Would you like to learn how to teach Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses?
The Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses Teacher Training 5- or 7-day course is based on equine-facilitated mindfulness and meditation, which will teach you in a hands-on way how to help your friends, family and clients to manage and minimise the detrimental effects of stress on their mental and physical health, by spiritually connecting with your horses in an enriching, compelling, and transformational way.
By popular demand, I now also offer a 7-day version of this training – a longer retreat, with more time to practice the different techniques with my horses. I now also limit attendance to a maximum of three students at any one time.
On successful completion of both the 5- and 7-day Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses Teacher Training, you will receive a Certificate of Completion and 3 or 5 CPD points (depending on the length of your chosen training.)
Extract from the Curriculum
- Step 1 What is Equine-facilitated Mindfulness?
- Step 2 What Equine-facilitated Mindfulness is NOT
- Step 3 Why Teach Equine-facilitated Mindfulness?
- Step 4 Horses are Mindfulness Masters
- Step 5 What is Equine-guided Meditation?
- Step 6 How to Lead an Equine-guided Meditation
- Step 5 How to Teach Mindful Breathing with the Horses
- Step 6 How to Use an Equine Guided Meditation script
- Step 7 Creating Your Own Equine Guided Meditation script
- Step 9 How to create a PowerPoint presentation for your course (optional)
- Step 10 How to advertise your course
All the subjects above are covered in both the 5- and 7-day Training, although the 7-day training goes into more depth about each subject and students have more time to practice teaching mindfulness and meditation with the assistance of my experienced and ever-so-helpful Friesian horses. My Falabella horses will teach you how to cope when things go wrong.
How can you use the Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses course?
You can use the course to
• Easily generate income without needing another qualification or expensive equipment especially during traditionally quieter periods ex during the winter
• Attract new clients to your horse business whether you are offering riding lessons, trail rides, equine massage/osteopathy/homeopathy etc or equine-assisted coaching/therapy
• Use this course to increase your clients’ ability to focus and concentrate on what you are teaching them
• Make a dramatic difference to your clients’ lives enabling them to handle stress much more effectively
• Greatly entertain your horses! – just joking – with this course non-ridden horses can earn their keep and traumatised horses can get used to being close to people without feeling pressurised
You can present this course as
• a half-day/one-day workshop/retreat,
• a two-day mindfulness meditation with horses workshop/retreat – residential or non-residential
• an introduction to coaching/therapy program to help your clients be more attentive during equine-facilitated coaching and equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions
• to prove to your significant other, friends and family that your horse(s) CAN earn their keep!
“But,” you say, “I don’t know how to teach other people how to be more mindful.”
As a horse owner, or as a horse business owner, you have most likely noticed what mindfulness masters horses are, always present in the moment as prey animals intent of escaping predators.
So it doesn’t matter that you are not a mindfulness expert, the horses are, and always have been. What’s more, you will be learning from an experienced professional: I have been hosting Mindfulness Meditation with Horses retreats for the last 15 years, I have written 5 books and countless articles on the subject and I am going to share with you everything you need to present a successful Mindfulness Meditation with Horses course yourself.
“But,” you say, “if clients are going to trust us to help them, won’t I need some sort of further qualification to prove that the horses and I know what we are doing?
You will receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the training, to put up on your wall or add to your website and e-mails.
Your trainer Dr Margaretha Montagu
Dr Margaretha Montagu, the author of Mindfulness and Meditation Options – featuring Equine-guided Meditation, has two decades’ experience as a medical doctor and more than a decade’s experience in hosting Connect with Horses Mindfulness and Meditation retreats. If you are impressed by qualifications, this is what she has got: MBChB, MRCGP, MedHypnotherapyDip, Counselling Cert, EAGALA Cert, Life Coaching Cert. and NLP Master Pract Cert….but as she says, “What makes me an exceptional retreat leader, is not my qualifications, but the experience I gained leading the Connect with Horses retreats, and living with horses 24/7, since 2006.
During this training, I will share with you everything I know about Equine-guided Meditation and Equine-facilitated Mindfulness and show you, step-by-step, how you too can teach mindfulness and meditation with the help of your horses, even if you know nothing about either mindfulness or meditation.”
Please note: All activities happen with everyone’s feet firmly on the ground – there is NO HORSE RIDING during these courses.
By popular demand, these retreats will now also include two short Camino de Santiago de Compostela walks: 11km on Day 2 and 10 km on Day 4, to help you absorb and process what you have learned during the theoretical and practical sessions of my unique Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses Teacher Training. None of the activities is mandatory. If you prefer to skip an activity and just relax and commune quietly with the horses, you are more than welcome. The daily program is not set in stone and might be adjusted according to the weather.
Who will most benefit from this retreat:
- Anyone who wants to know more about mindfulness and meditation with horses.
- Anyone who wants to use mindfulness and meditation with horses to help friends, family and clients.
- Anyone with a horse-orientated business who would like to earn additional income
- Anyone who always wanted to walk part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela
Guestimonials
(from the Mindfulness and Meditation with Horses Retreats)
Thank you so much for allowing me into your home for the last few days. Your kindness, patience and generosity have touched me deeply. The time that Belle, Aurore and Tess let me spend with them and the lessons they taught me have been truly healing and extremely cathartic. You have created something really unique and magic here and I am in awe of the power of it. May it always bring you as much peace and fulfillment as it did me. With deep gratitude, A Campbell
I really needed the time to find myself again. After a few days there I started sleeping better, I feel more relaxed and I am dealing with my pain in a better way. Margarita was the best, she’s extremely accurate in what she does, great instincts. Definitely an experience that we should all have. Now I want to take my friend as well. I cannot express in here how much I learned about me and how to handle situations in my job. L Ramirez
Accommodation – An authentic French Farmhouse
La Maison Meraki huddles in the middle of a sunny clearing in the heart of a great and ancient forest, like a little old lady gathering her shawl around her bony shoulders. She has been here for at least 200 years, from her elevated position she looks out over the treetops to the mighty Pyrenées mountains. Who knows who has ventured over her threshold, maybe D’Artagnan himself, the chateau where he was born is only a few kilometres away. Yes, this is indeed Gascony, land not only of milk and honey but also of divine wines, persillade, garbure, foie gras, cèpes, duck confit…all less than two hour’s drive southeast of Bordeaux.
Maison Meraki has her back to the sunset, where the cold winds and weather come from in the winter. The house is U-shaped, with a central, secluded courtyard, where lavender perfumes the air in the summer. There are two guest bedrooms downstairs, each opening onto its own patio where guests can sit and soak up the sun with a cool drink and a good book.
I renovated Maison Meraki slowly, with infinite care. I have respected its humble origins and kept it dans son jus, comfortable but unpretentious, so if you want to experience unadulterated French farm life, this is the retreat for you. If you are looking for 7 days in a luxurious chateau, it is not.
La Cuisine de chez Meraki
Our food is simple but delicious and we aim to feed your body as well and as generously as your mind. This is a celebration of the wonderful variety of fresh local produce available from our garden as well as from the local weekly fresh food markets.
In the morning we serve a copious brunch buffet, consisting of cereal, fruit, bread, confiture, honey, milk, yoghurt, typical cheeses and patés of the region. Tea and coffee are available from early, and throughout the day. You can also make sandwiches and take some fruit/yoghurt with you, to eat during your walk.
Dinner is served early and consists of a wholesome, hot homemade soup, a healthy and hearty main course, often vegetarian and often heavily influenced by the cuisine of our Spanish neighbours, followed by something sweet, if required.
We have one meal (two on the 7-day course) at a local restaurant to help regenerate the local economy post-COVID. The cost of this meal is not included.
Slow and Sustainable Tourism in the Southwest of France
It is important to me that the retreats I offer, do as little damage to the environment as possible, while at the same time contributing to the local community’s economy. I feel more like the custodian than the owner of this property – I feel extremely privileged to live here. As its custodian, my intention is to look after Maison Meraki to the very best of my ability and to preserve it for generations to come. In the meantime, I share the exceptional natural beauty, the rich cultural heritage and the nurturing tranquillity of this open- and warmhearted house with my guests without harming the natural environment and helping environmentally aware local producers at the same time.
