Yoga

Yoga

Benefits of Yoga for Riders:

  • Improve flexibility, strength, balance

  • Increase self awareness, focus

Ultimately improve the connection with your horse!

Energetic layers of your body surrounding the soul

BODY (Annamaya)

  • organs

  • bones

  • muscles

  • tissues

  • skin

MINDFUL MEDITATION BODY SCAN

  • Sit with legs crossed or lay down.

  • Create awareness from the top of your head all the way down to your toes with your eyes closed.

  • As you scan each body part, bring awareness to that body part and release any tension.

BREATH (Pranamaya)

Breath = Energy/Life Force

  • Prana/Chi = life force, our breath is the force behind every cell, organ, body part, physiological activity, pumping heart…

  • Imbalances/blocks will affect our physical body - which will influence our state of mind.

  • Breath shallow = prank shallow & erratic

  • Unstable prana = agitated mind

  • Stable prana = mind is calm, body functions optimally.

ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING

  • Sit with legs crossed.

  • Exhale all your air from your lungs.

  • Block RIGHT nostril with your thumb from your dominant hand.

  • Pause

  • Inhale through LEFT nostril (into belly not chest)

  • Pause

  • Block LEFT nostril with one finger.

  • Pause

  • Exhale through RIGHT nostril.

Helps calm the nervous system, increase oxygen intake - which will calm body & mind, reduce stress, and promote better sleep!

MIND (Manomaya)

  • emotions

  • thoughts

  • feelings

  • sensations

Overactive mind = wears out nervous system & affects emotions.

ANNAMAYA / PRANAMAYA / MANOMAYA

Movement of BODY / BREATH / MIND

ANY YOGA POSE (Downward Dog as an example)

  • Any yoga pose that opens the hips / hamstrings / lower back will help work on your mind.

  • Hips: Warrior 1

  • Hamstrings: Downward Dog

  • Lower Back: Forward Bend

While in the pose you choose, concentrate on your BREATH and posture, pick a GAZING POINT, train your MIND to stay present.

WISDOM (Vijnanamaya)

Wisdom = Intuition/Conscience

  • Internal awareness

  • What’s underneath thoughts, feelings, sensations.

  • Awareness: deeper insight into who we are & how we relate to our environment.

  • Work with your wisdom, pay attention to sensations internally through your yoga practice and meditation practice.

  • Stable prana = mind is calm, body functions optimally.

ANY YOGA POSE (Chair Pose as an example)

  • Self reflection

  • Rise above thoughts & a busy mind - imagine observing yourself from a distance.

Our Spirit

  • The core of our existence

  • Freedom / Expanse / Joy

  • “Coming Home” = Peace

  • Ex. feeling you have when “loosing” yourself in music, a movie = pure feeling of BLISS.

BLISS (Anandamaya)

ANY YOGA POSE (Legs up the Wall as an example)

  • Mind is steady

  • Find state of tranquility = bliss

  • Use Restorative Poses