you could feel his smile through the phone as he said “Of course, why do you think I introduced you to Yoda”. This was the day that I realized Zen had been a foundation in my life for many more years than I ever anticipated. However, Zen did not start with Star Wars. To understand why the focus of my paper is on Zen and not other schools of Buddhism, I must cover how Zen came to be and what it focuses on.

In China, roughly a thousand years ago, these Buddhist concepts found a new way to be presented:

Before Bodhidharma, the study of Buddha’s teachings resulted in a

deep and lofty philosophy of Buddhism, and people tried to attain its

high ideals...Bodhidharma discovered that it was a mistake to create

some lofty or deep ideal and then try to attain it by the practice of

zazen (seated meditation). If that is our zazen, it is nothing different

from our usual activity...(Suzuki, 101).

At the age of eighteen, Sōtō Zen founder, Eihei Dogen (1200-1253BCE), traveled from Japan to China in a quest to “return to the source” and become whole.

It is said that Dogen left Japan seeking an answer to a question, through seeking Andelora 24 clarity in a deep fog – which is perhaps the most distinct characteristic of Zen, its directness (Watts 77). For years, Dogen studied Ch’an Buddhism with a Ch’an master called “Old Man” Rujing. Zen and Ch’an Buddhism are said to be a derivatives of Mahayana Buddhism because of the belief that anyone can “awaken”, or reach enlightenment. However to further this, Zen differs from this form of

Buddhism and others through its belief in immediate enlightenment. In the

Buddhist text, the Lankavatara Sutra it is written that both gradual and sudden forms of enlightenment may arise. This enlightenment is the return to wholeness or naturalness; therefore, perhaps one may not need to learn anything, rather perhaps they need to forget.

In Zen it is speculated that mantras14, sutras, and scripture-based teachings can distract one from reaching wholeness. The path to enlightenment rather is passed down from guru to student, through means of everyday life. In the

Vimalakirti Sutra it is given that “perfect awakening was consistent with the affairs of everyday life, and that, indeed, the highest attainment was to ‘enter into awakening without exterminating the defilement’” (Watts 78). To further address the Vimalakirti Sutra, its author, Seng Chao includes many Taoist lines and concepts. The Taoist influence in Zen Buddhism can be seen throughout Chao’s work, as well as with other Zen masters such as Hui-neng and Huang-po. However, we cannot give Seng Chao credit for the integration of Tao into Zen, rather, Zen is as much Tao as it is Mahayana Buddhism. The Tao is concerned with the te, or the ineffable creative and spontaneous natural functioning of mankind. The te is lost

14 Repetition of a word or phrase during meditation. Andelora 25 however when one tries to master it; much like the Zen idea of our Buddha self.

Taoist ideals hold that that which can be labeled and described through words is not the Tao, or the way. Rather, it is ineffable and must be felt on a level that is not conventional. This Taoist aspect of Zen provides a strong foundation for active practice, rather than studying scriptures and tricky koans.

It is this blend of Taoism and Ch’an Buddhism that gives Zen a degree of uniqueness in comparison to other Buddhist practice. After his training in China,

Dogen eventually returned to Japan and started a Zen Monastery, calling his school of practice, Sōtō.

The Sōtō school since has flourished, spreading around the globe. However, it did not reach the shores of America until 1958, when the direct descendant of

Dogen, Shunryu Suzuki (1905-1971), traveled from Japan to America. Suzuki experienced the seriousness and intent that Americans treated these Buddhist teachings with and decided to stay. He lived in San Francisco starting an abbotship, and the Sōtō school of Zen became readily available to western culture (Suzuki).

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Zen Koans In this section, I will discuss the use of koans in Zen practice and their importance. These simple yet complex Buddhist writings hold the spirit of Zen – instantaneous engagement with one’s Buddha nature. I was taught through the works of Suzuki and Dogen that the message of a koan cannot be explained, it must be immediately realized, just you may immediately engage in your Buddha nature.

As Suzuki and Dogen both teach, Zen emphasizes the learning of Buddhism not through scriptures, but through koans and the practice of zazen. Koans are

Buddhist metaphors used to insinuate thought. A master would present their student with a koan to expand their understanding. An example of a Zen koan is as follows:

A Cup of Tea: Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!" "Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?" (Ashikadim)15

Zen practice holds that lessons of koans must be immediately recognized by the student. If the koan’s answer cannot be immediately known, then the purpose of it is lost and another koan is presented. If wholeness is readily available to us in the present – it makes little sense to distract oneself from the present with tricky formal koans – rather the aim is to bring us back to ourselves through purposeless practice. Note that here “purposelessness” simply means being without desire to reach a goal.

15 Kim, A. (n.d.). Zen Koans - A Cup of Tea. Retrieved November 14, 2016, from http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/1acupoftea.html Andelora 27

It can be difficult to be “purposeless” – everything that one does seems to be purposeful. To have a goal is to project forward, to set a path for oneself.

Attachment to that path occurs because some part desires the outcome. To have a goal is also to express a level of dissatisfaction with the present state. This dissatisfaction may not be a bad thing, but it does express a desire for change in a way that one sees fit. If, however, one is goal-less or purposeless, then one may be mindfully present in the moment. It is important to not blind oneself to a certain path; do not blind oneself from the present. To be purposeless is to not be attached.

Zen is not advocating for one to be stagnant. Live and be alive, dedicate all of one’s energy into the present moment, but do not hold on to the outcome. If one meditates with the goal of reaching enlightenment, then enlightenment has already been lost – enlightenment is not a goal reached in the future. Enlightenment does not exist in the future; it is only here in the now.

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Zazen This is perhaps the most critical portion to understand about Zen. The emphasis on posture and breathing correlates to how one should behave while interacting with horses. Breathing, especially, is a paramount tool used to calm the human body and engage in Buddha nature. Add in Jameson, make argument about posture and breathing and fixing the body.

Zen itself means “meditation” in Japanese. Zazen is merely an extension of this, meaning “meditation in sitting posture”. To sit in zazen is more than the average meditation. In fact, both the posture and the breathing of zazen are representations of Zen ideologies.

Zen Posture:

When practicing zazen, one may sit in a full lotus position. As seen by the

picture of the monk , a full lotus is exercised by placing the

right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh.

Keep ones toes no further than your thigh. When one engages

in this posture, our two legs become one. When one’s left foot

is on the right thigh and vice versa, one does not know which

is which. This posture represents the oneness of duality: not two, not one – just as

our mind and body are not two, and not one (Suzuki 25). When sitting in zazen,

place one left hand on top of your right and form an oval by touching the tips of

your thumps together. Zen Master Suzuki describes this as the “cosmic mudra”

(symbolic hand gesture). The arms should be held slightly out from us, as if

holding an egg in our armpit. The paramount feature of zazen is keeping a straight

spine. This holds that our ears are straight with our shoulders, our nose is in Andelora 29

alignment with our navel and no leaning should occur. One’s shoulders should be

relaxed and the back of the head should “push towards the ceiling”. One must keep

their chin tilted up so as to not fall asleep, and the diaphragm should be pressed

towards the lower abdomen, to bring strength to the posture. The mouths should

have the tongue on its roof, just as the eyes should be neither fully open nor

closed.

