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—through Debono Moves for your animals and the Feldenkrais Method® for yourself—can update your brain’s predictions, interrupt downward spirals of tension, and build a new sense of safety and ease.

Whether your horse resists saddling or your dog hesitates at stairs, this episode offers simple, powerful ways to help them feel—and move—better.

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 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. ⬅️⬅️⬅️

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  ⬅️⬅️⬅️

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and doesn't constitute medical or veterinary advice or professional training advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you, your horse, or your dog are unwell or injured.  Always use extreme 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.

Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for horse and dog enthusiasts.  Her methods have helped animals and humans:

• Improve athletic ability and performance
• Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
• Deepen the human-animal bond

Mary's flagship online programs, "Move with Your Horse" and "Easier Movement, Happier Dogs," provide animal enthusiasts with an innovative approach that combines the concepts of Feldenkrais® with her signature hands-on work for horses and dogs. Through this transformative method, both people and their animal companions discover greater harmony, ease, and connection.

As a sought-after speaker and educator, Mary has impacted animal enthusiasts worldwide, guiding them to enhance their relationships with their animals through mindful movement and deeper body awareness. Her work empowers individuals to unlock new levels of understanding and communication with their beloved companions.

Visit https://www.marydebono.com to learn more about Mary's unique work.

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 change. 

"Change isn't something you impose—it's something you invite." - Mary Debono 

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 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. ⬅️⬅️⬅️

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  ⬅️⬅️⬅️

All information is for general educational purposes ONLY and doesn't constitute medical or veterinary advice or professional training advice. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider if you, your horse, or your dog are unwell or injured.  Always use extreme 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.

Mary's innovative approach draws from the Feldenkrais Method®, tailored specifically for horse and dog enthusiasts.  Her methods have helped animals and humans:

• Improve athletic ability and performance
• Enhance confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reduce physical limitations and discomfort
• Deepen the human-animal bond

Mary's flagship online programs, "Move with Your Horse" and "Easier Movement, Happier Dogs," provide animal enthusiasts with an innovative approach that combines the concepts of Feldenkrais® with her signature hands-on work for horses and dogs. Through this transformative method, both people and their animal companions discover greater harmony, ease, and connection.

As a sought-after speaker and educator, Mary has impacted animal enthusiasts worldwide, guiding them to enhance their relationships with their animals through mindful movement and deeper body awareness. Her work empowers individuals to unlock new levels of understanding and communication with their beloved companions.

Visit https://www.marydebono.com to learn more about Mary's unique work.

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 your left feels sticky, or you turn more easily in one direction than the other. Your horses and dogs have these asymmetries, too.

Most people try to fix the "harder" side by pushing, stretching, and straining. But renowned movement expert Mary Debono reveals a revolutionary approach that flips this conventional wisdom on its head.

Key Takeaways

The Core Strategy: Instead of working harder on your challenging side, intentionally make your easy side more difficult through playful variations, then return to the challenging side—it will feel dramatically easier.

Why It Works: Your nervous system learns through contrast. By giving your brain information about what doesn't work (through temporary variations), it better understands what does work and naturally improves coordination.

The Pressure Problem: Trying to fix, stretch, or force improvements creates anxiety in the nervous system and often reinforces the original problem through defensive restrictions.

Mindset Shift: Change from asking "How do I fix this?" to "What can I learn from what's already easy?" This transforms your entire approach from correction to exploration.

Natural Learning: Your nervous system wants to move toward health and wholeness. When you create the right environment with curiosity and contrast, improvement happens organically without force.

Resources:

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles 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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

#Feldenkrais Method #Debono Moves #somatic learning #mindset #horses #dogs

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 more about our Move with Your Horse program? Click here to join our no-obligation waitlist: https://www.marydebono.com/joinhorse 

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles 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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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 dogs with spinal issues, demonstrating how gentle, respectful touch that honors the animal's innate wisdom achieves results. She explains why poking into sore areas creates defensiveness rather than healing, and how her approach creates an environment of safety that allows the nervous system to let go of protective habits.

