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Self-Correction. Alignment and Health 
by way of Intracellular, Transitional, Extracellular Fluids

The last couple years I've been taking classes in Foundations in Embodied Anatomy, Body-Mind Centering & Yoga Weekend Immersions.  Whenever I learn something new, I'm eager to see how it can crossover into the equestrian world.  

The Borrowed Concept

Bringing awareness to the Intracellular, Transitional, Extracellular fluids in the body of the rider and horse and witnessing the changes allows for self-correction.

The Exercise

I have been doing this at a walk for about a month now.  The delight has been that within each ride I notice positive changes and even from day to day I notice the positive changes have held -- and even continued in between the rides!  Like, the horses are even better the next day than when I got off the previous day.  This is a simple awareness exercise done in laps, separated by a diagonal.

  • Lap 1 -- pick a limb -- in your corresponding limb and in the horses limb, cycle continuously through  
    • intracellular awareness
    • transitional awareness
    • extracellular awareness
    • transitional awareness
  • Lap 2 -- pick a different limb -- in your corresponding limb and in the horses limb, repeat!
  • Laps 3 and 4 -- same thing, different limbs!

Between laps, when I switch diagonals, I enjoy the scenery -- ie. I'm not doing anything in particular except being happy I'm on a horse.

As time goes by, I am adding this in to other activities such as trotting, or lateral movements, or whatever.  The trick is to be able to ride well and be aware at the same time.

The Fluids and Awareness

Wondering about where these fluids are and how to be aware of them?!

Instead of the typical anatomy diagram, here's some mango, taro and coconut drinks to illustrate.  The beads within the drink represent cells.  The fluid inside the taro beads would be the intracellular fluids.  The coconut milk outside the taro beads represents the extracellular fluids.  On the membranes of the beads there is a permeable area where fluid transitions into the inside of the taro beads.  In the human body, fluid also transitions outward, creating a two way pulsation on the membrane of the cell.  This gushy area on the bead represents an area in the body where there is a two way flow of fluids.  While the fluids are transitioning between intracellular and extracellular locations,  they are referred to as the transitional fluids in Body Mind Centering.

 

Witnessing the changes is the key to creating the change.  Getting to a place of witnessing the changes is perhaps a lifelong journey!  Since the start of Centered Riding, quieting the critic has been part of the approach and the books by Tim Galwey have been recommended.  As time has gone on, I have come to appreciate more and more how this is necessary, and perhaps even sufficient, for creating positive change.  As you play with learning and doing, notice how witnessing affects what is happening.

Your skill at witnessing and being aware is built up through the doing of it.  It takes a little bit of sticking with it to get the hang of it.

All of this is done with 'agreement.'  You're basically agreeing with your body, "I have this concept/picture in my head that we'll use to communicate about this fluid.  How the concept/picture/sensation changes represents different aspects of the fluid."

When becoming aware of the fluids, it's ok to start with a big picture.  There are a g'zillion cells in the body, but to begin with, maybe pretend you can tap into seven or eight of them in your arm.  Pick one of the fluids and begin exploring it.   

For instance, how light/dark is the representation?  Is it uniformly light/dark or are there variations?  If there are variations, where are they?

What kind of texture is there?  density?  sound?  do these things change?  are there rhythms?  If so, what are they?  

After you've played with one of the fluids, play with another one, asking similar questions, so that you eventually have explored and gathered information about the fluid inside the cells, the fluid transitioning in and out of them, and the fluid around them.

I found there were also emotions associated with the different fluids -- which may not be universal, so which emotions aren't so important.  The trick is to explore the fluids by asking the gestalt brain to morph the concept and then maintain an awareness of what the representation is doing and what is happening in the bodies.

Things to Play With

Order of Awareness -

After getting the hang of the basic rotation, I found it helpful to switch awareness from intracellular to extracellular and then to be aware of them both at the same time -- which then delineated the boundaries between them.  After doing this, I would sometimes become aware of the 'breathing' of the cells caused by simultaneous influx and egress of fluids.  Other times it would help to be aware only of the flow of fluids leaving the cells or entering the cells.

Different Structures -

One way to play with this is to identify different types of cells -- cells in muscles, cells in bones, cells in blood.  Each of these types of cells are different and yet they all also have fluid inside, outside, and transitioning.

If it's easier to be aware of your bones, maybe start with those cells.  Or if it's easier to be aware of your muscles, start with those cells.

Globs -

As I did this, I noticed there were areas where the extracellular fluid could not go  -- sort of globs of stuck together cells.  By taking my awareness to the flow of the transitional fluid and the movement of the cell membranes as part of this movement, the squeezing and squishing that occurs as some fluid is going in while other fluid is going out, I was able to facilitate spaces within the globs which then allowed for greater freedom and self-correction.

Different images -

As you play with this, you will come up with more of your own concepts.

I found that thinking of a hearty stew with potatoes and carrots in it helpful.  Especially as the broth was thick and supportive.  
Another image I had fun with was one of animated mice running in and out of huts.  It was easy to imagine mice in huts, mice leaving and entering their huts, and mice running around outside their huts to represent the intracellular, transitional, and extracellular fluids.

Going Really Big - Sometimes I would imagine the horse and myself to be the cell.

It is not the image that matters so much as the ability to receive information through the concept.

 


Have Fun!
L

 
Copyright © 08/22/2018 Lynn S. Larson 

Are you looking for something more in your riding?  Something that really connects the inside and the outside?
I've studied horse and human anatomy for twenty five years.  I started with Centered Riding and that is solidly based upon how bodies work and how brains process information.  I know Alexander, Feldenkrais, Trigger Point, myofascial, Ortho-bionomy, how to develop resistance training programs, and more recently I am incorporating concpets from Body-Mind-Centering.  I've done yoga for more than forty years, studied (and used) the chakra and meridian systems for over twenty.  Sometimes I don't go into theory because in the middle of a lesson it would detract from the practical learning of how to ride, but I do clinics where I share this information along with how to incorporate it into your training program.  And if you really don't mind listening to me yak forever, I can easily do that during a lesson, too.  It's just most folks want to ride!  

 

Copyright © 11/30/17 - present Lynn S. Larson
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