The ideal behind zazen is emptiness, to engage in Buddha nature. This

concept is found in what is arguably the most influential scripture in Zen

Buddhism, the Heart Sutra. It states:

O Sariputra, form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is nothing but

emptiness; emptiness is nothing but form; that which is form is

emptiness; that which is emptiness is form. The same is true for

sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness (Adiss 4). 16

When practicing this form, practice it not with the aim to be in the right state of

mind. Rather, practicing the form is to be in the right state of mind, there is no

need to attain anything, for everything is inherently empty:

O Sariputra, all things are by nature empty. They are not born, they are not

extinguished; they are not tainted, they are not pure; they do not increase,

they do not decrease. Within emptiness there is no form, and therefore no

sensation, perception, volition, or consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue,

body, or mind; no form, no sound, scent, taste, touch, or thought (Adiss 4)

16 Addiss, S. (2008). Zen sourcebook: traditional documents from China, Korea and Japan. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Andelora 30

All is empty. What can be defined as truly separate from something else does not

exist. This is why when one tries to attain something the mind wanders (Suzuki

26). Trying to attain something is much like chasing a horse, the more one runs

after it, the farther it escapes. For example, the very name of the Heart Sutra

illustrates this: in this case, the heart is the “heart of great wisdom that leads one

to the other shore”(Red Pine)17 not the actual beating heart. This wisdom helps

one realize that their heart already posses the wisdom to guide them, there is no

need to chase it. One is not whole if the body is not one with the mind and vice-

versa. To practice zazen with right understanding is to engage in one’s true nature,

emptiness. If one has bad form, the true nature is inaccessible, for “there are no

conditions under which form is different from emptiness or emptiness is different

from form” (Red Pine 80).

It is paramount that one does not practice zazen with the purpose to be

empty. Master Dogen wrote that zazen is not learning to concentrate; rather it is

the undivided practice-realization (Tanahashi 12)18. This can be difficult to grasp,

especially with a very goal oriented society. There is a WANT to achieve

something. There is a WANT to learn concentration...but those wants reveal

attachment. One may do everything possible to make those wants reality, but what

happens when failure occurs? Or better yet, when the desires are achieved and

one still feels dissatisfied? Rather than defeat or failure causing one to be negative,

a level of trust and understanding replaces those emotions. Through zazen, real

17 Pine, R. (2009). The Heart Sutra. Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint. 18 Dogen., Tanahashi, K., & Levitt, P. (2013). The Essential Dogen: writings of the great Zen master Boston: Shambhala. Andelora 31

practice of zazen, everything done will be done to the fullest ability. Everything

that succeeds because of this is good. Everything that fails because of this is good.

Failure is merely a chance to learn and grow – not to be upset and dwell. This

growth has no end. This growth has no measurement. Like the difference between

a saguaro and a cottonwood; both will grow but at their own rate. Dogen writes,

“The activity of zazen is just like the fish swimming. Who can measure how many

thousands and myriads of miles there are in zazen? Its journey is the entire body

going on the path where no bird flies,” (Tanahashi 13). The beauty is both in the

journey and the destination – neither should be rushed.

The idea of zazen is seated meditation. This is its literal translation. Dogen

tells us, this ordinary everyday sitting is itself boundless joy (Tanahashi 8). To sit in

zazen is not to dwell in the past. It is not to ruminate or to analyze. It is to exist in

each moment. Each moment is a rebirth. Each moment is a new chance. The past is

good. Learn from it. The future is good, let it come. The now is all one has. If one is

not present in the now, where are they?

Breathing during zazen:

One should be here now19, in this moment. Something that is always here in the now is breath. Whether one is running a marathon, reading a book, or thinking about the future, the breath is always responding to the present moment. In zazen, breathing is the only thing that exists; this however does not mean to be “absent minded”. Rather, through letting the mind follow the breath one becomes aware of both the simple self and the universal self – in turn becoming aware of the natural

19 Although I am not using anything from Ram Dass it should be mentioned that his book in 1971, Be Here Now, discusses the importance of mindfulness and being present. Andelora 32

Buddha nature (Suzuki 29). Master Suzuki writes “What we call ‘I’ is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale...When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no I, no world, no mind, nor body; just a swinging door,” (29). This concept, of course is harder to accomplish than it is to write about.

Minds in Western society are trained to be preoccupied, they are used to having many thoughts throughout the day, often revolving around the idea of the

“I”, or things about yourself. So how does one stop these thoughts from coming? A

Mahayana nun and dear friend of mine, Sister Kunshe helped guide me through this one day during a meditation lesson. She told me, “Clouds, Josh, let your thoughts be clouds,” it is not our job to be attached to stopping our thoughts. One can instead let them come floating into our minds and let them float out. No thought has to stay, and just like any storm – the thoughts will pass.

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Closing

Zen is continuous practice. “Do not wait for great enlightenment, as great enlightenment is the tea and rice of daily activity,” (Tanahashi 154) each day we can reach enlightenment, each day we can absolve suffering. Zen’s method of liberation celebrates the here and the now. Much like an infant understanding how to smile, we all already have the Buddha nature. For we are no different than the

Buddha, in fact, we are the same. Just as we are the same as everything around us; trees, rocks, rain, oceans, and animals. To understand this non-duality is to lead a free existence. To practice this right understanding is to be liberated through Zen.

A word from Master Suzuki:

When we have the traditional spirit to follow the truth as it goes, and practice our way without any egoistic idea, then we will attain enlightenment in its true sense. And when we understand the point we will make our best effort in each moment. That is true understanding of Buddhism. So our understanding of

Buddhism is not just an intellectual understanding. Our understanding at the same time is its own expression, is the practice itself. Not by reading or contemplation of philosophy, but only through practice, actual practice, can we understand what

Buddhism is. Constantly, we should practice zazen, with strong confidence in our true nature, breaking the chain of karmic activity and finding our place in the world of actual practice. (103). Andelora 34

Chapter II

Mind & Body

In the previous chapter, I discussed the Mind-Body practice of zazen. In this chapter I will explore how the mind and body interact through the example of stress so that a foundation to discuss how zazen and equine interaction benefit the mind and body is built. In this section, pay close attention to the limbic system and the concept of fight- or-flight – these two areas are paramount for this paper’s purposes. A special thanks to Dr. Ann Baldwin20 for allowing the use of her lectures and work in this chapter.

20 Ann Baldwin, Ph.D. is a Professor of Physiology and Psychology at the University of Arizona. Dr. Baldwin’s research focuses on the physiological effects of stress (emotional and physical). She has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has served as a member of multiple review panels for the National Institutes of Health. Andelora 35

Mind & Body Preface

Their heartbeat races, pounding out of the chest as they wait. As they look around, their skin begins to perspire and their heart starts beating faster. An acute release of adrenaline and norepinephrine makes their skin constrict, leaving hairs standing on end, pupils dilating, and muscles tensing. The body is ready to take flight or fight. This is humankind’s reaction to threats...however this is not a biological threat. There is no bear trying to attack them, they aren’t at war, in fact they’re about to speak in front of a crowd. There is no logical danger present yet the mind is activating the body’s natural defense mechanisms. These defense mechanisms are activated by anything that stresses us, whether that be public speaking, deadlines, work, etc. So why and how does it do this?

