Why Debono Moves Might Not Be Right for You #155

Why does improving your own movement and awareness matter when helping your horse or dog?

In this episode, I share why the human side of this work is not optional. After a conversation with a horse owner who wanted to learn “just the techniques” without exploring her own awareness or movement, I realized this distinction needed its own episode.

Debono Moves is not about memorizing protocols or mechanically following steps. It’s a responsive, co-creative process that depends on your ability to sense, feel, and communicate through touch and movement. The more clearly you can sense yourself, the more effectively you can support your animal.

I also share part of my own journey with chronic pain and how discovering the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ completely changed how I moved, felt, and experienced life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why self-awareness is foundational to helping your animal 
•  Why Debono Moves is not a “step-by-step technique” 
•  How improving your own movement changes how you relate to your horse or dog 
•  The role of neuroplasticity and “biological optimism” 
•  Why slowing down helps you sense more clearly 
•  How ease and well-being can become something you transmit to your animal 
•  Why this work is about connection, not correction 
•  How movement, awareness, and emotional state are deeply interconnected 

This episode is for horse lovers and dog lovers who are open to exploring a gentler, more mindful way of helping their animals while also improving their own quality of life. 

Resources:

Grab your FREE video training to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get Mary’s bestselling, award-winning book, “Grow Young with Your Dog,” for a super low price at: https://tinyurl.com/growyoungwithyourdog. Demonstration videos are included at no extra cost. ⬅️⬅️⬅️

💥Learn how the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos masterclass: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥

Feldenkrais MethodⓇ for YOU:

Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series

Smart, Supple Hips: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series

Get 1:1 Coaching with Mary

🐶 If you'd like Mary's guidance on helping your dog, please click here. 

🐴 If you'd like Mary's coaching on helping you or your horse, click here.

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and does not constitute medical, veterinary, or training advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you, your horse, or dog are unwell or injured.  Always use caution when interacting with horses and dogs.

About the Host:

Mary Debono is a pioneer in animal and human wellness, blending her expertise as an international clinician, best-selling author, and certified Feldenkrais Method® practitioner. With over three decades of experience, Mary developed Debono Moves, a groundbreaking approach that enhances the performance, well-being, and partnership of animals and their humans.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi. I've talked a lot on this podcast about how Dubona moves, which is my hands on approach for animals, why it works, how it works, all the kind of sciency things behind it and you know, stories about animals. It's helped so much and humans. And now today I want to talk to you about why it might not be right for you. Yeah. Why it might not be a good fit.

And you know, I was reminded of this because I was thinking about a conversation, a zoom call, I had with a young woman not that long ago, and she was super interested in the work for her horse. She had a horse who didn't like being touched. And over the course of our conversation, you know, we were together, there she was in the barn with her horse. I taught her a few things.

She was blown away at how her horse accepted what she was doing, relaxed into it, made these major shifts. And here's the kicker though. This woman said to me, you know, I love this and I've always been intrigued by your work. I, you know, she read a lot about me, listen to my podcast. But she said, you do include working with the human. And she said, I have zero interest in improving my own movement and my own ability to feel.

She said, I, I feel I'm, I'm okay with that already. Like, in other words, she didn't feel that there was room for her to improve or that it was even necessary. She didn't understand the connection between improving how, you know, her awareness, basically her self awareness, and how that could help her with her horse. And I have to say that, you know, I probably didn't do a good enough job of connecting those dots with her.

So I just want to point out a few things for you. And by the way, this applies to the dog people as well. You know, I have canine programs as well. And it's the same thing that when we learn how to slow down and to really sense more clearly, like we literally can feel more, we can tune into our animal much more clearly and we're in a much better position to help that animal, your horse, your dog, your cat, whoever it may be.

And this is really foundational. That's why I don't separate them out. I don't have a course where you just learn the hands on for your animal and you don't attend to yourself, where you don't increase your own awareness. To me, that would not work. And this young woman who I was talking to on the zoom call, she just wanted to learn a set of techniques. She wanted me to teach her.

Do Step one, step two, et cetera. And just work through a protocol for her horse and for me to just, you know, teach her, put your hand like this, press this amount, do this. And that is not at all what this work requires. And I have seen such extraordinary improvements in both the animal, the horse, the dog, the cat, et cetera, and the human when they do this approach.

Well, the debona moves approach. And so if you're not interested in improving how you feel and how you move, which by the way, it's hard for me to believe that anybody wouldn't want to improve that because it's so delicious. It's like, it's just such a great feeling and it can completely change your outlook on life. I remember. So back before I got into this work, I had so many aches and pains.

