sacred space

The photograph used to illustrate the first entry "the dream" was chosen for its qualities of poise, balance, suspension and stillness in movement and the cathedral-like expanse of space between the rider and the rafters of the riding arena. The rider is Annelie Andersson-Beck on her horse, Sober (Swedish for "elegant"). I met Annelie at my very first Centered Riding Clinic at the end of August and we each recognized in the other a kindred spirit. She looked at me and said 'I hear you practice Aikido!' and I looked at her and said 'and you ride dressage!' She is a Centered Riding instructor and a competitive dressage and event rider. She had encountered several riding books which mentioned Aikido. One of them was "Horsemanship Through Life" by Mark Rashid.

The experience described in the poem was really in my dream (and is my dream) and I woke up with the phrase 'Riding Between Heaven & Earth' reverberating through me. For me the dream foreshadows the experience of integrating my Aikido training and Alexander Technique experience into my riding. In Aikido we use a number of breathing and awareness exercises to remind us that the center of our being is really the confluence of the vast energies in the center of which we are blessed to be standing.

The photograph above was taken by Maureen Gallatin; I am shown getting to know her beautiful horse, Calvin. Maureen attended the Centered Riding Instructor's clinic in North Carolina this past weekend where I had been invited by Susan Harris (Level IV Senior Centered Riding Instructor) to supply the Alexander Technique component of the program in addition to participating as a student rider for the CR instructors to practice their teaching skills. Maureen's website is Inspired By Horses, and she believes that horses have the potential to inspire and enoble us with their own natural nobility.

As I drove back towards Charlotte after my weekend of immersion in CR, I felt that I had received true grace in my experiences during those three days. Just as an Aikido dojo (place of practice) is considered a sacred space where learning and experimentation unfold under the watchful eye of a Sensei (master teacher), assisted by the senior students, I felt a similar atmosphere in the riding arena -- that it was a laboratory of learning and acceptance. And I felt truly seen and acknowledged and regarded as a precious gem, or maybe as a precious infant -- with potential recognized and nurtured and protected.

The people I am meeting through Centered Riding are so very impressive in their dedication to teaching and learning without ego and their obvious love and respect for individuals, the horse and for the relationship between horse and rider. In addition, they express a beautiful balance between dedication to serious and complete education and a lighthearted sense of humor which permeates these clinics and makes them so joyous!

I am honored to have found this community so early in my riding experience and I am quite at peace knowing that each Centered Riding Clinic strives to create a sacred space where we can all explore Sally Swift's work in a safe, supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere.