Published my music - "Jamendo"

I'm very exited to say that now you can find Iraisis (My artist name) on the net! You can listen to my album Dreamer, and the two songs that I selected from my album. Listen below:

Even though these songs were experiments I ind these days when I listen to them that I really like them. Maybe somebody else does to? We will see...

So I welcome you to go in and leave some comments and suggestions, for my future of music making! If you have a login on Jamendo you can write reviews and stuff. Haven' looked into myself yet. I can also suggest Jamendo, maye you can compare it to Spotify, except different purpose. But for music lovers with a bit of a original taste - like myself - it's a perfect place to get your afternoon music listening time from!

http://www.jamendo.com/en/

Cheers to an aspiring everything! I mean, sorry - Music artist! ;)

Back to a Routine Life

Since I have come to Sweden I have gently been sniffing possibilities and creating oppurtunities for myself. Now for the first time in almost two years, I am joining into a curriculum!

This is Kävesta "Folkhögskola". It is a Folk high school that offers an array of arts, Dance, Sculpting, Art, Psychology and Animation.

I have chosen a regular curriculum line that focuses on dance. I am also very lucky for in Sweden under the age of 20 students are paid to attend school!

I am also very excited to explore dance in a more academic manner. In the past years in India I have beenloving the local Full Moon Dance Collectives - dance nights organized by a small group of DJs and dance lovers in Auroville. In the last month I've been dancing a lot on my own also - to keep my body going.

I have a wish to be very flexible in my body, and I have wanted this since I was very young as well. Now I feel it's my inspiration to do it is getting stronger - as well as the tools I use to get there are becoming more. It's exciting to see where I will go when being in this school.

I think I have 20 projects up in the air right now - maybe not exactly that many. But there is a bunch of exiting stuff going on.

Life in Örebro

Life is unraveling, I'm facing fears and stretching out my wings. I am meeting a lot of people now that I have settles down here - I know for the first time in a while that I will be here for a while. At first I was afraid of being here, old memories from my school time in Glanshammar, but I'm getting over that very quickly.

And now planting new seeds! Meeting exciting inspiring people, projects, and coming up with m own ideas. for example a Thriller  (Michael Jackson) project invented by the 'female Stewrats' (me and mamma)! Next Halloween, Örebro - big zombie dance performance in the city, we are talking to funders already*. Then I am meeting with future councelers helping me with study ad jobs. As well as filming projects for youth and a bunch of fun stuff.

Next I'm gonna see if I can find a nice place to live, my own room would be nice (living in my brothers room since I got here in September).

I'm very grateful for how much energy my mother has been putting into integrating me into the Swedish society. She takes me to of seminars and groups in the city with her networks. It's really good for me to stretch out an meet people. (Tak mamma!)

So life is in general wonderful in a dilightful and challenging way (as it should!).

*You interested to join -  dance, fund, film etc? Check out thrillerorebro.ning.com. 

PS Image references:

http://www.windinfeathers.com/images/swan.jpg

http://fineartamerica.com

http://blog.smartdraw.com/images/

Horse Training with Lucky

I had just returned back to denmark, horses being the reason I travelled half way across the world from india, Jasmin started looking out for ways that I could learn.

A quick cycle ride away, A Stable that takes in horses for a second chance - 'Lucky' was one of them. Lucky was found thin and abandoned by his owner in a paddock. Now he lives a nourishing life, and to my good fortune he could use some attention.

The day I introduced myself to him I felt exited and nervous - coming as a apprentice of a known trainer, but feeling foreign to my surroundings and the tasks that lie ahead; training a horse with horsemanship techniques.

My goal has been for the time i have been training him to learn as much as I can - about the topic the fascinates me so utterly. I had never expected I would come as far as I have with Lucky. I have managed things that I once thought took years of work and patience to accomplish. For instance - a horse that impulsively and respectfully runs by your side and follows your every step.

It's possible, and it took mea month... seeing him only a few times a week. It is possible, and it's not even the beginning.

I am astonished and exited. Amazed by how simple and fun it can be (quite differently from experiences I had with my own horse back in the day).

Horses are like children in many ways... they can find and push our buttons and show us our strengths and our weaknesses. Horses are a great key to learning about our true leadership - the horses' naturallt depend on leaders. Any horse has the will to show anyone that is inspired how they can grow stronger in being a leader, if they have the heart and a few tools to listen.

In Denmark and spreading my roots - my future?

I've been back in Rosenlund since and being here this time around is quite different. Now that all the summer workshops are over the place is quitly empty - Karsten, Jasmin and Juliane are the only people on the campus.