I mean, I was in my 20s and I just thought, well, I'm in my late 20s, I'm getting older, you know, I have to expect these things. And I lived for years with discomfort from carpal tunnel in both arms. I had surgery on one, which in my case, not saying this happens with everybody, but it actually made things worse. I was doing lots of pt. I went to the chiropractor, went to an acupuncturist.

I was doing what I thought was all the things. And I had a really bad problem with my right hip that started when I was 18. So I just, you know, lived with pain, I had neck issues, my lower back started hurting, you know, and again, I was active. I was young, but I was thinking, okay, this is inevitable. And then happily for me, I stumbled on the Feldenkrais method for humans and really started to pay attention to my own movement to take classes.

And then I did the, you know, I was doing private sessions and then joined the four year Feldenkrais training. And it was a complete game changer for me. So that is why the Feldenkrais method for humans is an integral part of my work. Whether you train with me to, you know, learn how to help your horse or your dog, you, it is a foundational part of the work.

And you know, if you talk to my students there at any age, you know, we have people in their 70s, we have people in their early 30s, I think in their 20s as well, and they can't believe how much better they're moving and they're feeling. I was so, you know, blown away recently by being able to give in person sessions to some of my students and, and it was so nice and the things they were telling me about how the Feldenkrais method has changed what they, you know, even thought was possible for themselves.

You know, one young woman was telling me, like I didn't even know I was able to move that way. So these are things that the Feldenkrais method can give you for your own benefit. And, and this is really important and help you be a better partner for your horse or your dog. So you can transmit that sense of ease and well being and that you can associate movement with ease and pleasure and then you can help your animal do the same.

And you know, I again, we have students of all different ages and I have worked with people that were 90 years old and above. So it's really interesting how we can keep improving at any age. I mean, people are doing things in their 70s that they were never able to do even when they were in their 20s. And I know for me personally, I always felt like, you know, again, when I was in my late 20s, I was active and I was always a horse person and you know, just an overall animal person.

I hiked and Iran did stuff and I was dealing with my own aches and pains. And then later on, as I did more and more Feldenkrais, all of that just went away. And I realized that I was feeling younger than I felt when I was in my 20s. So this is what's possible. And this idea of this biological optimism where you can just keep improving, that you can harness neuroplasticity to help yourself, that gives you the, the experience to understand that you can also provide that experience for your horse or dog, right?

You can embody it. You can embody this sense of optimism and wellness and ease in yourself. So if you're not interested in that, if you're not at all interested in attending to yourself and taking time to get on the floor and do the Feldenkrais awareness through movement lessons that I teach, then I would say this isn't the program for you, right? This isn't the approach for you. So that is a big reason why this would not be a right fit.

Right? Again, whether you're a horse person or a dog person, it's important. And even just, you know, dropping into that state of gratitude, that's something I teach early on in the programs. And it's so, so important because it gives you, it's basically, it's a state of being and it gives you that sense of present moment awareness where you can really communicate with your animal. So, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

It's just the tip of the iceberg. So again, that doesn't interest you? That's totally fine. You know, this work isn't for everyone. It does take, I'm going to say, a little more creativity and space. And what I mean by space is not just physical space, you know, lying on the floor, but just being open to new possibilities, to, you know, realizing that you can keep improving at any age and any stage of life and so can your animal.

You can, you can improve your connection with them. You can improve their sense of comfort. So even, you know, an elderly animal, maybe they won't get up and, you know, be running around again if they're, if that's past. But it's quite possible to help them, more than quite possible. I've seen it many, many times myself, to help them feel better in body and mind and for you to really feel that incredible connection when, when two beings are moving as one and really listening to each other, it's a delicious feeling.

And you can get this with your dog, you can get this with your horse. You know, this is the beauty of this hands on approach. So you can feel that and it is blissful. I've had many of my students describe that as well, like saying this is just, you just get. It's like a flow state. You know, people talk about a flow state when you get into like a project you're working on that you really enjoy.

And it just flows. And that's how it can be when you're helping your animal. And it's just something. And it could be you're doing it for a few minutes or you're doing it, you know, for a longer session, but it's just, it becomes part of who you are and how you show up for yourself and for your animals. So if you're interested in that, you know, you should check out my offerings.

I have some standalone Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement, you know, programs you can do as well as, you know. I'll be opening enrollment into my equine and canine programs, so keep your eyes open for that. So much for listening. I so appreciate being able to share this with you and I look forward to talking to you again soon. Bye for now.