ART & BRIGHT SHINY LIGHT & BODYWORK

So many thoughts this week, but It would be hard to start this Sunday without first mentioning a couple heartbreaks from the news this past week because they have most definitely been on my mind. 

The devastating floods resulting in such sheer loss and grief in Nepal are just unfathomable to me. I have no words. I have lit candles and continue to say prayers surrounding the people, the land, the animals and those coming in to help with so much love and comfort. Although the word sounds harsh to me in times like now, I pray for resiliency and strength for everyone. 

Dolly Parton!  We all lost a bright, shiny light in our world. I raise my hands and my heart  in celebration of her life and the incredible gift she gave to us all with her song, her laughter, her giving, her always positive energy, and especially by  her example of the power there is in living life utterly and unapologetically as herself. Our world is a better place because she was in it. I hope we all aspire to be just a little bit more Dolly - because we sure could use more bright, shiny light.

The POWER OF ART. 

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines art as “the conscious use of skill, imagination, and creative power to express ideas or produce aesthetic objects.” Just like Dolly, I believe we need more art in our lives and in the world. Art gives us inspiration, uplifts our spirits, and allows us to balance out our often over-thinking, left brained minds. 

Creativity and imagination help us to understand the nuance of color and ideas and not just stale black-and-white thinking. The SchoolAIT tagline, "The Art & Science of Equine (and animal) Bodywork" is a crucial component to our work and teaching. We need the scientific understanding of the body for sure, but without the ability to connect with the unknown and creativity, we would lose critical thinking skill and depth in a session. 

I’ve been going through some continuing education training for my human massage licensing with Tom Myers, who has been involved with bodywork for 43 years now. Tom studied with greats like Ida Rolf, Buckminster Fuller, and Feldenkrais. He has spent years in research and dissection to bring us “Anatomy Trains”, showing how muscle and fascia combine to form long and very specific fascial lines throughout the body.

Tom is also very aware of energy and how we carry our emotional bodies. He has documented patterns of fascial lines according to how a person experiences the world around them. I love hearing him talk about how he is less interested in posture and creating perfectly balanced lines in bodies and more interested in unfolding the story within. Although few people in this industry have put more time and effort into the Science of bodywork, Tom Myers is still intimately involved in the Art. He even goes so far as to say, “the woo-woo” of it all.  He mentions a goal for his bodywork is to help a person experience what it would be like to live in a body with less imbalance and less tension. Would they feel safer? Would they be more confident? Would their body finally allow them to process and release the trauma that has been unconsciously stored deep within their tissues for years? Would they be able to “let go” and flow with life?

This to me is what makes bodywork so magical and incredible. It is an absolute honor to use my hands, heart and intuition (along with plenty of knowledge) to help a horse, dog, human, or other animal unfold the story that lives within their bodies.

 As we know, animals tend to allow that unfolding much easier than humans do. They don’t have that logical brain getting in the way and telling them this “isn’t real”. Animals tend to just go with it. However, I have witnessed time and again that the human involved with the animal has a way of overriding some of that beautiful unfolding that wants to occur for their animal just from using the power of their own pre-frontal cortex and its ability to rationalize and over think the art and the magic. Our thinking and projection doesn’t only affect our own bodies. 

Mmmmm 🤔…. It is all a balance, isn’t it? 

I hope you have an interesting and fantastic week,

Kim 🪶

PS - I’ve shared this before, but here is a link to a really fascinating podcast with Tom Myers:. Healing and Trauma Recovery Through Bodywork w/Tom Myers #516

By Aubrey Marcus December 30, 2025

PSS - I’ll promise I will get back to last week's topic about the roles that we play.