As humans, the mind holds a tremendous amount of influence over the body. This example of public speaking is one of the more popular situations to express this influence. Granted, not everyone has glossophobia21, but in a logical manner it lacks realistic sense – the body is in no danger nor in direct risk of threat, therefore shouldn’t one be calm and relaxed? Rather than calm, the body is in a tense and ready to defend state. Why? Dating back to the French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, René Descartes (1596-1650), Western philosophers

21 Glossophobia: Fear of public speaking Andelora 36 has been pondering the dynamics of this duopoly between the mind and body. In his work Meditations in First Philosophy22, Descartes analyzed what the mind is, what the body is, and how they are connected. He writes in the sixth meditation,

“But what then am I? A thing that thinks. What is that? A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and which also imagines and senses,”(10). His work asks the critical question, what is the mind?

In modern society, the mind is thought of as the psyche or the unconscious.

Some say that it is an epiphenomenon, being the produce of brain functions. Others believe it to be its own phenomenon. Descartes speculated that the mind is an entity that thinks but does not extend past our inner realm, whereas the body is an entity that extends, but does not think. Therefore we are left with the idea that the mind is in charge of what happens to the body. This concept of mind being in control of the body is quite common in Western thought. However, as will become clear, the body is equally powerful over the mind. It is not a matter of which is in control of which, rather it is a dealing of cooperative interaction between the two separate entities. But how does this interaction work? The answer lies with an understanding of the nervous and limbic systems.

22 Descartes, R. (1911). Meditations On First Philosophy. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://selfpace.uconn.edu/class/percep/DescartesMeditations.pdf Andelora 37

The Nervous System; an Overview The nervous system is one of two foundational platforms that which mind & body interaction occurs through. Therefore I will need a basic foundation of how this system works. With this section, I will discuss the different branches of the nervous system. Pay close attention to the autonomic nervous system and the concepts of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. The function of the sympathetic nervous system, fight-or-flight is precisely what equine interaction and meditation help calm down. I will get into the details soon.

The human body is ultimately a large sack of meat without this series of bioelectrical communication pathways that is known as the nervous system. The nervous system consists of a series of neural pathways made up of conductive tissue that is designed to both receive and send neural signals. Without the nervous system, the heart could not beat, the eyes could not see, the muscles could not move, and the body would fail to live. It is the nervous system that carries the signals from the brain to the heart to beat, to the diaphragm to breath, to the eyes to see, and to the muscles to move. But how does it do this?

The nervous system is organized in two divisions, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the spinal chord and the brain. The spinals chord is a “bundle of nerves that leaves the brain and runs down the length of the back” (Baldwin, 2017)23 transmitting

23 Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 18). Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Divisions. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Andelora 38 signals to and from the brain. This transmission of signals is a constant and immediate process. The brain is always receiving signals from the body, whether it is the skin feeling a breeze, the intestines releasing gas, the lungs needing to breath, or the eyes watching a sunset. It is what controls behavior, both consciously and unconsciously.

What sends and receives signals from the central nervous system is the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is found in all places of the body excluding the brain and spinal chord. It is made up of nerve material called axons and dendrites that act as fast transmitters for neural messages. The peripheral nervous system is split into two different sects, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the somatic nervous system (SNS). The simplest way to differentiate the two is that the autonomic nervous system is automatic and involuntary whereas the somatic nervous system is voluntary and intentional.

The somatic nervous system deals with the control of voluntary movement.

For example, it is the somatic nervous system that allows one to run, or to walk. It is what controls the mouth while chewing. Any bodily movement that we can actively stop or perform is done through the somatic nervous system. For example, if the brain decides that it is hungry, it will send signals to the SNS through the spinal chord to move one’s legs from the hallway to the kitchen. It will prompt one’s arm to lift the hand to the pantry and open it. It will prompt the hand to find a bag of chips and open it, as well as bring the chips to the mouth. From here, the mouth is prompted by the SNS to chew and swallow, bringing the food into the Andelora 39 hands of the stomach, where the autonomic nervous system orders digestion to begin.

The autonomic nervous system, as seen above, deals with any bodily function that occurs without thought. For example, the ANS deals with heartbeat and digestion. However, this branch of the peripheral nervous system is broken into two different sects, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system is charged with the task of preparing the body to deal with stressful24 emergency situations. This preparation is what is commonly known as “fight-or-flight” – however this will be covered later. The parasympathetic nervous system is charged with the task of bringing the body back from “fight-or-flight” and into a state of relaxation. Both occur as means of survival.

The Limbic System; an Overview The Limbic system is the second of the two foundational platforms that which mind & body interactions occur. As discussed above, the nervous system sends many neural signals yet these signals mean nothing without something to interpret them. In this section, I will link the Nervous system to the Limbic system to build a foundation of how the body interacts with the mind. In regards to the limbic system, meditation and equine interaction play a large role in learning how to calm the amygdala. I will explain soon.

The Limbic System is a series of interconnected brain structures that regulate functions of the ANS and endocrine25 function in response to emotional

24 Stress is a feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal resources that they are able to handle (Baldwin, 2017). 25 The endocrine system deals with the release of hormones in the body. Ex: Releasing of adrenaline from the adrenal glands. Andelora 40 stimuli (Swenson 2006)26. This system acts as an analysis center, receiving information from sensory organs (such as the skin), from visceral organs (such as the liver) and skeletal muscles (such as triceps brachii) as well as sending signals based off of thoughts and memories.

The brain structures in the Limbic system that are paramount to discuss in mind body interactions are the amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus. It is important to note that as the brain is ever complex, there are many brain structures involved, but the above mentioned are the three paramount components.

When a neural signal reaches the brain from a sensory organ, visceral organ, or skeletal muscle, it first is interpreted by the amygdala. The amygdala acts “like an alarm bell for danger,” (Baldwin 2017)27. It is the brain structure that creates associations between different stimulus and influences emotional states accordingly. Although the amygdala deals with all emotions, it is primarily associated to fear response. For example, when there is a lesion in the amygdala, one’s fear response is either muffled or ceases to exist (Lazarewicz 2017)28.

Once the neural signal is interpreted by the part of the limbic system called the amygdala, it is sent to the hippocampus and hypothalamus. In the hippocampus, the memory associated with the stimulus is integrated into our declarative memory (facts and events). For example, a bee sting would be

26 Swenson, R., DC, MD, PhD. (2006). Chapter 9 - Limbic System. Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://www.dartmouth.edu/~rswenson/NeuroSci/chapter_9.html 27 Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 18). Limbic System & Prefrontal Cortex. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 28 Lazarewicz, A., M.A. (2017, January 21). The Nature of Fear (part 1). Lecture presented at Psychology of Terrorism in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Andelora 41 integrated into the declarative memory as an event (bee sting) and fact (a bee sting is uncomfortable/stress provoking). This fact/event memory will be processed from short-term into long-term memory in the hippocampus depending on necessity to remember. For example, one may forget someone’s name directly after meeting them, because it may not be critically important. However, one will remember the bee sting for life, because of the emotional connection to being hurt.

