Connection with animals

I understand the challenge of wanting to be more connected to your animals, amidst all the pulls of life.

Together with my husband, we are the guardians of three cats and a dog, all of whom we raised from when they were little. One of the cats came to us as a foster, when she was just one week old. It has been an enormous, emotional adventure to raise her, through illness and health. It has challenged our resilience, both ours and the cat’s 🙂 In the end things worked out well and she is a thriving member of our family.  

Our dog is a cheerful girl, who is more sensitive to the world than most of her peers. It is quite an experience navigating life together, enjoying all the benefits and the challenges that her sensitivity brings.

I have been fond of animals since I was a child. Since my 20s I have been learning more about them (also through higher education and certification programs), and have been volunteering and working for organisations focusing on animal welfare. You can read more about my experience on the About page. In the last few years my interest has focused on how we can create an environment that supports the health and well-being of both humans and animals.

In my experience, the connection and the environment that we create when we are with animals depends on HOW we are, when we are with them; our energy, our behaviour, our tone of voice. Our presence.

This is what I see as key principle, that is guiding my work as a coach and as guardian of my own animals: the more we get connected with ourselves, the better we are connected to our animals. And the more we are connected to our animals, the better we can connect with ourselves.

One of the ways that I am strengthening my bond with my animals and create an environment that supports their health is by Japanese reiki meditations. Animals are sensitive to our energy and when I relax during the meditations, they also feel calm. Healing happens in a restful state and I supported my animals with reiki meditations when they did not feel well. These reiki meditations are specifically tailored to animals and do not involve touch, like many oher types of reiki. They are also suitable for animals who do not like to or cannot be touched. The meditations help animals to get into a deeply relaxing space where their bodies can focus on healing and rest.