We focused on the core this week, although almost every asana and vinyasa between asanas involves using one’s core. May you move in your core power with a little help from the following practice! š
Bird-dog curl (Tuesday) or Downward facing dog to plank curl (Thursday)
Breathe out with the curl, and move slowly and deliberately. “Cinch” your waist as though tightening a belt around it.Move into 3-legged plank pose first, then curl knee either to nose, or one or other elbow. Press ground away with hands and arch back during curl. Exhale on the curl.
Vasisthasana | Side plank on elbow (Tuesday) or on hand (Thursday)
Keep body in straight line – hips have a tendency to fall back in this pose. Be sure to keep elbow below shoulder, and press well into edge of forearm. Use lower oblique to lift lower hip and ankle.This variation is the classic side plank, but only practice it if your wrist is not unhappy here. Holding the toe o the upper leg is a more advanced option. Be sure to not let the hips swing back.
Placing a block between legs helps one avoid over-using glutes. Keeping chin in chest prevents neck issues from being exacerbated.Keep thighs rolling towards one another, and place soles of feet on floor.
LolasanaĀ
Curl into C-shape, with bellybutton lifting up into spine. If possible, pull feet off floor.
Block under sacrum, extended leg(s): A greatĀ counterpose to all the abdominal work is to place the block underĀ the sacrum. Adding the leg lifts shifts the pose into another core working asana.
Raise one leg to hip height, then raise it higher. If you can balance on block without using shoulders, raise one leg and place foot of other leg on thigh, sliding foot down extended leg.
Continuing on with our summer yoga for riders course, we turn our attention to the core. To me, ācoreā means the entire cylinder of the trunk around the belly button area – both above and below it – not just the external layer of abdominals over the belly, as “core” is often used in popular parlance. Because of this, the psoas muscles, which we addressed last week, can also be thought of as part of the core, since they run right through it. Truthfully, we are almostĀ always toning the core when we practice yoga asanas (postures), unless we are doing restorative work only.
As riders, we need a core that is both stable and supple. Too much stability leads to stiffness (usually in the form or a tight lower back and psoas), which leads to one bouncing all over the saddle and horse’s back. Too little core leads to “wiggliness” (usually due to weak deep abdominal muscles), which leads to giving confusing signals to the horse, lack of balance, and inability to use the seat independently (and the likelihood of simply falling off should the horse move a little too suddenly!). Both of these problems tend to be addressed by focusing our work on the deep abdominal muscles, theĀ transversusĀ abdominis, because having tone here allows effort to be distributed throughout the core area, and the back and psoas muscles to not work quite so hard.
Although we haven’t discussed the chakras, or energy centers of the body, much in our course yet, the bellybutton area also happens to be the location of theĀ manipura* chakra, which is believed by many practitioners to be the seatĀ of self-confidence, willpower, and assertiveness. In other words, having tone in the core allows one to stand (or sit!) in oneās own dignity – and who wouldn’t want that?
(*As an aside: autocorrect kept insisting that it really ought to be the manicure chakra… sometimes, one just appreciates a laugh – good for the core! ;-))
Read on for this week’s selections from our class practices.
Warmup: Tuesday’s practitioners may wish to practice cat/cow a few times to warm up the core, while Thursday’s practitioners may wish to move from downward facing dog to high plank a few times (or through sun salute A).
Bird-dog balance, then curl knee to nose: opposite leg and hand are up in the air.
Breathe out with the curl, and move slowly and deliberately. “Cinch” your waist as though tightening a belt around it. .
Thursday only: Adho muka svananasana variation/three-legged downward facing dog -> three-legged plank -> curl knee to nose. Variation is to take knee first to one elbow, then to other elbow (twist).
Move into 3-legged plank pose first, then curl knee either to nose, or one or other elbow. Press ground away with hands and arch back during curl. Exhale on the curl.
Thursday only: Flip the dog -> upward facing tabletop
Remember to bend the leg remaining on the ground, so that ball of that foot can swivel. Organize your legs once in tabletop so the the feet are parallel and hip width apart.
Vasistasana/side plank on forearm. Variation is to bring elbow of top arm to bottom wrist.
Be sure to keep feet-hips-shoulders in straight line. Lift whole bottom leg off floor, and press down side of wrist to floor. Ā If bringing top elbow to bottom wrist, exhale on the downward motion.
Supported setu bandha sarvangasana/supported bridge pose with block, dynamic,Ā to ensure deep core engagement and relaxation of gluteal muscles.
Place block between thighs, then press knees over feet, drawing hips up. Hold block as lightly as possible without dropping while moving hips up and forward, down and back. Keep shoulders relaxed and breathe! š
Constructive rest, two legged twist.
Shoulders really want to get engaged while moving in and out of the twist, so keep monitoring them so that they don’t do the work instead of the core. Keep knees well tucked up and together. Breathe out during the movement, both going down and up.
Happy core practicing, everyone! Your ponies (not to mention your back, hips, and self-confidence) will thank you for it. š
(Follow the links in this post for additional information on each topic. Happy learning!)
How many times have you found yourself holding your breath while trying to learn something new, such a half-pass or gymnastics combination? Yes? Most of us have š
One of the gifts offered by yoga is learning how to breathe well, move, and perform at the same time. Importantly, we inhale and exhale with the mouth closed in yoga. Unlike exercise, such as running or pilates, yoga teaches practitioners how to meet stress with calm by activating the parasympathetic nervous system through breath.
In the first classes of our Tuesday and Thursday Yoga for Equestrians courses, we are focusing on the importance of connecting breath (prana, the life force) with movement. We also learn how to practice Ujjayi Breathing, Victorious Breath, a form of pranayama, or breath control, most used in theĀ Ashtanga Yoga tradition, the form of yoga with which I began my journey over 20 years ago. Here are three simple and safe ways that one can practice breathing and moving:
Wave BreathingĀ is safe for everyone, and can be practiced by cupping the knees or holding the backs of the thighs if that is a challenge. Exhale – knees in. Inhale – knees out.Ā
Cat/CowĀ (or, for us: Cat/Sway Backed Horse!) is another good warm up for the spine and practice of connecting breath and movement. Really push the ground away and create a “Halloween Cat” with your back, including tucking the tailbone under (often, riders’ lower backs are tight and can benefit greatly from this movement). Keep elbows straight in Cow pose and draw the shoulders back.Ā Exhale –Ā round to Cat. Inhale – extend to Cow.Ā
Swan Dive to Rag Doll Rollup allows the back to stretch nicely and for the prana to really wake up (I’m embedding the link to the FB post of it, as the video is too large to upload to this blog). Engage your abdominal muscles well in all the movements. If your back bothers you, keep your knees bent even on the “dive” forward and down, and/or support yourself by putting your hands on your thighs, as is shown later in the video. Inhale – reach up.Ā Exhale – swan dive. Inhale and exhale as you slowlyĀ stack each vertebra onĀ theĀ now under it and round up to standing.