While the signal is being integrated by the hippocampus it is also being processed by the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus, although smaller than the other two mentioned structures, holds a critical role in mind and body interaction.

It is in charge of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system, making it the center for emotional response and behavior (Baldwin, 2017)29. When the hypothalamus interprets a signal, it has the capacity to order the body to respond in certain ways. For example, let’s return to the bee sting example used in the hippocampus paragraph. Once the hypothalamus receives the bee sting signal, it will activate the autonomic nervous system to prepare to defend itself through

“fight-or-flight”. Once the danger is averted, and the hypothalamus receives notice that there is no longer a threat, it will prompt the autonomic nervous system to return to a state of relaxation.

29 Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 18). Limbic System & Prefrontal Cortex. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

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Top down, Bottom Up Now that I have provided a basic idea of how the nervous and limbic Systems work, I will discuss how the mind controls these systems and vice versa. This section will discuss how the body influences the mind and vice versa. It is important to notice the role of breathing in this section

To begin, it is critical to understand that the relationship between the mind and body is reflexive – the mind has influence over the body, just as the body has influence over the mind. This is an interaction is described in two different manners: top down and bottom up. As described by Dr. Ann Baldwin, top down refers to the mind influencing the body whereas bottom up refers to the body influencing the mind30. How this occurs is a complex pathway of psychosomatic interaction. I will provide examples of both. Top down begins with our emotions and thoughts. In general, a stimulus will provoke a thought, which will be analyzed by the brain. For example: As one is hiking and hears the sound of the terribly venomous rattlesnake near by, a thought will occur, perhaps, “Where is the snake?

Is it close enough to bite?”. These thoughts, although weightless and non-physical, carry a heavy effect on the body proving to stimulate the body to appropriately react to the mind’s prompting.

How does this happen in the top down scenario? The quick answer is that these thoughts will have an immediate effect on the activities of cells through the

30Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 11). Physiology 415 Introduction. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Andelora 43 autonomic nervous system (ANS). The thoughts that one feels in this dangerous situation will be analyzed through the prefrontal cortex31 and then the limbic system. This analyzed information will travel to the hypothalamus, which will in turn stimulate the ANS as well as the endocrine system’s hormonal pathways, which effectively controls the biochemical activity of the cells in organs and tissues.

This will be further discussed in another section.

In the bottom up scenario of mind-body interaction, the direct opposite of top down occurs. The interaction is prompted by one of the various sensory systems in the body sending signals up to the brain, prompting thoughts. For example: Someone is walking in the tide pools of some Southern Californian beach, and all of a sudden a wicked pain shoots up from their foot. They find out that they have been stuck by a sea urchin. This pain is processed by their brain and potentially will prompt thoughts such as, “Is this poisonous? Is help needed? Wow, this hurts!” So how does the body do this?

The body is able to prompt the mind through the nervous system traveling from the extremities or organs, to the spinal cord, and up to the brain. In the above example, the sensory nerves in the bottom of the foot signaled to the limbic system that harm has been done to that respective region of the foot. Once the limbic system analyzes the information given then the body will react as deemed appropriate. This type of response is typically quick in time and dependent of reflex. For example, in the millisecond that it takes for the foot to communicate to the limbic system that it is in danger of harm, the reflex will consist of quickly

31 Area of the brain that is in charge of conscious thought processing Andelora 44 raising one’s foot upward and away from harm, while thoughts of pain and confusion may be prompted.

In the previous sections, the phrase “fight-or-flight” has been mentioned.

This is the base layer of all mind & body interaction – either the mind is signaling that we are calm and relaxed, or that we need to be on guard. This next section will discuss this.

Fight-or-Flight Humans, although removed from nature in many ways, are still part of Earth’s flora and fauna. Our primal beginnings instilled a reflex to survive predators. This reflex is called fight-or-flight and it is the base layer link between mind & body interaction. During times of Chronic stress, the body can become locked into the fight- or-flight response. Meditation and equine interaction have been shown to aid in the calming of this response. Pay attention to the negative effects of cortisol and extended fight-or-flight responses.

Fight-or-flight is the physiological reaction to a perceived harmful event, attack or threat. This particular reaction connects the mind to the body though a physiological response to processed thoughts stimulated by various stimuli. In the case of the rattlesnake example from the top down section, the thoughts processed by the pre-frontal cortex stimulate the fear response in the amygdala, which in turn prompts the hypothalamus to stimulate the autonomic nervous system’s sympathetic branch.

In the occasion that the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, the hormone adrenaline and the neurotransmitter norepinephrine are released into the body prompting a series of physiological effects to occur. The objective of fight- Andelora 45 or-flight is to re-channel to the parts of the body that need to perform especially high in situations of survival. For example, once fight-or-flight is activated digestion stops and energy provided to the immune system is redistributed. Once the body halts these two systems, it is able to use the excess energy to increase the heart rate, constrict the veins in the skin, and increase rate of respiration. This increased heart rate and constriction of epidermal veins allows more glucose32 to be pumped into the skeletal muscles so that they may perform in accelerated ways. This increased rate of respiration brings more oxygen to the brain, allowing it to make quicker and more instinctual decisions. Once these reactions occur, the hypothalamus prompts the stress hormone, cortisol to be released into the blood stream, which will prolong the fight-or-flight response for however long it is needed. Once the danger is averted, the hypothalamus will prompt the parasympathetic to reinstate the body to relax and to bring energy back to the digestive and immune systems.

This fight-or-flight is triggered most commonly for humans in times of stress, which in our species’ past were typically short lived – however the Western world is presently in a stress epidemic (Baldwin 2017)33. According to Dr. Ann

Baldwin, 80-85% of all illness in the western world is caused by chronic stress.

How? The answer is cortisol. Cortisol can be a beneficial hormone, as seen above it can save one’s life. However it is harmful to the body in prolonged doses. When fight-or-flight is prompted, the energy that is expended must be remade, which

32 Glucose is a primary source of energy for the body 33 Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 25). Stress and Heart Rate Variability. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Andelora 46 drives the body to exhaustion. In a normal case of fight-or-flight, such as fleeing a bear, the body will begin recharging once the bear is averted. However in this stress epidemic, many humans are exposed to chronic stress, for example: stress from work or from school. Because the stressors provoking chronic stress are typically inescapable, for example we cannot run away from our boss, our body is constantly releasing cortisol and constantly draining its energy. This leaves our immune function depleted, making our bodies more susceptible to injury and disease.

Conclusion

The relationship between the mind and the body is centered on balance.

There is a symbiotic interaction between the mind-body, which can be observed through studying top down and bottom up responses. This is paramount for the purpose of this paper, given that Zen meditation focuses on altering the mind through physical measures such as breathing and posture. Through physical alterations, humans are effectively able to regulate both their nervous system and limbic system, promoting an increase in health, a decrease in depression and anxiety, and a boosted immune function. So how does equine interaction come into play? This next chapter will illustrate how equine interaction arguably alters the body synonymously to meditation through the studying of HRV.

