2377 East Wellington Rd     Nanaimo, BC     Canada V9R 6V7     Program information     info@generationfarms.ca     Correspondence to:     Deborah Marshall     203 1801 Bowen Road     Nanaimo, BC V9S 1H1     Office phone number     250-754-7703     Generation Farm's HorseWisdom for Humans Go to Training to see information about our professional trainings in Equine Facilitated Wellness. Information about our 2011 workshops and professional trainings are on the Schedule and Events page. Too much thinking and not enough living?? Become a better human in the reflection of a horse. Are you looking for a way to feel more connected with yourself, with nature, and with the people around you? While we may desire slowing down to enjoy our lives, we continue to be drawn into competitive and fast paced environments. There is a movement in the Western world towards mindfulness, meditation, living in the present moment as antidotes to greater inner peace. Horses live in the moment without practice. Their very biology and nervous systems cause them to keep their focus in the now, and to be able to instantly read our body language and inner state. The magnificent size and power of horses is awesome, and yet they are most cooperative when we approach them with respect, clarity and authenticity. This is true leadership. In partnership with our herd, we offer a number of programs at Generation Farms that are will open new possibilities to live the life you crave. Individual psychotherapy, heart opening workshops, leadership programs and empowerment through horsemanship are all here. At Generation Farms we have many years of experience. We have developed a safe and informed method of working with humans and horses together for healing and wellness that we call Integrative Equine Facilitated Wellness. The theory and practice of this approach goes through all the programs we offer from Mental Health Treatment to groups, workshops, addictions treatment, Child and Youth Care, as well as riding and horsemanship. This means that all of the Generation Farms programs have a consistent philosophy that creates a tone of calm and flexibility for the humans and the horses. Influences include: The Epona Approach developed by Linda Kohanov Somatic Psychology and neurophysiology including the work of Peter Levine, Pat Ogden and Kekuni Minton, Babette Rothschild, Robert Scaer and more Relational horsemanship methods The study of mindfulness and its application to mental health (Daniel Seigel, Jon Kabat-Zinn and others) The study of horses and their desire and willingness to be a part of the healing process See more about this approach under Professional Training "The root of compassion is compassion for oneself.” Pema Chodron Summer 2011 We are in the process of redesigning this website and evaluating our programs and ourselves. In our twelfth year of providing Equine Facilitated programs we are pioneers in Canada and yet continue to experience the humbleness of constant change and learning. Generation Farms has become a vibrant community of people, committed to the care of the horses and each other. Our programs the past year have been small due to the effect of the life cycle that included both deaths and a new birth in our family. And so programs also end and new ones begin, also in a life cycle. A core program is our equine therapy for The Cedars at Cobble Hill, an addictions treatment centre that values the wisdom their patients gain in days spent at Generation Farms. We now have two ‘home grown’ Child and Youth Care workers, Anastasia Hirst and Amanda Hodgson. Both are long time members of the Generation Farms community and are adding a professional component to their education at Vancouver Island University, studying the field of Child and Youth Care. Emily Pelletier is returning to part time work after the birth of her son Cohen. Her first focus will be on teaching advanced riding students and assisting with our workshops and trainings. With her MA in Equine Assisted Mental Health completed in 2009, she will add seeing individual counselling clients at the right time as she works out the important balance of being both Mom and a professional. We have lost long time friends Aslan and Andy in the past year; two treasured horses. And new horses have found their way to be included in the Generation Farms herd to enhance the riding component of the program. Each has their own story. The cycle continues. Blessings, Deborah Home || About Us || Programs || Schedule & Events Copyright © 2005 Generation Farms - All rights reserved - Version 1.0 Minimum screen resolution of 800x600 and browsers 4.0 and above are required