As riders, we expect our horses to be strong, flexible, relaxed and balanced. Why not expect the same of ourselves? I started doing yoga to improve upon my equitation, and in the process have found that I am now holding myself to the same standards to which I hold my (hypothetical) horse. After about a months time, I am starting to see several benefits from the practice.
Mental benefits:
1. A greater sense of body awareness, especially concerning my overall posture. It turns out my position flaws on horseback are also present on the ground.
2. The ability to induce a relaxed state of mind. Or more specifically in my case, the ability to effectively deal with stress-induced insomnia.
3. A sense that I can be in control of each part of my body.
Physical benefits
1. Greater muscle definition over my entire body.
2. The return of that thing I used to have in my early 20's. What's it called again? Oh right. A waist.
3. Greater flexibility in my legs, hips, and abdomen.
Is my position perfect now? Absolutely not. Is it improving more quickly than it was when I was just making corrections on horseback? Most definitely! The increased body awareness allows me to recognize when there is a problem with my position, and as I get stronger, I am more able to make the proper correction.
Because yoga is helping me so much to develop into a more effective rider, I have decided to write a series of posts addressing common position flaws, and yoga positions that can be used to correct them. Feel free to chime in with your particular position flaw.
Gus practices "sideways facing cat" as I practice "downward facing dog."
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