Listeners will learn how the ribs and sternum play a critical role in back mobility for both horses and dogs, and how to begin using their hands to "listen" rather than manipulate. Mary offers a simple but profound starting exercise to shift from doing bodywork "to" your animal to engaging "with" them in a co-creative dialogue. This episode provides a foundation for a deeper connection with your animals while improving their comfort and movement—a true win-win approach that benefits both animal and human.

Key Takeaways

• Creating safety is essential for lasting change—poking into painful areas only creates defensiveness
• Horses and dogs develop habits of overusing some parts of the spine and underusing others
• Rib and sternum mobility play a crucial role in back health for both horses and dogs
• Touch can be a two-way conversation where both beings are listening to each other
• The bodywork isn't done "to" the animal but co-created "with" them through respectful dialogue, creating deeper trust 
• When you improve your listening skills with your hands, both you and your animal benefit

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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 mindful movement, shared awareness, and practices like Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles can regulate your nervous system, deepen your animal connection, and bring more joy into everyday life.

This episode is an invitation to savor your life instead of rushing through it—and to create a profound, felt sense of connection with your dog or horse that words can’t always reach.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Mindfulness = Noticing: Being aware of your moment-to-moment sensory experience is the foundation of meaningful connection.
  
  
• Break Habit Loops: Mindfulness helps shift unconscious physical and emotional patterns in you and your animal.
  
  
• Shared Awareness: Practices like Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles create co-regulation and intuitive understanding between you and your animal.
  
  
• Mindfulness Is Movement Too: You don’t have to sit still to be mindful—movement can deepen awareness and presence.
  
  
• Savor Life: Mindful moments help you feel time differently—life becomes richer and more meaningful.

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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 correction) supports nervous system change
• What to feel for: structure, temperature, response, symmetry
• Why these moments of shared awareness build trust and connection
• How CLTMs (special receptors) create calm and deepen the bond
• When a quiet pause may be the most powerful part of your session

Whether you're working with a horse, dog, or cat, this episode will show you how slowing down and tuning in can help your animal move better—and feel better—without needing to “fix” them.

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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 variation disrupt habitual patterns, leading to more efficient movement.
• Asking “How can this feel easier?” can guide you through confusion with grace.
• The key is not to fix but to support—whether it’s your dog, your horse, or yourself.
• Allowing for confusion builds patience, compassion, and a deeper connection.

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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:

1. Your brain doesn't strongly distinguish between vivid imagination and physical experience—"what you imagine, you embody."
2. Visualizing a connection of light with your animal creates real physiological changes in your body that your animal can detect.
3. Animals constantly read the world through somatic and energetic cues, sensing your tension, intention, and inner state.
4. This practice creates a "connection loop"—a feedback cycle where your shifts cause your animal to respond, deepening the bond.
5. Intentionally sending loving energy increases heart coherence, which science shows can influence those nearby.
6. This approach helps bring love back to the center when worry, fear or expectations might be pushing it aside.
7. The visualization "turbocharges" hands-on work like Debono Moves, creating a synergistic effect.
8. Even just one minute of this practice can reduce your stress and invite new possibilities for both you and your animal.

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]

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 can activate your animal’s nervous system in a healing, trust-building way.

Through real-life stories, including working with an aging Australian Shepherd and liberty play with her beloved horse Breeze, Mary reveals how resonance can become a guidepost for more meaningful interaction. 

You’ll also learn practical ways to begin cultivating this quiet, powerful connection today—and why it’s one of the most valuable things you can share with your animal.

Resources:

Grab your FREE videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles to help your dog. 🐕 https://www.marydebono.com/lovedog 💥

Get your free videos on Connected Breathing and Rhythm Circles with your horse. 🐎https://tinyurl.com/equine-videos

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.

Want to sit in a more balanced, secure way? Click here for all the details on our Feldenkrais series:
Effortless, Balanced Sitting: A FeldenkraisⓇ Movement Series   

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

Email [email protected]