Perhaps you know this feeling that has been making itself felt more and more clearly lately. It is that gentle but persistent voice inside us that simply refuses to play along anymore when we bend over backwards. Doing something that does not truly align with who we are suddenly costs an incredible amount of energy. The inner resistance grows, and the old, familiar “pull yourself together and push through” just does not work the way it used to.
The current times and the fine frequencies surrounding us hardly allow us to live against our own truth anymore. And that is a beautiful gift, even if it feels exhausting at first.
And this is exactly where we can turn our gaze toward our animals.
How often in the dog world are animals still trained to do things that play no role at all in daily life. Often it happens just because it has always been done that way, because the animal is supposed to function, show obedience, or submit. When I think of these old terms, I feel how deeply they contradict the true nature of our animals. I am very sure that you and your animal are walking a different path, a path of true connection.
But sometimes this rigid thinking sneaks quietly through the back door into the small things of everyday life. We all carry so many fixed frameworks, beliefs, and concepts within us about what is right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy. This applies to our own nutrition and health, where we have often forgotten to listen to the signals of our bodies.
And we transfer this exact behavior onto our animals. We strictly follow expert opinions, do things because they are supposedly healthy, or act out of a subtle fear that our animal might be missing something.
What if we let go of control here as well and open spaces of trust instead?
I would like to invite you today to ask your heart and your body what is truly good for you right now, what nurtures you and corresponds to who you are. And you are allowed to give this exact freedom to your animal too. We all carry these intuitive abilities within us when we open ourselves up to them again. If you give your animal a choice, it will show you very clearly what feels good and what does not. Out of this deep connection, animals often willingly take even a bitter medicine because they feel the inner alignment behind it.
By the way, this also applies to our life together and the desires we have regarding our animals’ behavior. An animal cooperates very gladly when it finds joy in something, or when it feels that something is truly and honestly important to us as humans. When I facilitate in a conversation and an animal can genuinely understand why their human is making a certain request, the situation often changes instantly. When they realize it is not about rigid social conventions but about a real need of yours, we often experience beautiful moments of cooperation.
Sometimes, however, these conversations also reveal that an animal simply needs a certain behavior or a space of its own. And just like us, your animal is allowed to have its own needs, which it no longer has to fight against.
So, is everyday life allowed to become a piece softer and lighter for both of you again? Away from the concepts in our heads, moving toward the feeling in our hearts.
I am beautifuly curious to see what shows up for you and your animal if you just listen to them completely without judgment over the next few days. Please feel free to write to me and share your experiences.
From my heart, Tanja