Understanding of human and horse anatomy, balance, movement, and the mind body connection are foundations of Sally Swift’s method. Centered Riding uses centering and grounding techniques from the oriental martial arts, along with body awareness, mental imagery and sports psychology.
Through increasing body awareness, inhibiting old patterns, and replacing them with a more balanced, free, and coordinated use of self, both horse and rider can move more freely and comfortably, and develop their best performance.
The Four Basics of Centered Riding
Soft Eyes – Encourage visual and physical awareness, better peripheral vision, and improved “feel.”
Breathing – Using the diaphragm and breathing correctly for better posture, relaxation, and energy.
Balance or Building Blocks – Aligns the riders body for improved balance, straightness, and ease of movement.
Centering – Using the center of balance, movement and control, located deep in the body, gives quiet strength, harmony and power, as in the oriental martial arts.
The technique teaches awareness of tension held in the body and unbalanced ways you are holding your body without your realizing this is causing stress and discomfort. With awareness (mindfulness) you make conscious efforts to make changes of how you hold and carry your body. F.M. Alexander coined the term “constructive conscious control” for the mental awareness and focus used to change the body.
Small changes over time will lead to results to build upon. Even small changes are difficult to achieve if you don’t have good control over the body due to health issues, but small increments will achieve results. Progress cannot be forced or rushed. Through repeated small efforts we change the habit of how our body holds itself and moves. The changes will feel unusual at first, but with practice will become the more natural way of moving. This more natural movement will lower tension and stress and discomfort carried within the body.
If we are in better alignment within our body, then we are more free in movement, relaxed and at ease. We can have a more focused and peaceful mind. The mind can then be more able to help keep the body in proper form. This becomes a feedback loop between mind and body.
Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Mindfulness Meditation seem ideal for helping to become stronger and more flexible and balanced in the body, as well as to become more mentally focused.
These same concepts also apply to how we can help a horse make small changes to their body and their movement so they can travel more freely, comfortably and able to carry a rider’s weight easier.
I am initially working on increasing flexibility and balance with some gentle strength building through easy yoga practice. This also supports mindfulness, relaxation and focusing on the breath.
This is one of my favorite poses called “Child’s Pose” (Balasana).
Child's pose (balasana)
Bala means child. A pose or posture is called an “asana”. I find it very relaxing and helps to stretch out my spine, upper thighs and feet.
If just trying for the first time, then try finding examples that show a modified version leaning on pillows or with a milder stretch. There are many variations.
If you are a bit more flexible, then this is a good example. Toronto Star writer and yoga teacher Daphne Gordon demonstrates the Child’s pose.
I have built up a library of books. These include both of Sally Swift’s books on Centered Riding. If I was going to do lessons or clinics, then a Centered Riding instructor would be on my list.
I’m inspired by Sally Swift. She used body awareness and learning how to change her body to work through a physical disability (scoliosis) using “The Alexander Technique”.
“At seven years old, a scoliosis appeared which became part of her daily life and was later instrumental in her development of Centered Riding. After the diagnosis and well into her twenties, she worked with Mabel Ellsworth Todd, author of The Thinking Body. Mable Todd was Sally’s first teacher in “body awareness” and encouraged Sally to explore her new “awareness”. This early training was enhanced when Sally began, and continued, to study the Alexander Technique™ and applied it to riding. Sally’s work with the Alexander Technique™ enabled her to discard the back brace she had worn for many years. “
“One of the key concepts in the Alexander Technique is that use informs function, that is, how you do something affects the result. This idea is made even more apparent when you put a rider on a horse. Every little thing a rider does (all the ways she uses her self) affects the horse.”
Books: Centered Riding by Sally Swift (published 1985) Centered Riding 2: Further Exploration by Sally Swift (published 2002)
Made on Dec 25, 2010 Authentic Mexican Marranitos (Molasses Gingerbread Pigs)
Moist and rich-tasting beneath a glossy, ever-so-slightly flaky top. Not quite cookie, not quite cake. Marranitos — or cochinos, or puerquitos, as they are called in some Mexican-American communities — are often called “Gingerbread Pigs,” although they don’t actually have ginger in them.
My mother remembered marranitos fondly from childhood when my great-grandmother baked them. She always had some for Christmas. I’m so glad that I made these cookies for us to enjoy last year. Seems my great-grandmother didn’t use as much baking soda, as my Mom’s memory was the cookies were not as fluffy as mine.
