Our Approach
Natural Lifemanship is not just something we teach
It is a way of being in the world that is informed by science, our values, and our love for living a full life.
When you participate in any program at the Natural Lifemanship Headquarters, you will be immersed in an intentional environment, built from the ground up, meant to surround you in the joy and peace of a connection-focused community.
What Do We Mean By Connection-Focused?
There are many ways to move through this world. At Natural Lifemanship we prioritize relationships—over tasks, timelines, and the bottom line. We build our programming to support people in connecting more deeply to their own inner experience and wisdom, to the plants and animals and other humans that surround them, and to a sense of belonging that extends beyond what can be seen.
What’s The Science Behind This Value?
The cutting edge fields of interpersonal neurobiology and attachment (or as we call them, the relational sciences) tell us that feeling safe while being connected is as necessary for our survival as sufficient food. When we experience acute or chronic lack of nurturing relationships, our brains and bodies suffer, and when we are constantly focused on survival, our brains and bodies change. Creating an environment that feels predictable, and relationships that feel secure, helps our bodies relax and our brains be receptive to learning.
What else does science say?
The research that has emerged in the last 30 years also tells us that much of our modern culture is hurting us—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In order for our minds, bodies, and spirits to be whole, we must be able to exist in a world more closely tied to our true natures, and to Nature, where the power to choose our path, to give or withdraw consent, to move our bodies in rhythmic ways, and to co-exist with our natural world, are priority.
What Does That Have To Do With Programs At Natural Lifemanship?
These revelations of science have helped NL form our most fundamental values – values of connection, choice, consent, and mutually beneficial relationships – and have influenced everything we do around here. From the way the pastures are cared for, to the way the rooms all over the ranch are decorated, to the folks that are here to help, and the rhythm by which the school, the counseling program, and the workshops all run, we work to provide a place and an experience that feels nourishing, soothing, attuned, and full of delight…from the ground up.
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Bringing a Legacy of experience to Washington County
Each of Natural Lifemanship’s programs incorporates horses in ways that emphasize building connected and trusting relationships to the benefit of the human and the horse, alike. Having built numerous community-based programs over the 20+ years of their partnership, NL co-founders, Tim Jobe and Bettina Shultz-Jobe, are thrilled to offer Natural Lifemanship programs to the individuals and families of Washington County, especially those who have experienced trauma and broken relationships.