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Chapter III

Horses, Meditation, & the Human Body Looking back upon my first experience with body language, breathing and horses, I wonder how I overlooked that my centering myself in that pen was a standing version of zazen. Through mindfulness cultivated by the Zen teachings of breathing and posture I was able to let go and detach of my own stress and unify with that horse, not as horse and trainer, but as a team of one.

As I have progressed through the previous two chapters the art of Zen meditation and the dynamic method of mind and body interactions have been discussed in an effort to provide a foundational understanding. So how does this all come together? Why are Horses involved? These questions will be answered in this section as I discuss how zazen and equine interaction affect the Human body.

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The Epidemic of Our Time In the previous chapter, we discussed how the body reacts to stress through fight-or- flight. However, the way the body processes these experiences prompts a difficult question, a question that I believe to have answers to. This section will recap some of the more important concepts from the previous chapter about mind and body physiology.

The Western world is plagued by stress. The American Medical Association has revealed that stress is the cause of 80-85% of all human illness and disease, contributing to coronary artery disease, respiratory disorders, suicide and more

(Baldwin, 2017)34. In the Western society, it is easy to get lost in one’s work, to be swept into the hassles of day-to-day life and forget about that which makes us part of this earth: the natural way of ourselves, beings of connection. According E. O.

Wilson, all humans have an innate draw to make connections with nature and other forms of life, this phenomenon is called biophilia35. However, to further this, humans need not only connection with nature and other life, but with their own beings as well. Carl Gustav Jung states in his book, The Undiscovered Self:

“The source of numerous psychic disturbances and difficulties occasioned

by man’s progressive alienation from his instinctual foundation, i.e. by his

uprootedness and identification with his conscious knowledge of himself,

by his concern with consciousness at the expense of the unconscious...he

forgets himself in the process, losing sight of his instinctual nature and

34Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 25). Stress and Heart Rate Variability. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 35 Wilson, E. O. (2003). Biophilia. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press. Andelora 49

putting his own conception of himself in place of his real being,” (Carl Jung,

The Undiscovered Self)36.

Humans are not designed to be chronically stressed, but it happens to everyone37.

It is unnatural for any of Earth’s flora and fauna to be in a state of chronic stress and continue to survive. In the previous section, the sympathetic nervous system was discussed. In normal situations, the sympathetic nervous system will be stimulated in response to stress, but it is then brought back to resting state through the parasympathetic nervous system. This shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic is what the human body is programmed to do. This natural response to stress (fight-or-flight) keeps humans alive. However, during times of chronic stress and trauma38, the sympathetic nervous system doesn’t turn off.

Humans may not be consciously aware of this stress after being chronically exposed to it, however the body is fully aware of the stress and always reacting to it. This is why biofeedback is important. Even if the human mind is not aware of it, the body can still be reacting to stimulus. Think of digestion, breathing, etc. The mind may not be thinking about digesting food, but the body is still doing it. This is much like the hyperactivity of the nervous system. Although occurring unconsciously, this chronic stressed state causes harm to the body through prolonged exposure to the stress hormone, cortisol. As discussed in the previous chapter, cortisol breaks down muscle mass, increases sagittal fat storage, reduces

36 Jung, C. G., & Hull, R. F. (1958). The Undiscovered Self. New York: New American Library. 37 Chronic Stress, as discussed in the previous chapter is the consistent exposure to stressful stigma, such as work or school, prompting an extended release of cortisol. 38 Trauma occurs after exposure to an extreme form stress. Examples of trauma provoking stress could be homicide, abuse, car accidents, injuries resulting in pain, etc.

Andelora 50 immune function, and causes cancer-fighting lymphocytes to self-deteriorate all of which leaves the human body prone to illness and disease. This exposure to high cortisol can negatively affect human behavior, and logically so. Think of a guard dog when it is ready to fight-or-flight: it is tense, aggressive, flares its teeth, etc. When the guard dog is not on guard, it is a completely different creature. Humans are similar. When humans are relaxed more peaceful behaviors occur unlike than when humans are constantly stressed. As Dr. Jung stated in the above passage, this disregard for the unconscious leads mankind to psychic disturbances and difficulties. How then is this problem fixed?

To discover solutions to this question, the nature of the problem must be addressed. This problem is unique in that stress and trauma are not stored primarily in the conscious realm; rather they are stored in the nervous system and limbic system, both of which are unconscious and both of which have no capacity for language, (Sinek, 56)39. These two systems are both the most primal parts of our bodies, allowing humans to survive far before the pre-frontal cortex was developed to allow for language. When emotions are stored in the limbic system, the body represents them without language. This is why it so difficult to describe how love feels, how fear feels, loss, sorrow, grief, etc. So how can one communicate with these two systems to relieve the stress and trauma? Two solutions are horses and meditation – both of which encourage humans to engage in their natural, or

Buddha nature.

39 Sinek, S. (2013). Start with why: how great leaders inspire everyone to take action. London: Portfolio/Penguin. Andelora 51

Equine Interaction In this section, I will uncover what equine interaction is and why it is relevant to stress & trauma and Mind & Body interaction. In this section I reference the book Zen Mind, Horse Mind40 by Dr. Allan Hamilton, who I have been fortunate to work with. He is a neurosurgeon and horse trainer and pioneer in the mind & body connection between horses and humans.

It is said that the dog is man’s best friend. If this is the case then the horse is man’s greatest teacher. These thousand pound, hoofed, prey animals have been interacting with humankind far before written history. They are acutely receptive to their environment, picking up on each shift that occurs around them whether it is a change in the breeze or the intention of a predator. They travel in herds, thriving off of social connection and communicate through slight body language and energetic interaction. Horses “simply cannot afford the luxury of speech...a mere twitch of the ears, a change in the sloe of the shoulders, or a shift of the hips is enough to send ripples of energy throughout all members of the herd,” (Hamilton,

2011). Dr. Allan Hamilton, through his work with training horses has established a firm understanding that horses are “virtuosos at reading the energy given off by another horse – or person...”(Hamilton, 43). With this ability to read energy, horses are able to detect minute changes in the physiology of beings around them. They are always scanning: monitoring the energetic shifts in their environment.

As discussed by Dr. Allan Hamilton in his book, Zen Mind Horse Mind, when working with a horse, it is critical to remember that humans are predators and

40 Hamilton, A. J. (2011). Zen Mind, Zen Horse: the science and spirituality of working with horses. North Adams, MA: Storey Pub., LLC. Andelora 52 horses are very aware of this. In nature, predators are typically concerned with obtaining a quick result, which biologically relates to food. It is a day-to-day struggle to survive; each day there must be a kill. In order to make that kill, predators must engage in their “fight” portion of fight-or-flight each day. This predatory engagement is much like a chronically stressed human. As natural predators, when humans become stressed, our bodies give off the same physiological signs that a tiger or mountain lion would when it is about to strike: increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, release of hormones such as adrenaline, etc. As is common knowledge, prey animals do not typically invite predators to join their herd, this is why when humans work with horses, they are forced to relinquish their predatory stress responses and engage in their prey- mentality. Because of the horse’s ability to detect physiological changes in the body of its predators, the horse acts as living breathing biofeedback device. Given that humans tend to be unconscious of chronic stress, this biofeedback-like quality of horses gives insight into what is occurring in the body that humans may be unaware of.

