LANGUAGE OF THE HEART RETREAT WITH
HORSES
SEPTEMBER 19TH TO 21ST 2025 NEAR KAMLOOPS BC CANADA
The beauty of the neuroscience and physics of the heart, is that the intelligence of the heart helps to call us back to our authentic selves, and the truth that exists for us in the centre of every moment.
There is a Language of the Heart that helps us to “read the room” - to sense the energy of the moment, the vibe of other people, the atmosphere that we ourselves are emanating. When we become intelligent in this Language of the Heart, we can make profound changes in our lives, in our psyche, in our capacity to manifest the dreams that we truly wish to dare to dream.
The Language of the Heart is not vague. The Language of the Heart is incredibly specific. When the heart sends it’s intelligence to the brain, in a pathway of neurons that is far wider than the pathway from the brain to the heart, the heart powerfully shifts the tone and mood of the mental representation of the world that happens in an area of the brain called the thalamus.
The Language of the Heart also speaks wordlessly through physics, adjusting the electromagnetic field of the entire body with the heart’s electromagnetic field which is 60 times stronger than the electromagnetic field of the brain, and the strongest electromagnetic field of any area in the body.
Ancient societies have known for hundreds of thousands of years, of the importance of the Language of the Heart. Mystical traditions have taught the wisdom and absolute necessity of being able to navigate through life with the heart. In mystical traditions, the heart is considered the doorway to the unseen realms, where the answers to soul lessons can be revealed.
However, despite being a society dominated by technology that relies on the physics that enables us to communicate across the globe in fractions of a second, we still continue to doubt the very measurable and practical physics of the body, and then energetic flows of the body. We rely on our thoughts, elevating our thoughts above all else as we focus on the prefrontal cortex, the area where humans do have an advanced complexity, that enables us to be incredible designers and architects of complex creations on planet earth.
However, when we lean only on the talents and skill of the prefrontal cortex, we become unbalanced. We forget the wholeness of our being - our wholesome and balanced and natural sweet state of existence. We become confused when unbalanced, and we feel off kilter, and know something is missing.
In our modern lives, we sometimes feel rushed, harried, confused and torn between different ideas. We search for answers in the complexity of thoughts, yet we know that something is missing and that we are not aligned with our true self.
Studies have shown that success comes not only from committed development of skill, but also from emotional intelligence. In this retreat on the Language of the Heart, we will be focusing on the power of the emotional intelligence of the heart, and getting more specific into a practice of the experience the energy of the heart, with the guidance from the master of the heart field, the Horse.
Horses hold us to stay authentic and present in an embodied manner. They are unapologetically clear when our current intellectual strategies may be creating obstacles in our lives. They call us back to the centre of the Heart’s Wisdom, and the way in which Horses do this, can be understood not only through experience, but also through neuroscience and physics.
During this retreat, you will learn more about the Language of the Heart. We will begin each morning with an optional guided practice of sitting still, and looking within, to feel the beauty and majesty of the heart.
Then, we will review the science and mysticism of the Language of the Heart, in a teaching and discussion in the lodge. After this, we will take a specific practice into the herd of horses, to explore the Language of the Heart. You will have written curriculum to guide you through the retreat, as well as guided meditations, diagrams, and the in person teachings.
If you are an equine-facilitated guide, or interested in this area of practice, you will learn skills to bring to your equine-facilitated guiding practice. The curriculum contains specific exercises, that invite people to experience both the neuroscience and physics, and the mysticism, of the Language of the Heart with Horses.
Join us for this enchanting retreat in the remote low mountain valley where Epona rise and a herd of 29 horses sits nestled in the purity of nature. Rest in the space between teachings in the valley full of songbirds, farm animals, wildlife, and endless fields and ranches. Sleep deeply in private cabins and connect beautifully in a relaxing lodge overlooking the valley.
THE RETREAT EXPERIENCE
Arrive the afternoon or evening of the retreat to your quiet cabin and a catered dinner at the lodge. We’ll discuss the Language of the Heart, with some shared stories to ground the concept into lived experiences, and discuss the reason that we are drawn to the retreat.