Bonuses
| – An e-book copy of my book Mindfulness and Meditation Options – featuring equine-guided meditation – Access to my e-course Write Your Way to Serenity: A Guided Journaling Retreat Inspired by Horses – A 40-minute online follow-up Consultation 4 weeks after your course |
Your Investment
Make an investment in yourself and your future by attending this unique 5-day Mindfulness Meditation with Horses Teacher Training for 1999€ pp. in a private room. If you are two friends travelling together, double room occupancy is available at 1499€ pp in a double room. The 7-day Mindfulness Meditation with Horses Teacher Training costs 2999€ pp. in a private room, and double room occupancy is available at 2499€ pp in a double room, if you are two friends travelling together.
Included:
- Guided meditations with the horses, designed to deepen your awareness of yourself and the world around you.
- The opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the region by walking part of the Camino de Santiago, giving you a chance to experience the tranquillity of the great outdoors.
- Healthy, delicious brunches and dinners made from locally sourced, organic ingredients.
- 5 days/4 nights (or 7 days/6 nights) homestay in a 200-year-old farmhouse, on the edge of an ancient forest, surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature.
- All course materials and bonuses.
- Transfer to and from Nogaro to the retreat venue at the beginning and end
- Access to tea, coffee, chocolat chaud 24/7
- Transport during the retreat, including pick-ups and drop-offs at the start and end of Camino walks
NOT included:
- Transport costs to Nogaro, the village closest to the Esprit Meraki retreat venue
- Dinner on Day 4 (and Day 6 on the 7-day course) – we eat in a family-owned restaurant to stimulate the economic growth of the region post-COVID – cost 15-30 euro pp, depending on your choices
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal Health Insurance and/or Travel Insurance (we highly recommend insurance cover in case you need to cancel)
- Hypnotherapy session to facilitate learning and absorption of knowledge
In only a few other places you will find all the ingredients of a perfect course combined with such abundance as in Gascony: fabulous food, outstanding wine, generous people and the breathtaking beauty of the Pyrenées mountains, meandering rivers, bottomless lakes and fortified medieval villages perched on hilltops.
So seize this exceptional opportunity to spend a few nights here and learn from a medical doctor who has been practising and teaching equine-facilitated mindfulness and equine-guided mindfulness meditation for more than a decade. NOW…an open-armed and a two-kisses-on-each-cheek welcome awaits you amidst the Armagnac, Saint Mont and Cotes de Gascogne vineyards in the sun-blessed southwest of France.
Ready to make a reservation for a Meditation with Horses Teacher Training retreat?
To pay your deposit and secure your booking – there are only a small number of these retreats per year – please contact us with your dates – both the 5- and 7-day retreats start on a Saturday – at welcome2gascony@gmail.com to inquire about availability.
CLICK HERE to subscribe to my Retreat Mailing List to be the first to know about any last-minute or early-bird special offers on my retreats.
Cancellation Policy
Deposit
To secure your booking, a non-refundable 25% deposit is required. As the group is very small, only a paid deposit will guarantee your attendance. If your retreat is fully booked, you will be offered a place on the waiting list. Your deposit is transferable to another person for the retreat you booked, subject to approval.
Final Payment
The balance of payment is due 30 days prior to the start of your retreat. Reservations made less than 30 days before the retreat starts, must be paid in full. Please note: Due to the extensive and expensive preparation that goes into each of these retreats, I cannot offer refunds, so I highly recommend that you purchase adequate travel insurance to cover any unanticipated changes in your travel plans. Any cancellation made in writing less than 30 days before the retreat starts, or once the retreat has started, will result in a total loss of funds. Depending on availability, you can choose to transfer your booking to another date without incurring any additional fees, within the same calendar year.
I reserve the right to cancel the retreat if it is not meeting the retreat minimum (if I do so your deposit is refunded in full). I reserve the right to determine if you are a good fit for this retreat (if not, your deposit will be refunded in full). I reserve the right to cancel the retreat for personal reasons (if I do so your deposit/full payment will be refunded in full).
This cancellation policy is firm therefore please do not make any travel arrangements until you receive your registration confirmation.
Please read our terms and conditions
Description frequently updated.