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Interview with Sherry Simon-Heldt, M.S., Certified Equine Interaction Professional – Mental Health

Throughout my research for this paper, I was shadowing Sherry Simon-Heldt, the owner and therapist who owns and operates Equine Explorations in Tucson,

Arizona. After a phone interview with her, I was invited to shadow her through multiple Equine Assisted Psychotherapy workshops for homicide survivors. This section will reveal what I have learned through these workshops and multiple interviews with her. This experience has been paramount to my own understanding of the effect that horses have on the mind & body connection on humans. It is important to note the similarities between horses and Zen.

When sitting down with Sherry at her ranch, she wanted to treat the interview as if she were speaking to a client for the first time. Before any topics about horses may be discussed, it is paramount that the client (in this case, me) understands the nervous system and why humans have it. The nervous system communicates with the mind through pejorative feelings, for example throat tightening or perhaps clenching in the gut (commonly referred to as gut feelings).

These pejorative feelings are in fact the nervous system detecting a threat. As discussed previously, the limbic and nervous systems do not have the capacity for language, therefore the two systems communicate with our conscious mind through these pejorative feelings. Andelora 54

In Sherry’s homicide workshops, trauma is a common affliction that is being treated. In the second interview with her, in October of 2016 at Equine

Explorations, she provided a very easy to grasp example of the effect of trauma, the following will be paraphrased:

In the case of trauma, humans can associate non-threatening objective

objects to being threatening or dangerous. This association occurs through the

amygdala, the emotional detector of the brain. After experiencing trauma the

amygdala never goes into stasis, it is fired up all of the time. The nervous

system detects real or false threats in an effort to protect us from further

trauma. It will in turn activate the cortisol in our brain. This constant

dumping of cortisol will lead to adrenal fatigue and other issues. We work

with horses to help retrain our amygdala to turn down.

Working with horses prompts humans to regulate their nervous and limbic system.

Those who are chronically stressed or have chronically stimulated amygdales produce the same signals as a predator preparing to attack; therefore a horse will only work with a human if the human relaxes into a more parasympathetic dominant state of being, this can be achieved through meditation. Dr. Hamilton writes, “When a horse is with us, we become part of his herd” (7), in order for a predator to become part of a horse’s herd, it must gain the horses trust. In order to establish this trust, one must learn to communicate with their nervous and limbic systems to relax and calm themselves. Sherry revealed that: Andelora 55

If we can learn to have the horse trust us and vice versa, and we can train our

nervous system that way, it can act as a meditative practice in being present.

We must learn to be still in our bodies and come back into the body.

Four weeks after the first interview with Sherry took place, it was time for the first Homicide Survivor Workshop. These four-part workshops last four weeks.

Part one occurs on a Saturday morning, part two on the next Saturday morning, and so on. Each session consists of activities for the clients to gradually learn to calm themselves and begin a foundation to be comfortable with horses. As the clients entered the coral, Sherry gathers the group near the entrance to lead a mind body41 exercise, which is designed to help center the clients and potentially calm their nervous systems. While the clients are partaking in the qigong exercise, I observed that, Sherry’s herd of four horses purposefully stayed on the direct opposite side of the pen that the clients were. As speculated, the nervous systems and amygdalae of the clients were representing those of predators. Yet, remarkably enough, once the qigong exercise ended the horses quickly approached the group of clients. As clients begin to state that they were feeling “more relaxed” and

“calmer”, the horses are among us and interacting with us. This interaction signifies that the clients have lowered the activity of their nervous systems and in turn disengaged from their body’s predatory physiology.

Each activity that Sherry performed with her clients was designed around the concept that horses respond to energetic shifts within our body caused by the nervous system. Along the duration of the workshop, the most notable activity

41 The formal name of this practice is Qigong, which a Chinese meditative/somatic practice aimed to establish mind body connection. Andelora 56 performed was the groundwork42 done in the round pen43. Once clients are comfortable with looking into themselves and calming their amygdala, Sherry shifts the groups attention to the round pen in the middle of her arena. The activity itself is modeled after lunging, an exercise where the trainer remains in the middle of the roundpen with a rope attached to the horse’s halter. Through the use of this rope and body language, the trainer is able to prompt the horse to walk, trot and, canter on the trainers command. . The activity that Sherry performs with her clients however does not involve the use of a lead rope. The horse has free range in the pen. However, as demonstrated by Sherry, one is able to move the horse in laps around in the round pen at different paces through the use of the body. The horse listens to the energetic commands if the client is fully present in the moment. This only occurs if the client is able to calm their sympathetic nervous system and amygdala. With the clients watching from the outside of the roundpen, Sherry takes a second to center herself and signal which direction she wants the horse to walk in. She broke the silence with a “Ha!”, prompting the horse to start to walk. Sherry let out another “Ha!” with higher energy, prompting the horse to trot. Sherry then lowers her energy, drops her shoulders and relaxes. The horse, in turn stops almost immediately. Sherry is an expert in communicating with her body to enter a calmer, centered state, not all of her clients are. As seen through multiple sessions, not every client succeeds in this activity. Some are able to grasp it immediately; others struggle for a while to really gain control over their body. However those

42 Groundwork is the act of working with a horse while on the ground rather than riding the horse. 43 A round pen is a horse pen in the shape of a circle, allowing the horse to walk trot, or gallop in small laps. Andelora 57 that are able to move the horse in this exercise report that they feel in command of their own body and thoughts. During the exercise they report to lose track of their stress and anxiety, being fully present and in harmony with the horse. This is caused from calming/de-stressing the amygdala and the nervous system

These qualities of being present and in harmony with ones body and surroundings are shared with zazen. To be present in the moment and in harmony with one’s surroundings and body is to attempt to engage in one’s Buddha nature.

This may be observed through multiple studies performed by Dr. Ann Baldwin of the UA as will be described in the next section, horses have been observed to shift

Human’s into calmer, more meditative states.

Evidence of Potential Benefits In this section I will cover how heart rate variability indicates a mindful meditative state and how horses promote this function of our body. This section will be the link between horses and meditation and in turn, why equine interaction is in a sense engaging in one’s Buddha nature.

It is difficult to truly gauge the effect that horses have on humans. It can be, in someway, ineffable to describe how a horse effects a human if the audience has never been around a horse and paid attention to their body. However, if a horse can affect the human mind and in turn the human body (or vice versa), then the first subject of research should in fact be the human body. A paramount component of this study of the human body’s response to any situation (not just horses) is the heart rate. If a human’s sympathetic nervous system is activated, their heart rate will increase. If a human’s parasympathetic nervous system is activated, then the Andelora 58 heart rate will decrease. A healthy heart however, is not sympathetic or parasympathetic dominated; rather, a healthy heart has a complementary relationship between the two. With modern technologies and pioneers in the field, such as Dr. Ann Baldwin, studies are being performed to measure how the heart reacts to interactions with horses through measuring what is called heart rate variability.

HRV is defined as the “physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats” (Baldwin, 2017)44. It is the effect of the complementary relationship found between one’s sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Depending on this relationship between the two stems of the autonomic nervous system, the amount of variation your heart rate undergoes in a given amount of time will vary. A high HRV resembles a healthy balance of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems working together, whereas a low HRV indicates that one has more influence over the other.

