"Welcome to Developing Emotional Agility--a TeleClass based upon my Multi-level Systemic Coaching program."

That's how the class with 24 people on the call began! I am so excited, yet not surprised that this topic is so popular. I think it says a great deal about the evolution of consciousness today.

One of the things that made this inaugural TeleClass for MetaSystem and Equine Alchemy so fun and valuable for participants was the new technology we used. We were able to move in and out of breakout groups, 'raise our hands', take polls and learn from each other all in 90 minutes on the telephone! It truly was like being in a 'real' workshop!

First, we explored what emotional agility means. It seems there was a common idea among us. Being able to see more that just the physical, ability to move with the emotions, being able to sense emotions, were some of the responses from the breakout groups.

I was introduced to this concept as I went through the apprenticeship program at Epona. Developing emotional agility began with working on my ability to be fully present and authentic.

It was interesting for me to find out that when working with horses if I wasn't fully present and authentic, I couldn't connect with them. It was as though we were on different stations of the radio. Through my own personal transformation, my ability to be present and authentic grew and so did my ability to work more closely with the horses. I was learning about how to be in relationship in a completely different way. I needed to be emotionally aware.

I was discovering that being in relationship is being aware of both my emotions and of those around me. It was from that emotional awareness I was able to gain information that would guide me in developing that relationship.

However, emotional awareness is dynamic. It changes with the day, the hour, and the person, or horse was the case for me!

Being able to flow with that dynamic requires emotional agility.

There were 3 main steps to this emotional agility.

1. Be fully present and authentic.
2. Notice what you and those around you are feeling. Be emotionally aware.
3. Flow with the emotion that is moving around you.

One thing I can absolutely say for sure, once you are in that place,
wisdom and abundance thrive!

Simple? No. Easy? No. There is a lot of breathing involved.

Linda Kohanov discovered emotional agility in her work with her horses and applied the concepts to people. What I found was this was not only true for me, but for my coaching clients as well. In fact, it was from this place of emotional agility, the ability to be fully present and authentic, emotionally aware and flow with that emotion that we were able to do some of our most powerful work.

Linda developed a list of skills that she feels are essential to becoming adept at helping other people recognize and strengthen their authenticity and emotional agility.

I want to share a few:

1. Recognize emotions as information.
2. Be able to sit in uncomfortable emotions without reacting or judging.
3. Sense the flow of others without reacting or judging.
4. Read 'misbehavior' as a form of communication.
5. Resist the temptation to 'fix' people or situations.
6. Create the container of support, which Kathleen Barry Ingram calls 'the sacred space of possibility'. (see my blog on this http://www.metacg.com/weblogs/2009/06/five_steps_to_creating_a_sacre.shtml

• The 3 steps to develop emotional agility
  
• There are specific skills to support staying there!
  

The next step after recognizing your own and other's feelings, is learning how to interpret them. We explored this step in the TeleClass. I will share that with you in Part II.

In the meantime, remember every moment of every day you have a choice--and an opportunity to practice developing your emotional agility.