Author Paula Josa-Jones talks about the interconnectivity of horses and humans

MILLERTON— Harlem Valley residents and horse owners alike spent a cozy afternoon at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Saturday, Sept. 23, as choreographer Paula Josa-Jones made her debut appearance as an author.

Beginning at 1 p.m., a tidy crowd occupied the right-hand section of the library in anticipation of what Josa-Jones had to say. Copies of her new book, “Our Horses, Ourselves: Discovering the Common Body: Meditations and Strategies for Deeper Understanding and Enhanced Communication,” were available for purchase courtesy of Oblong Books & Music. A few attendees were seen holding copies for the author to sign later in the afternoon.

Described as “one of the country’s leading choreographic conceptualists” by The Boston Globe, Josa-Jones has utilized her new book to find new ways of resolving the elusive question of using the human body to communicate what we want to horses and to receive and understand their answers in return. In addition to reading passages aloud from her book, the author frequently exhibited how the book combines her passions for horses and movement.

“So how can the horses help us?” she asked her audience with a smile. On top of taking us out of our comfort zone, she said, horses are congruent in the sense that their insides and outsides are aligned. They are also capable of “sifting the truth” when it comes to sensing what their human is truly feeling and helping them to realize their emotions. Josa-Jones credited her beautiful teacher — a Mustang named Nelson — as the inspiration for her teachings.

On the subject of building a relationship with horses, she said when wanting a horse to do something, it’s best to find a way to help them rather than to make them. Beyond their capacity to help humans develop consciousness toward somatic awareness, Josa-Jones emphasized the generosity that horses demonstrate, especially in allowing humans to get onto their backs.

“I often think of horses as being the world wide web: that they are profoundly connected and we don’t always know what we’re connecting to,” Josa-Jones said. “My hope in writing this book is that the body and mind will be connected through embodied mindfulness.”

To show what she meant by “movement to movement” mindfulness, she led her audience through an exercise that helped them enter the flow of their bodies.

Though a majority of her book exhibits her own teachings and exercises, Josa-Jones noted that the book shares more than one voice. Through an assortment of interviews gathered from a variety of artists, choreographers and other teachers, she shared a wide array of techniques, to specific themes in certain chapters of her book.

She added the book’s teachings could be applied to other animals and relationships besides horses.

“I don’t think the horses are here so we can pin blue ribbons on our stable walls,” Josa-Jones said toward the end of her talk. “I think they’re in our lives for a bigger, more soulful reason … and they can help bring us to alignment, which isn’t about posture, it’s about relationships. Alignment is in relationships with ourselves and with others.”

She proceeded to take questions from the audience regarding horses, her book and her experiences in developing an intuitive connection with horses.

“Your horses know more about you than you know about yourself. Your horse doesn’t judge you, ever,” said Millerton resident Marilyn Smith.

“The horses you worked with, were they ever aggressive?” asked Gail Virtuoso, a resident of Ancramdale.

Going through her catalogue of experiences, Josa-Jones replied that there weren’t any aggressive cases. While there was one 26-year-old horse that delineated his comfort zones with her, the author explained that it was generally a matter of respecting the horse’s rules and reactions.

Given that this was her first appearance as an author, Josa-Jones thanked her audience for their kindness before offering to sign their copies of her book.

Come Friday, Oct. 6, Josa-Jones will present a second book signing and talk at 6 p.m. at Equis Art Gallery, located at 15 West Market St. in Red Hook. On Saturday, Oct. 21, she will host another book signing and talk at Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury, Conn.