From a medical standpoint, counter to common understanding, a high HRV is healthy, whereas a low HRV is not. A low HRV resembles a more stagnant heart rate, which can lead to more stress, anxiety and depression (Baldwin, 2017). This interaction between health and HRV is promoted through the correlation between the amygdala and the cardiac cycle. The amygdala effectively discharges different amounts in regards to the heart rate. If the heart rate is increased, this is a sign of the sympathetic nervous system taking over influence of the cardiac cycle and the

44 Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 25). Stress and Heart Rate Variability. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Andelora 59 amygdala will be more active. If the heart rate is lowered, this is a sign of the parasympathetic nervous system taking over the influence of the cardiac cycle and the amygdala will be less active. In this case if one has a high HRV, then one will better regulate their amygdala. A high HRV indicates that one is able to adapt to situations with ease and be mindful of their body, whereas a low HRV indicates that one fails to respond physiologically well to situations. One method of discussing this effect is to say that one with a high HRV is able to self-regulate far more effectively than one with a low HRV.

Why should one care about their heart rate variability? Recent studies have shown that a high HRV is accompanied by boosted immune function and lower stress levels (Baldwin, 2017). This is speculated to occur because of the relationship between the amygdala and the cardiac cycle discussed earlier. Studies have also shown that high HRV reduces blood pressure and decreases anxiety

(Baldwin, 2017). Whereas a low HRV is associated to impaired cardiac function. For example, after a myocardial infarction (heart attack), low HRV is an indicator of fatal ventricular arrhythmia. So then how does one alter and optimize their HRV?

The first possible solution to this question is through equine interaction. Two studies are particularly notable for this discussion, revealing that horses alter HRV positively.

In a recent study, labeled Con Su Permiso45 taking place just south of Tucson in Sonoita. In the first installment, eight subjects were measured for changes in

45 Con Su Permiso (Spanish) is translated to “With Your Permission”. Baldwin, A., Ph.D. (2017, January 25). PSIO 415:Equine. Lecture presented at PSIO 415: Mind-Body Physiology in The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. Andelora 60

HRV during equine interaction. This study lasted for three weekends. Four subjects came in the morning, and four came in the afternoon. Half of the subjects performed horse-human interaction on the first day and human-human interaction on the second. The other half performed human-human interaction on the first day and horse-human interaction on the second day. Both baseline and post-interaction measurements for HRV were taken. What was observed was an increase in HRV when working with both humans and horses. The second installment of this study focused on what is called Mindful Grooming46. This portion of the study compared twenty-four subjects as they either mindfully groomed a real horse, or a stuffed animal over the duration of two consecutive days. Much like the first installment of the study, half of the participants groomed the live horse on the first day and the stuffed animal horse on the second day, while the other half groomed the stuffed animal horse on the first day and groomed the live horse on the second day.

Baseline and post-grooming HRV measures were obtained. What was found was that HRV values increased for humans while working with horses and with the stuffed animal horse. In both installments of the studies, it is important to note that

HRV increased with both equine interaction and the controls. It is speculated from this study that when working with horses, human HRV is improved shifted towards the sympathetic dominated very low frequency (VLF) range. Although sympathetic dominated, it resembles an increase in HRV, it known to improve both physical and emotional health. This shift into the VLF range signifies that HRV has improved, but

46 Mindful Grooming consists of keeping one’s mind and focus present only on the grooming. Andelora 61 that the humans were excited yet centered while working with the horses. This is a critical finding in regards to linking equine interaction to meditation.

The second study worth mentioning was performed by Drs. Ann Baldwin and Ellen Gehrke. This study was performed to “to determine if there is an energetic connection between horses and humans by studying potential synchronization of heart rate variability when the human sends appreciation47 to the horse,” (Baldwin, 2017). According to Dr. Baldwin, almost all pairs of horses and humans showed HRV frequency matches, where the horse’s HRV would alter and in turn the human’s HRV would match. In each account, the HRV shifted into the VLF range.

As is seen, more literature must be performed before any foundationally strong theory can be derived from equine interaction’s effect on humans. In future studies it will be critical to focus effort on obtaining larger, more varied sample sizes in regards to humans as well as horses. However, with that being said, the aforementioned studies as well as personal experience from the author of this paper have prompted the idea that meditation and equine interaction are linked.

47 To send appreciation is to harness feelings of compassion, appreciation or perhaps love and direct it at the horse. Andelora 62

Meditation | Equine Interaction This section is my theory, or rather what I aim to establish as my theory. From years of experience with working with horses, aiding in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, receiving Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and simply paying attention to my body during both zazen and equine interaction, I believe that equine interaction prompts the human body to enter a meditative state...if the human is open to the idea.

In order to work with horses, one must look into oneself to regulate one’s emotions and thus the body. The horse will mirror your internal stress level, if you are anxious, the horse will be anxious. If you are calm, the horse will be calm. When you are tense and anxious a horse will see you as a predator. A horse will not work with a predator, therefore in order to work with these animals, humans must engage in their calming Buddha nature. As defined in the Zen chapter, Buddha nature is to return to our original self, which is not concerned with attachments or stressors.

In his book, Zen Mind Horse Mind Dr. Allan Hamilton compares the mannerisms between humans (predators)- who are impatient, and horses (prey) - who are patient. As natural predators, humans can easily become attached to achieving their desires quickly, promoting stress when the achievements are not acquired. This instinct is speculated to date back to the early Homo sapiens when humans are thought to have first walked the earth. Like any predator, primal humans need food, potentially meat, and quickly. This is the attachment; primal humans are attached to the need of food. If one did not hunt and obtain prey to sustain oneself energetically and nutritionally, starvation would ensue. Patience, in this case, is not of the essence. However, in contrast to predators, horses are grazing prey animals. A horse may spend all day in a grassy field simply grazing on Andelora 63 the plant life. These animals are in no rush, these animals are not stressed, until of course the presence of a predator arises. When the horse becomes stressed, it will be ready to run, or fight if need be.

What is important to note about humans is their actual comparison to other predators in the wild. Humans, in the wild, are far from the top of the food chain. If a human, with no weapons, has to survive against a bear, or a tiger, or another large predator, the human is physically lesser than its opponent and in turn, will most likely be eaten. Therefore, humans are not only predators they are also prey.

To further this idea, humans have omnivorous sets of teeth, allowing the species to hunt and eat meat, as well as gather plant life to eat. The paramount concept underneath all of this is that humans do not have to be predators to survive, humans can engage in the same mentality as the horse – not attached to its desires, not stressing about day to day carnivorous needs for survival, and being peaceful rather than aggressive. This prey mindset, or rather “Horse Mind” (if I may use Dr. Hamilton’s term) is arguably close to if not synonymous to what Master

Dogen and Suzuki refer to as, Buddha nature.

