Wu Wei and Ziran are Taoist concepts that encourage us to be natural, therefore making it easier for our horse to connect with us.

Your horse will be drawn more to connect with you if you can do things in an easy and effortless way when you’re with him. In Taoism the term for doing things in an easy and effortless way is Wu Wei (wei sounds like ‘way’ in English). It is literally translated as ‘non action’ and can be interpreted to mean action without effort.

There’s another Taoist quality or concept that makes us attractive to horses and that is Ziran. Ziran literally means ’self so’. It can be interpreted to mean being natural and spontaneous.

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Equestrian Tai Chi has many levels for developing self-awareness

First of all there is Physical Awareness

One of the things that Equestrian Tai Chi does is to develop our awareness of our physical self, to become more aware of our body and how it moves.

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The philosophy of Tai Chi, and by extension, Equestrian Tai Chi®, comes from Taoism.

Taoism is the ancient, mystical, spiritual philosophy of China. Its emphasis is on living in balance and harmony with the natural world.

The Tao means The Way, to follow The Tao, means to follow the natural course of life. (It is pronounced Dao, rhymes with now)

Taoism has three major classical literary works which form the foundation for it’s teachings:-

1. The I Ching (Classic Book of Changes).
2. The Taodeching (The Way and it’s Virtue) written by Lao Tzu.
3. The Book of Chuang Tzu, written by Chuang Tzu.

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