Easier Movement, Happier Life
Do you want to create a life of movement, connection, and well-being for you and your animals? Whether you’re an equestrian, a dog lover, or both, this podcast is for you! In Easier Movement, Happier Life: For You, Your Horses & Dogs, Feldenkrais® teacher, international clinician, and bestselling author Mary Debono shares insights, tips, and techniques to help you improve movement, mindset, and connection for yourself and your animals. Each week, we explore topics like body awareness, flexibility, and balance, focusing on how these elements impact both you and your horse or dog. We’ll dive into how anxiety and tension affect both species and share gentle strategies to promote relaxation, confidence, and well-being for everyone involved. Your thoughts and emotions influence not only your own body but also your animal’s. That’s why we’ll also explore emotional awareness, mindset, and intuition, helping you build a deeper, more harmonious relationship with your horse or dog. Whether you’re helping your horse become more balanced and fluid or supporting your dog’s mobility and comfort, this podcast will provide the tools to nurture a thriving connection with your animal, improving their quality of life—and yours. Join Mary every week as she brings over 30 years of experience to help you and your animals live with greater ease, joy, and connection.
Episodes
Discover how a simple humming practice can transform your connection with animals by regulating your nervous system, reducing tension, and communicating safety through presence rather than actions.
Resources:
💥Learn how the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ can help improve your seat, position, and balance on your horse! Free rider videos: https://www.marydebono.com/rider 💥
Grab your FREE video training to help y...
Did you know your horse or dog might be bracing before anything even happens—because their brain is predicting discomfort?
In this episode, we explore the fascinating science behind predictive brains and how both humans and animals can get caught in loops of fear, tension, and restricted movement. But here’s the good news: prediction errors are learning opportunities.
You’ll learn how gentle, supportive touch—throug...
Movement specialist Mary Debono reveals why forcing change in your horse, dog, or yourself often backfires—and what to do instead.
Drawing from the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ and the Debono Moves approach, Mary explains how the nervous system's primary job is protection. When we try to "fix" movement patterns, we trigger defensive responses that reinforce the very habits we're trying to chan...
Discover the counterintuitive "do the easy side badly" strategy that transforms movement without forcing change. Learn why intentionally making your easy side feel difficult helps your challenging side improve naturally through neuroplasticity and contrast learning.
Have you ever noticed that one side of your body moves more smoothly than the other? Maybe your right leg slides effortlessly while...
This episode shares inspiring stories of transformation through Debono Moves—where presence, support, and gentle guidance invite nervous systems to relax, horses to soften, and freer movement to emerge naturally. A shift in you creates change in your animals.
Resources:
Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos
Interested in learning...
Discover how to shift from the conventional "fix-it" approach to animal bodywork to creating a tactile conversation with your animal's nervous system. Rather than attempting to stretch, release, or realign body parts, Mary Debono reveals how supporting the nervous system—the body's true control center—creates profound, lasting change.
Mary shares case studies of horses with chronic back pain and...
What if the way to connect more deeply with your horse or dog wasn’t by doing more—but simply by noticing more?
In this episode of Easier Movement, Happier Life, Mary Debono explores how mindfulness, the simple act of noticing your present experience, can radically transform your life and the lives of your animals.
You’ll learn how slowing down—even just for a moment—can awaken you to new possibilities. Discover how...
What if a simple, mindful touch could improve your dog’s or horse’s movement, comfort, and even emotional well-being? In this episode, Mary Debono shares how to use your hands and your heart to do a gentle “scan”—a profoundly simple practice that awakens awareness, fosters mobility, and strengthens your bond.
You’ll learn:
- Why your hands act like a kinesthetic mirror for your animal’s body
- How curiosity (not corr...
Confusion isn’t failure—it’s a signal that your brain (or your animal’s) is learning something new. In this episode, Mary Debono shares how embracing confusion can improve your movement, mindset, and connection with your horse or dog.
Key Takeaways
- Confusion is a natural and valuable part of the learning process.
- Your nervous system—and your animal’s—needs time and space to process new information.
- Novelty and va...
Would you like to use your imagination to deepen your connection with your horse or dog? In this episode, you’ll learn how to use your imagination to not only deepen your connection with your horse or dog but also increase the effectiveness of bodywork and training sessions.
Key Takeaways:
- Your brain doesn't strongly distinguish between vivid imagination and physical experience—"what you im...
In this episode, Mary Debono shares how cultivating resonance—a felt sense of connection between you and your animal—can profoundly transform your relationship with your horse or dog.
Whether through hands-on Debono Moves, quiet companionship, or simply breathing together, resonance helps you tune in more deeply to your animal—and yourself. Mary explains how subtle shifts in attention, gratitude, and gentle support...
Check out our Move with Your Horse Foundations group coaching program. 💥 🥳 Doors close soon! 💥
Many riders try to fix their horse’s movement challenges—stiffness, bending issues, or unevenness—by stretching, using stronger aids, or forcing a certain posture. But what if the real key to improvement isn’t about control at all?
In this episode, I’ll share how fostering connection instead of imposing control allows ...
Discover why movement efficiency is crucial for humans, horses, and dogs alike. Learn how maladaptive movement patterns create wear and tear, while efficient movement reduces joint damage, increases power, and simply feels better—leading to more vitality and range of motion for all species.
Resources:
Want freer, more comfortable hips? Check out our Smart, Supple Hips Feldenkrais series.
Want to impr...
In this episode, Mary Debono blends neuroscience, practical techniques, and compassionate understanding to give dog owners new tools for helping their anxious companions.
By the end, you'll understand how to transform your relationship with your dog through physical and emotional connection, ultimately giving them the confidence to face challenges with calm assurance.
Learn how Connected Breathing an...
Mary Debono addresses a common challenge faced by many horse owners: the herd-bound horse. Rather than using punitive methods that cause more fear, Mary shares innovative, humane, and effective ways to help horses feel secure when separated from their herd.
She emphasizes the importance of recognizing this natural behavior and working with it rather than against it.
The episode introduces several powerful practices:
...What if the key to helping your horse or dog move with ease wasn’t about “fixing” them but connecting with them?
In this episode, I challenge the idea of correction-based approaches and explain why true change happens through mindful support, not force. I introduce my Possibilities in Motion framework—a powerful yet simple way to connect with your animal, relieve tension, and gently guide them toward easier movemen...
Discover how the Feldenkrais Method® and Debono Moves use gentle movements to help you, your horse, and your dog feel safer and more at ease. Learn how mindful movement engages the nervous system, reduces tension, and fosters confidence—without force. Tune in for simple ways to enhance well-being for all!
Resources:
Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our new series.
Discover how developing body wisdom through the Feldenkrais MethodⓇ creates a natural bridge to deeper animal connection. Learn to trust your innate physical intelligence, release unnecessary tension, and become a more responsive, intuitive partner for your horses and dogs.
Resources:
Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our new series.
Effortless, Balanced Sitting:...
Learn how to reframe challenges as opportunities for growth in your journey with horses and dogs. Discover practical mindset shifts, movement strategies, and real-world examples that help you and your animals move better, feel better, and strengthen your bond together.
Resources:
Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our new series.
Effortless, Balanced Sit...
Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our new series.
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series ⬅️⬅️⬅️
Discover how lasting change can happen instantly and effortlessly through the Feldenkrais Method. Learn why struggle isn't necessary for transformation, experience a mini-movement lesson, and hear inspiring stories of rapid, profound c...
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.