I've also begun playin with horses in the vicinity together with Anne-Sofie who also has learned a lot from Jasmin. So we go a few times a week to go play with a icelandic horse, Ofey, who was here during the summer. Anne-Sofie is and I exitedly spend time together, sharing horsemanship knowledge, and helping each other see what we can't see when we are with the horse. Lately I have been learning a lot about being a teacher because Anne-Sofie is the one who has care for Ofey, so I have been helping their relationship in any ways that I see when they are playing together. This has been a great experience for me - to see how much I know and share it.

Along with horses - I have just got a 'project' of my own started. There is a stable nearby with a 9 year old warmblood that very much needed a caretacker. So now I have access to play with him and learn from that as well. I was up there in the week and got to know him and was suprised to feel how much I'd learned in the last few months and along with that felt terribly exited. I was thinking "I can actually teach a horse now! I can communicate through positive reinforcement what I want, and be understood". And this is a step in my whole relation with horses. It is tool. And it is one that can be very usefull.

So all in all. Things are exiting. AND..

I recently had a big block of my life squared of - I had decided that in October I was going to be in London with my mother. But the other morning 'my stars changed' and Now that is not what is happening. So I don't have any plans in the tije to come, and it feels great! And Scary! So...

Well - I'm free. What do I want to do? ( - be here and now) ... Interesting.

Back in Sweden for *Holidays*

Rosenlund hosted three weeks of NVC Meetings and camps through July... After all the commotion and work going on I decided to take a few weeks and visit friends and relatives in Sweden.

I traveled to Copenhagen first with a friend i met in Rosenlund. She took me to her apartment in Copenhagen and Showed me to some wonderful places around where she lives.

First she showed me an ex-army quarters that had been taken over by hippies and converted into a little town of it's own called Cristiania. It was amazing to be walking down a big city shopping street, turn the corner, and next thing you know your in hippie land.

Later in the evening we took a bus out of the town to Dragör, an old town on the cost. Sanne, my friend, is also a bird watcher. Se showed me the spots she loved to go to to watch, one being a big goose and duck "housing service". Then we went into the town, a car-less place full of small yellow houses and stone laid alleys lined with hundreds of beautiful colored Holly Hocks. They really impressed me...

The next day i took the buss to Sweden, and now I'm here, high summer Skogsberg; beautiful Gardens, raspberry bushes overflowing with berries, pots cooking with jams of harvests of blueberries from the forest, and all the other exiting things that summer brings.

I'm exited to upload the photos - soon! ATL (All the Love)

A week with family, and update on life.

Pappa and Adam visited me in Rosenlund for a week. It was very nice to spend some time with them - and a suprise that we got together here!

In the mean time I did my first whole day with Juliane, where I was responsible for her while Jasmin was teaching a children in a horse camp about horsemanship. This was very exhausting, but I am very proud that my capacities are growing and I'm beginning to develop a little bond with Juliane. I have been watching my relationship with her change since I got here, and as I spend more time with her she puts more trust into me. Which is a great feeling.

Yesterday we lead the neighbor's Icelandic horse into our pastures. Jasmin decided that it would be fun for me to have a horse here to ride and practice what training skills I have with. So that is VERY exiting! -We will see what she will teach me!

In two days I have an even bigger responsibility coming up with Juliane. A full day and night I get to look after her and get her ready to sleep in the night. I feel nervous about the amount of work it is, although I know I will manage. But wish me luck!

Clean and Fresh Picasa!

I've just sorted my picasa so now it's more fun to go see the pictures that I take/took. I've uploaded a bunch of very nice photos taken in Rosenlund using a friends nice (canon rebel d50) camera. A set of photos are from a big bonfire night with marshmellows! So do enjoy! -Isa

Will Isa make the choice? ;)

Saturday evening, the sun has set and the horizon is a pastel rainbow. Out on the road, on a walk with the horses, behind me Jasmin calls out "Don't let her take your line (move into your space)" or "remember to praise her, otherwise she won't be learning". Rosie, a young, ready to be trained tinker is in my hands. As the night creeps in we get closer to home. I continue to soak in comments from Jasmin I get the feeling that at this moment, I'm probably learning more then Rosie is.

Back at the stables me and Jasmin discuss what Rosie has been pointing out during the walk - horses are great reminders of our weaknesses and strengths. Both Rosie and Janeda, had reminded me of a weakness of mine; "keap your line, keap your space, know what you want"!

And Jasmin reminds me that it is my choice to decide; who I want to be, or 'Who Isa is'. I smile to myself as I am again reminded that only I can change me. -It's a good thing to remember!