My Mom passed away in August 2011.
Spending time with family is so precious. Sure miss her and my mind keeps forgetting that I can’t pick up the phone to say hi or go for a visit.
My great-grandparents & grandparents fled from Mexico to the US during Pancho Villa’s ‘Mexican Revolution’. Starting over from next to nothing, but with their lives, they pursued the American dream! Thankfully back in 1913 immigration was legally just a matter of taking a train ride across the border.
My Grandmother’s marranito handmade cookie cutter is now an heirloom antique and not used anymore to bake.
Ingredients:
Cookies
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup unsulphured molasses
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
6 cups all-purpose flour
Egg wash
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, shortening, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla until the mixture forms a firm paste.
Add, mixing after each addition until blended, the molasses, egg and milk.
Gradually add the flour, mixing to form a dough; Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick; cut with a large pig-shaped cutter; Place each marranito on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a cup or small bowl, beat egg; Using a pastry brush, paint tops of marranitos lightly with beaten egg.
*This recipe is from Fort Worth, Texas baker Marco Rangel, and is used for the cookies he sells at his bakery, the Panaderia San Marcos. It uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon.
Before I can work on my riding skills, then I need to get my body more in shape and flexible. BUT… how do you obtain the fitness, balance and mental state to work on the skills necessary to achieve the proper principles of good riding?
I often hear how every movement and stiffness in my body will translate directly to my horse. This presents a daunting problem for my aging body with health issues. I need to find ways to optimize what I am capable of doing and not worry about matching a level others with more vigor can strive towards. Folks ride with worse problems than mine, so where there is a will then there is a way. I need to foster lowered expectations and to not fret over my inability to do what others can do. I must start from where I am. Perhaps I can do more than I imagine.
What about my horses? They are not youngsters either. Horses are prone to become sore carrying unbalanced weight on their backs. With such fears of hurting my horse in my mind by putting my stiff body on their back, then no wonder I keep fretting. I’m stalled out and life is passing us all by.
Starting from where we are and taking a next small step each day is the key to moving forward.
An important factor that my horses appreciate is when I am calm and emotionally centered. This is a good video demonstrating how to center your body and mind before beginning yoga exercises. It helps calm down the mind and to help become more aware and balanced within the body, as well as grounding yourself over the hips. All these are good things to help prepare for riding. This simple exercise takes less than 5 minutes.
Fitness, Performance and the Female Equestrian
by Mary D. Midkiff
The Rider’s Fitness Program
by Dianna Robin Dennis, John J. McCully, Paul M. Juris
A Gymnastic Riding System using Mind, Body and Spirit
by Betsy Steiner with Jennifer O. Bryant
– Yoga
Yoga for Equestrians: A New Path for Achieving Union with the Horse
by Linda Benedik and Veronica Wirth
I have enjoyed the Namaste Yoga tv series. http://www.namaste.tv/pages/about-namaste
I will begin with their basic warmup/cool down exercises. This style of yoga is called Hatha Vinyasa yoga that emphasizes a flowing style focusing on breathing through the movements. The show is very relaxing with soothing music and lovely background locations. The ladies are inspiring.Sample video of warmup: http://health.discovery.com/videos/namaste-yoga-sun-moon-warm-up.html
Beyond Horse Massage by Jim Masterson with Stefanie Reinhold
TTEAM from Linda Tellington Jones
I’ll be posting links to available videos that have examples of the exercises for myself and my horses. Will be discussing from my personal library of DVDs, books and magazines.
Improve stamina & aerobic conditioning.
Horse hiking
Riding at a walk (even 4 beat gait while build up strength)
This is my first blog. Partly an experiment. This blog will mostly be about my journey with my 2 Icelandic geldings as we work on optimizing our happiness and health. We are starting over from where we are to get out on the trails. I plan to use similar process for my horses and myself. We all need more exercise for improving flexibility, stamina, aerobic fitness, posture and core strength. Losing weight will be secondary.
As with most everyone, I have some physical health issues. My horses and myself will be working within the various limitations that life has thrown our way. * Please read Disclaimer page.
I do lots of pondering and research. I will share videos and articles and thoughts particularly related to my relationship with my horses.
