Channeling Energy for Riding

This is what's different about Centered Riding

This morning I cracked open my Centered Riding book!  Here's the excerpt that caught my eye:

slightly modified page 135 of Centered Riding by Sally Swift, illustration by Susan Harris

Over the years I keep wondering, "How do I really explain the difference with Centered Riding?"  Everyone talks about 'leading the horse through example' and 'communicating with the horse' etc etc etc.

In Centered Riding this is done by becoming familiar with and adept at channeling the Ki (or Grace, or Ch'i, or  'the force').  

Sally encouraged all of us to take up Tai Ch'i so we'd become familiar with this and yet she also drew really strict lines about how far she'd go with it -- creating a little bit of tension, shall we say.  Personally, I pursued both marital arts including Shūdōkan in the late 80's, Tai Chi in the early 90's, and even going through Mu Sool Won to the level of brown belt two black stripes the 10's.  I also became a Reiki Master in '96.  The Reiki Master part was too far out there for Centered Riding!  It did, though, provide a lot more insight about what energy is and how it all fits together.  And I'm thinking the world in general is a little more open to the practicality of this, rather than relegating it to the halls of dojos and temples.

What inspires me about Sally's writing from all those years ago is the simple concept that Using Ki allows for more than what muscles alone could possibly do.  It allows for you and your horse to move together with a minimum of effort resulting in lightness, vigor, correctness, and beauty.

 Learning Centered Riding is all about learning how to do this.  You get these amazing rides.

Well...

So begins another new year!  (As I am chocked to see it's been nearly half a year since I wrote anything!)

have fun!  ask questions of yourself!  listen to the answers of your body.

And if you find this interesting, there is more where this came from!  Drop me an email: lynn@satoriconnections.com 

L

(ok, yeah... I saw all those exclamation marks!)

Are you looking for something more in your riding?  Something that really connects the inside and the outside? Sometimes a hands on experience can do a lot to clarify something written.
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 concepts 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!