Been in Denmark long enough to Blog about it, no? ;)

This is a beautiful place, not half as well organized as Skogsberg but very cozy. The lilac is in full bloom and the horses snort in the paddock. One day I'll be scrubbing the floor of a long since cleaned laundry room, the next I'm on the beach with Jasmin, and of course, Mayday and Jenida.


Life here so far has been all of the following; challenging, exiting, endouring, inspiring... and more exiting. Quit quickly I'm gining undestanding of Danish, and not as quickly; learning to understand Juliane.


I am continuously suprising myself with how much i've been working here. I knew from the begining that being here would need of me to help out and be of service to my living environment much more then ever before. I like to say, I have to release my ego and put my heart to work. And I've been blowing my own mind away with the amount of commitment I've been able to share here at Rosenlund.

In the future I can look forward to many things. Karsten and Jasmin have planned many events in which I will be an assisting part of. At the moment Durai has just arrived, wich is such an amazing surprise and I am enjoying a lot. Jasmin has also left for a 4 day course, and so Juliane is here with Kartsen , Durai and I. So over the next few days I will be learning more intensly about interacting with her, finding out how best to communicate, and seeing how many time I can tickle her per day without her growing tired of it! Or maybe something along those lines! ;)

One more thing that I am most certainly looking forward to is this. Sometime after Jasmin returns we will recieve to young horses for starting! So hopefully I'll have a good oportunity to pick up a bunch of good horse habbits from Jasmin throug that experience. Jasmin was alo sharing ideas of how I could help her train them, you could imagine how exited I am by that!

With all love, enjoy the pics (check picassa)! Isa

Jet lagged and running a marathon

Well, I'm now in Sweden... It's a cold, but the springtime here is heavenly. Flowers everywhere; dandelions, tulips, cherry blossoms you name it! The first day here I spent helping Mormor and Jon take care of a fallen down tree; collecting dead twigs for a bonfire and sorting out firewood for the winter. And take the title literally! I ran in a marathon!

I was amazed by how well my body was working with me. It's seems that all of the horse riding actually went in to my body. It was also really nice being able to move and NOT getting over heated. I've been leaping and prancing and so happy, even though it's only 10c outside (this does feal really cold though!!).

Anyways... The Marathon was a womens marathon with 7000 people. I was in a group of 4 people and we were sponsored by the town magazine. It was 5100m and I managed to jog the whole way! I'm pretty proud. It took me 45 minutes and by the end of it, I felt like going for another round! Haha!

Great experience! Soon I'll post photos of the spring here, and I'm going to try to get a photo the marathon posted in this article. So keep an eye!

Last Hours in India...

...and I know that the next time I come back I will be a very different person; this in the aspects of time passed and experience gained. I know I'm in for it now, all the adventures up to this point have prepared me for what is coming. I'm now have the courage to throw myself into the world, to take care of myself, and I know how to dream... BIG.

Although, all this remains theory in my mind; The fact that I'm actually leaving India still hasn't sunken in. I keep thinking: "Me - This wild and young adventurer that is so accustomed to the life and freedom of India, is now going to the western lands of laws and restrictions... Now why would I wanna do that?".

As far as freedom... well, I'm going to miss that! But my experiences here have pretty much summed up. They have taught me many an important lesson. I have gotten over fears of traveling on my own. I have gotten over most of my insecurities about myself and meeting new people. I've also been on many unusual and very unique adventures that I wouldn't have been able to experience anywhere else in the world (Beau, you'd know all about this!).

All this is experience that will now help me to take this big step, my own adventure. This time a choice outside of my casual realm, away from my securities and outside my boxes.

Cheers to the next Chapter! Here I come...

Today it starts!

My domain name is now working, so there are only two things to do now: find a attractive design solution, and work my butt of getting loads of interesting and useful content (i think starting small is best). In case your not up-to-date I've written a few earlier articles about this project (see "All my posts" in the panel to the left).


So visit the seedling of my site at:
naturalhorse.me

(Or refer to the "Natural Horse" link in the panel on the left.)

Someday I'll upload my personal site and blog there too... whenever that really feels necessary.

To help me out as an aspiring designer, go see the site and let me know of your first impression! This is a great help. You can for example just leave feedback in the form of a comment on this blog.

Thanks! Isa

Getting ready for my realtime Natural Horse website!

Well, speak of the devil!

I have been saying for the last few days how I really want to create a "network" for Natural Horsemanship people and a place, mostly to link all of the hundreds of sites full of great information together. I'd like to make the information more accessible to the people who need it, and more inspiring to want to learn about, for those who haven't yet caught on to the Natural Horse train.

The exiting bit:

I now have my own domain name : naturalhorse.me

And soon a full on site, you can see the demo at majixmarwari.com/naturalhorse/

So I will be collecting content and start to upload. I'm also planning on having wordpress installed on my domain. So it will be a fully comment-able, blog style website.

