Equestrian Yoga
By Dendria Mclaughlin
Many people think that yoga is just about stretching. While stretching is certainly involved, yoga is really about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. The poses are a constant, but the approach to them varies depending on the tradition in which the teacher was trained. In addition to practicing the poses, yoga classes may also include instruction on breathing, following the opening of the pose with the inhale and the closing with the exhale to create a rhythm.
Some people find that the physical practice of yoga becomes a gateway into a spiritual exploration, while others just enjoy a wonderful low-impact workout that makes them feel great.
An additional benefit to practicing yoga is Chakra alignment. Chakras are energy centers along the spine. Each chakra has certain qualities and associations within the body and mind. Yoga postures help to get these energy centers aligned. In HathaHorse yoga, I teach the student yoga poses that focus and balance the 7 major chakras located from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. For example; a malfunctioning Solar Plexus chakra may result in a lack of confidence affecting our will power and self worth. This in turn affects our emotional state which then carries over to how we are in the world. A wonderful yoga pose to open and balance the Solar Plexus chakra is the half or full bow pose.
Practicing yoga and establishing a balanced chakra system influences our whole being. Mind, body, spirit and emotion. Those of us who have horses know how sensitive they are and how they pick up on every detail and incongruency. They reflect our state of mind and our state of spirit. It’s easy to blame the horse for not cooperating as we would like, if we would only stop and check in with ourselves to see where we are in being with the horse, a whole new world could open up to us.
HathaHorse Yoga gives us the tools to be able to do that personal check in with ourselves, along with the ability to be more at one with our own being, and subsequently, with our horse.
For more information about Dendria Click here…