Granted, it is difficult to truly define what Buddha nature is scientifically, just as it is difficult to truly define what “Horse Mind” is scientifically. What proves to be similar between the two are the effects that meditation - the Buddhist method to engage in Buddha nature, and equine interaction - a way of engaging in “Horse

Mind” have on the human body. The illustrated effects revolve around stress reduction and heart rate variability. Andelora 64

In a study performed in 2003 by Richard Davidson48 from the University of

Wisconsin, Madison and his team of researchers, the data obtained reveals that meditation produces a left asymmetry in the prefrontal cortex, which is linked to the reduction of anxiety, the reduction of negative affect, a boost in positive affect and an increase immune system activity. In the same study it was found that meditators, when tested for immune function through blood samples had produced significant spikes in antibody production between the initial measurement and post-procedural measurement (Davidson et al. 2003). This neuroplasticity, the healing or self-correction of the brain, in regards to the prefrontal cortex is critical in the lessening of stress and regulating the fight-or-flight response. Each thought that is occurring in one’s mind is analyzed by the prefrontal cortex and then sent to the amygdala and other limbic functional areas. This is known as the ‘top down’ response pathway. If the Prefrontal cortex is altered to receive thoughts and stimulus more positively, then the likelihood of stress and negative affect will greatly lessen, resulting in less cortisol release and less fight-or-flight activity.

This link between meditation and neuroplasticity must be acknowledged and noted. For the first time in history, data demonstrates that meditation produces actual physical benefits that in turn alter the mind. If the brain is altered to reduce anxiety, boost positivity and increase immune function due to meditation, then meditation is in turn allowing humans to minimize their stress, and engage much less with their sympathetic fight-or-flight response. An increase in immune

48 Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., . . . Sheridan, J. F. (2003). Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4), 564-570. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000077505.67574.e3 Andelora 65 function signifies a lower release of cortisol, seeing that the two are negatively correlated in terms of long lasting stress. Since Davidson’s study, many more researchers have taken up the reigns to refine these findings.

In a follow up study performed by Barnhofer et al. 2010, State Effect of Two

Forms of Meditation on Prefrontal EEG Asymmetry in Previously Depressed

Patients49, it was found that “The results indicate that both forms of meditation practice can have beneficial state effects on prefrontal α-asymmetry and point towards differential indications for offering them in the treatment of previously depressed patients”. This study, performed seven years after Davidson et. al 2003 obtained the same results as previous literature, further strengthening the correlation between meditation and stress reduction, anxiety reduction, and improved immune function.

What remains to be addressed is the correlation between meditation and

HRV. Given that horses have been found to increase human HRV, which in turn produces boosted immune function, reduced anxiety and reduced stress, it will be paramount to determine if meditation increases HRV so that a strong correlation between zazen and equine interaction may be made. The following study provides foundational evidence of Zen meditation’s effect on HRV.

49 Barnhofer, T., Chittka, T., Nightingale, H., Visser, C., & Crane, C. (2010). State Effects of Two Forms of Meditation on Prefrontal EEG Asymmetry in Previously Depressed Individuals. Mindfulness, 1(1), 21-27. doi:10.1007/s12671-010-0004-7 Andelora 66

In a study performed at the National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan,

Republic of China by Shr-Da Wu and Pei-Chen Lo50, it was found that “inward- attention meditation” (zazen) practice appears to push the sympathovagal balance to parasympathetic predominance and induce regular oscillations in the heart rate.

These results may support the health benefits of meditation conditions where sympathovagal balance toward sympathetic activity due to stress or disease”. This study utilized zazen practice to measure how HRV was affected by meditation. As the results show, zazen increases the HRV and shifted the predominance into the parasympathetic range, which is speculated to be identical to the results that were observed when humans were interacting with horses.

The above studies support the correlation that both meditation and equine interaction improve human HRV and thus produces a boost in immune function, a reduction in anxiety and a reduction in stress. These studies, although performed with no intention of supporting this correlation, have effectively laid the foundation for future research in the field to occur. Never before has there been research to support the claimed benefits of a meditative practice, and never before has there been research claiming that working with horses has health benefits. This is the beginning of a focal shift in society. It is not uncommon for allopatric medicine to shoo away holistic care and natural remedies, however now it is becoming clear from this data that some of these remedies hold authority.

50 Wu, S., & Lo, P. (october 2008). Inward-attention meditation increases parasympathetic activity: a study based on heart rate variability. Biomed Res., 29(5), 245-50. Retrieved February 12, 2017, from https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/biomedres/29/5/29_5_245/_pdf. Andelora 67

At this point in time, it can only be speculated that equine interaction and meditation are indeed on the same spectrum, if not synonymous. In order for the findings of this paper to have a more evidence-based foundation, a future series of studies centered on the actual correlation between equine interaction and meditation must occur. Future studies must have larger sample sizes to increase generalizability as well as to provide a better wealth of data to depict trends.

Perhaps future academic researchers could use two identical sized samples, and measure HRV levels while one group interacts with horses and the others interact with meditation. What is important to achieve is literature discussing the similar effects produced by meditation and equine interaction. The repercussions of this sort of study may be huge. Both meditation and equine interaction have recently been used in trauma and depression related therapies. If both are proven to be linked and effective, the field of therapy may grow to provide more holistic and less prescription based treatments. I hope to begin adding to the literature of this field during my Master’s Thesis with the help of Dr. Nicole Nicotera51 at the University of

Denver Graduate School of Social Work.

51 Dr. Nicole Nicotera is an Associate Professor at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work. She teaches multiple courses including Clinical Theories and Practice and Mind-Body Social Work Practice. Dr. Nicotera’s research expertise focuses include quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods for topics such as the effects of trauma-informed yoga on emotion regulation in trauma survivors. Andelora 68

Conclusion to the Zen Horseman

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At the beginning of the 21st century we are on the threshold of a great progression through a new understanding of ancient practices. Researchers and scientists finally have the ability to render connect and study of thousand-year-old practices such as meditation and equine interaction and how they effect health and health outcomes. Regardless of the religious standpoint of a person, meditation and equine interaction can be practiced to better one’s health and improve the mind- body relationship.

What started with an insight about a correlation has effectively turned into my research passion. Recently, researchers and scientists have found the means and ability to empirically support actual benefits produced by meditation and equine interaction. While this correlation is important much more evidence based data will need to be added to the existing literature before any evidence based, comprehensive, and data driven theories and foundational hypotheses may be formed.

Physical bodies are the avatars through which life is experienced. Each body needs to obtain nutrients for physical repair and function. Each body holds the ability to cope with many ailments and deficits. The body fights off disease and stress through natural immune function. Bodies hold the ability to maintain and survive. Therefore, it is logical that they also hold the ability to reduce stress and anxiety – we as humans just need to learn how to use our bodies.

Through meditation and equine interaction, I hope that we humans may learn to better harness our bodies’ tools and better our very own wellbeing. I began my college education desiring to practice a form of medicine that holds no physical Andelora 70 or mental harm. I believe that equine interaction and meditation can be recognized to be holistic methods of medicine. They are not drugs with a long list of side effects, they are not invasive medical procedures, and they are simple yet powerful practices that apply to everyone. As I add further data to the literature, and more positive results occur, I aim to validate that both meditation and equine interaction will become far more evidence based, supported, and effective in the medical and psychological communities as methods to aiding in health.

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References

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