This is a great project and I am excited about it. ATB (all the best) Isa.

Logo drawing for naturalhorse.me

PS: If you stumble upon this blog and are interested in the project, contact isa.stewart@gmail.com

Into the realm of Natural Horsemanship

To start with, I'll say that as a horse person i was "brought up" with the conventional horse techniques. I was tought about force, power and control. In the last five years, a subject of a different way of interacting with horses began poping up in my life. It started with a clip on youtube (added in earlier post "Adventures with Takoda and Majura"), an impressive 'no bridle, no saddle' show from a trainer using the Parrelli technique. For me at the time, this was like a sweet and exiting taste of a very new world I knew I was about to encounter.

Not long after I moved to Auroville, India (I was living in Sweden before this) and I was given full responsibility for a horse in the Auroville Riding Center (or ARC). There I was fully introduced to the concept of Natural Horsmanship, and in more detail, the principles of Klaus Ferdinand Hemplfling and also Pat Parelli. After three years I decided to give my horse away. Owning him had been a tedious experience for I lacked the knowledge needed to take care of him properly, but I am forever greatful for the experiences with him.

Since then and up to now, I have been researching as much as I can about the ideal relationship between human and horse, and I have especially been learning about the many flaws in the conventional system of horse and rider.

Now, for me, if I had been introduced to any of the things I know now, five years ago, I probably wouldn't be able to understand any of it. But after my experience of the horse in the ARC, I realized that what I was conventionally taught, wasn't helping me build any relationship with my horse. And so I needed to open my mind to something new and different.

In my next article I will write about my understanding of the aspects of the conventional horsemanship that bring up problems for a trusting and loving bond between horse and human.

To read this article click on the link "Research on the Natural Horse" to the left in the TABS section.

May we have open minds, and a curious hearts. All the best, Isa.

Denmark Trip

I got an offer from a friend of dad's to work in denmark over the summer. This opportunity has slowly been unfolding for the last 3 months and now seems like a very exiting chance to do and learn about the things that I'm exited about.

In more detail, there is a family of three, Karsten, his daughter Jasmine and her 3 year old Daughter Julianne. The idea is that I live with them, at first for just I trial period, a month or so, and help Jasmine and Karsten out with the Julianna, the property and anything else they need help with.

The especially exiting part about it is that Jasmine is a so called Natural Horsemanship Trainer. She knows a lot about horses in other words, and is willing to share her knowledge with me while I am there! Which is exactly what i've wanted for the last 5 years, since I first saw a movie on youtube with a man riding a horse withouth saddle or briddle (which back then was extremely new to me).

So at this point the only thing left to do is buy the tickets!

We'll see where the road takes me.

Love, Isa

P.S. Here's the movie which was my first encounter with Natural Horsemanship:

Adventures with Takoda and Majura

Beau received a miracle job at the end of 2008 to organize a situation for a 7 year old boy who was moving to Tiruvannamalai to have horse riding lessons. She explained to his family that there was no horse riding school, or horses at all, in Tiru. But she had another idea.

I decided to become part of her plan, and help her find chose and buy two very nice horses for this boy and his family. She also had to design a whole stable for them and is now fully responsible for the care tacking of Takoda and Majura.

Beau and I live in Tiru, and day in and out spend our hours with the horses.

We go on bareback rides, spend hours designing our own tack (there are no horse shops in India!) and we also had the idea of a huge trekking Journey, to ride to Auroville from Tiruvannamalai, and back.

This was a big dream that we both have had for a long time; have two nice horses and go ion a big trek. We were fully intent on this journey, and almost fully ready. We did test rides, rode on random roads for hours into the sunset with all the equipment we needed to spend a night away from home, and had amazing journeys and learned a lot.

Just recently we decided it best that we save this big adventure for another time, we realized it would be to stressful for us, and also the horses, seeing as we would be leaving to Europe soon. There just wasn't enough time to do it right.

But all the adventures and things we experienced in preparation for the journey where not in vain, I have learned so much about horses in the last 2 months, I am very amazed with myself!

I am very grateful for this opportunity to be spending some much time with these great teachers, Majura and Takoda And especially for all the fun and learning, laughing and snoring (going to late to bed before a 4 a clock wake up in the hour morning before a long morning ride), and all in all, great times, with a wonderful friend! (That's you Beau!! ) :D

Kisses to the Universe, Isa

My First Entry!

Exited about this new alternative to spreading my news... we'll see how it works!
Here's a test Photo:This is me on Koda. Me and Beau only recently learned how exited he is about jumping, which is very exiting for us as well! All for know, Isa