🌼 Learning to Appreciate Doing Nothing - A Lesson From Donkeys
Welcome to this Start Fresh mini from the Om WOW Podcast! Let’s reset our mindset and start the week with clarity and intention.
Listen to the short episode:
Episode #30: Show Notes
Today I want to share something beautiful about stepping into the calm presence of animals.
I'm pulling from my conversation with Dr. Genie Joseph in episode 11, where she explained how “doing nothing with donkeys” helps people slow down, release stress, and reconnect with the joy of simple being.
Donkeys as Natural Barometers of Safety
Genie has two miniature therapy donkeys that she adopted when their previous owner passed away. As she explained to me, these animals have an incredible natural gift, they're innately oriented to a sense of safety.
"They know instantly what is safe and what is not safe," Genie told me. "Although you could override a donkey's will, if they're left to their own devices, they will orient towards what feels good and what feels safe."
This makes them particularly powerful companions for people who've been through trauma or abuse. For those who struggle with boundaries, being with a creature that naturally and clearly expresses its boundaries can be healing. The donkeys will come sit with you when it feels good, and they'll leave if they sense disturbing energy. They're instant, accurate readers of what people are feeling.
Seeing Beyond the Surface
Genie shared a moving story about working with a 22-year-old woman who was severely disabled. She was strapped into a wheelchair, non-verbal, with a lot of random motions and auditory outbursts. At first, Genie wondered how the donkeys would react to this very un-calm situation.
When they rolled the wheelchair into the corral, the donkeys were initially curious. But then something beautiful happened. They came around the young woman protectively and didn't leave her side.
"They just saw her as her essence," Genie explained. "They didn't see the wheelchair, they didn't see the disability, they didn't see the history, they didn't see the problems. They just saw this being that they wanted to attend to."
The parents were so moved. Genie took a cue from the donkeys and was able to see this person the same way the donkeys did. To feel the quality of her beingness beyond the body that didn't work the way other bodies work.
What Is "Donkey Time"?
When I asked Genie what it means to drop into "donkey time," she described a workshop she offers called "Doing Nothing with Donkeys."
"With very little training, YOU can learn to do nothing," she said with a smile.
Here's how it works: participants sit in chairs arranged in a circle with spaces between them. The donkeys are walking around the area freely and can come and go as they please. The whole idea is to release any preconceptions about what should happen. You let go of expectations and see what the donkeys want to explore.
Do they want to come close? For how long? Do they want to be scratched or brushed? The practice is about letting them lead while you do nothing.
"In order to do that, you have to kind of get out of your head," Genie explained. You might think the donkey is cute and want to pet them, but maybe they don't want that right now. Maybe they just want you to sit quietly with them. Touching their face isn't necessarily the most polite way to approach a donkey, after all.
The goal is simple: just feel and be. "We want to get back to a human being instead of a human doing," Genie said.
How Long Does It Take to Relax?
I was curious about the timeline. How long does it take people to actually chill out in this setting?
"Everybody's different because everybody comes in with a different stress load," Genie told me. They do some relaxation exercises to help jumpstart the process, but most people get it within one session.
They learn how to drop into that stillness and recognize that donkeys aren't just dumb animals; they're wise beings modeling what calmness and peacefulness look like. When we let ourselves be touched by them (not just physically, but energetically), they show us what being right here, right now feels like.
I wondered if it's the vibration and aura the donkeys give off that helps people relax, by just being in that positive energy.
"That's exactly it," Genie confirmed. Some people arrive with more awareness or readiness for this experience, but everybody gets there eventually. Some instantly, some within the course of the session.
The Deliciousness of Being Present
There's something delicious about sitting in the quiet of the desert under the big sky, feeling the sensation of air on your skin, soaking up the warmth of a donkey's body against yours. As Genie put it, "It's like, why do we do anything else?"
Of course, we're all focused on our to-do lists and our busy lives. That's reality, and it's not wrong, it just needs balance. We have to be responsible and do what needs doing, but we also need times when we do nothing. Times when we just be here, and it's very pleasurable.
Getting Out of the Worry Brain
Genie has a lot of techniques for getting calm quickly, which she shares in her book, The Human Animal Connection. Fundamentally, these techniques involve using the skills that animals naturally have: being here now, being grounded, being grateful, being present, being calm.
"We can shift the nervous system so that we get out of the worry brain and into the feeling gut, into our heart, into our animal nature," she explained. "And that immediately brings relief because all the trouble is between the two ears."
It's all that thinking— the "what ifs" and "I should haves" —that creates suffering.
Genie has respect for the logical executive brain that can see cause and effect. It's fabulous and can be used to help, heal, and solve problems. But it can also be used for harm and suffering, especially to ourselves. When we get into patterns of thinking, we cannot think our way out.
That's when we need donkey time.
The Simple Pleasure of Watching Them Eat
One of my favorite things Genie shared was how she sits with her donkeys while they eat breakfast. She just sits there while they crunch their food, and there's nothing else in the world except the meal.
"They're truly in the now, in the moment, which is what we all need to learn how to do," she said.
If a bird of prey flies overhead, they'll look for a moment, assess that it's not a threat, and go back to eating. They can attend to potential danger, but then it's back to the pleasure of eating. We rarely have that full-time attention on pleasure, on what feels good.
I encourage you to go back and listen to episode 11 to hear more of what she shared. You can also learn more about Genie and her work at thehumananimalconnection.org.
Your Challenge This Week
As you head into this week, I challenge you to intentionally carve out at least one 15-minute time of doing nothing to soak up the beautiful energy of calmness.
It doesn't need to be with donkeys. It could be as simple as spending undistracted time with your dog or cat, or gazing at nature with as empty of a mind as you can manage.
Have a fabulous week, my friends.
If this mini gave you a mindset boost, pass it on! Comment below & let me know— your energy makes a difference.
Meet Our Host: Jennifer Robin O’Keefe
Jennifer Robin serves as a relatable, down-to-earth, REAL Wellness & Success Coach. She’s not a fancy, perfect makeup, airbrushed kind of woman. She’s been told many times, in a variety of environments, that she’s easy to talk to, and makes others feel welcome and comfortable. Her mission in life is both simple and profound: to make others feel worthy.
Professionally, Jennifer holds several wellness certifications including Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping, Thought Field Therapy (TFT) Tapping, Reiki, and more. She continuously expands her knowledge in the fields of Qi Gong, Xien Gong, Vibration/Energy Wellness and Natural Health. She also studied extensively with Jack Canfield, and serves as a Certified Canfield Trainer, authorized to teach "The Success Principles."
She’s an active reader and researcher who loves to learn, and one of her biggest joys is teaching and sharing what she’s discovered with others.