The retreat centre is on 80 acres of land, with private cabins gathered around a central lodge. There are two herds, a large herd that roams several fields, and a smaller herd of elder horses who live with the mini horses near a cozy walk in barn. The horses are held in honour, respect and care, and are deeply experienced in guiding humans in the Horse Medicine way founded by Hillary Schneider of Epona Rise.
A mountain stream runs through the land, and sometimes you might see deer, moose, eagles, an owl, foxes and other wildlife. There is enough time between the programming to simply relax on the land, go for hikes or runs on nearby trails, or a swim in local lakes.
During the retreat, you will have the morning to centre in your own practice. Then, after breakfast, you can join us for an optional guided meditation, and then the teaching begins. After the teaching, we take the guidance to the herd of horses, and receive teaching and experiential learning from the horses.
After this, there is lunch and space to reflect, and then an afternoon of further teaching, and further time with the herd. Then, there is more time to reflect and unwind, followed by dinner and an evening free for you to explore the books in the lodge, the land, and integrate from the day.
retreat with horses
retreat with horses
At Epona Rise
MAIA LOVE
ABOUT YOUR HOST
I spend a lot of time listening to the language of energy that is the horse-human intuitive connection - more like horse listening than horse whispering, is what it feels like to me.
When we enter into the world where the Horse shows us truths, we touch on a rare intelligence.
I grew up riding on horses since the age of 2 years old. It was relaxed, Western, and on friends’ ranches. When I returned to horses later in life, I discovered Linda Kohanov and the power of the Horse to share a very immediate and perceptive wisdom to help people access their authentic truth.
When I found the Horse Medicine training, I was so grateful and continue to be, to study with the integrity of the training and the masterful herd that Hillary Schneider has created at Epona Rise.
In my university degrees, I have studied ecology, professional dance, the physics of the electromagnetism in animals and humans, neuroimaging, neuroscience, medicine and the realms of the psyche in psychiatry and in my energy medicine mentorships with various more mystical traditions. I bring an intensively trained lens on the area of the human psyche, and the workings of neuroscience and physics, to the realm of equine-facilitated guiding.
It is this very background, steeped in science and the psyche, that led me to see the power of the Horse to reveal hidden truths. As well as the reflective work with horses, I also study the art of intuitive riding.
My interest is to humbly be with the magnificence that the Horse can teach us, while also strengthening my leadership and teaching skills, through the intelligence of the Horse.
I have been called a horse translator, and it is this gift which I bring to my offerings, to guide you back to your authentic self, to reclaim lost areas of your innate wisdom, to encourage you to rest and recharge in the rhythms of nature, and to, with the horses, call you back to your wild intelligence and the truth of your dreams.
The herd
Profound. Magical. Master Teachers. Mystical. Ethereal. Powerful. Sensitive. Empathetic. Compassionate. Wild. Fierce.
The Herd at Epona Rise is held in honour, respect and in a practice of balanced horse time with time teaching humans, which allows the horses to show up with magnificence and power. The land is beautiful, with natural rolling wild pastures and a fresh mountain stream that runs through the 80 acres, with wooded areas between the mountain ridges. The horses are held with great care from their experienced caretaker, ad the herd flourishes and is held in great well being.
To be with the herd, held in such a practical and healthy and sacred manner, is a deeply nourishing experience, on all levels. With the diverse background of the horses, there is a depth of knowledge and strength from surviving suffering, so to experience their noble collective and conscious heart space is tremendously beautiful.
INVESTMENT
$2500 CDN plus tax
Your retreat includes:
3 nights stay in a private cabin with a full bathroom, small fridge, wifi, and coffee maker, and a nearby lodge for meals, reading and fireside relaxation
3 days at Epona Rise Retreat Centre, with two herds of horses, walking and running and hiking trails, in a quiet and secluded natural setting
a Full Program with Written Curriculum
Audio Files of Guided Meditations related to retreat content
5 Experiences with the Herd
5 Teaching and Discussion Sessions
Photos from the retreat of your time with the horses
CURRICULUM
The Language of the Heart with Horses curriculum reviews a step by step approach to understanding, and to practise, your study of the language of the heart with horses. Included in the curriculum are: the neuroscience and physics of the heart and how different energies can be felt in the heart, the reason horses are masters of the heart field intelligence, the energetics and mysticism of the heart, and exercises to practice for personal practice, and with horses. Also included are audio files, mp3, for learning and practice.
