The photo above shows a gorgeous property (currently for sale) in Burgundy which covers 11 acres and includes stables, bridle paths and other minor amenities such as a manor house, chateau and tower “guesthouse”… here is a link for those of you who like to dream.
Have I been procrastinating lately, mulling over which would be the best subject for a post…? Possibly, but as I collected all my current books, videos, magazines and DVDs from around the apartment into a stack here, it occurred to me that I have been quite busy consuming information and connecting ideas -- reading, watching DVDs, looking up information on the internet, researching possible seminars and trips (all revolving around or somehow connected with riding a horse!). Here is a list of items gathered up:
Zen & Horseback Riding Applying the Principles of Meditation to Riding Horses, by Tom Nagel
Horse Gaits, Balance and Movement by Susan E. Harris
Ride From Within --Use Tai Chi Principles to Awaken Your Natural Balance and Rhythm, by James Shaw
Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery, Eric Franklin
Ride the Right Horse --Understanding the Core Equine Personalities & How to Work with Them, Yvonne Barteau
Animals in Translation --Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, Temple Grandin
The Mindbody Prescription – Healing the Body, Healing the Pain, John Sarno, MD
Craniosacral Therapy and the Energetic Body, Roger Gilchrist
Dressage in Harmony, Walter Zettl
The Complete Horse and Rider, Alois Podhajsky
Jin Shin Jyutsu for Your Animal Companion, Adele Leas
BodySense - Revolutionize Your Riding with the Alexander Technique, Sally A. Tottle
Albinus on Anatomy, Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle
and of course, Centered Riding and Centered Riding II, Sally Swift
DVD: 2006 Centered Riding Symposium, including presentations on the history of CR, The Rider's Seat (by Tom Nagel, mentioned above), Feldenkrais and CR, Tai Chi, Rider Biomechanics, Natural Horsemanship, Alexander Body Work and Life Skills!
DVD: The Visible Horse, Susan Harris & Peggy Brown
DVD: Moving Naturally, A Portrait of Marj Barstow (Nebraska Public Television, 1981)
DVD: GAIAM - Balance Ball Exercise Sampler: Strengthen core muscles, improve balance and posture
Magazine: Aikido Today with an article about a black belt test by an equestrian which incorporated riding!
Here is my Google Book List which I use to keep track of favorite books.
However, I recommend ordering horse-related books from Trafalgar Square Books.
upcoming blog posts:
-video footage of Marj Barstow, at age 82, effortlessly making her way from the ground to the back of her horse and riding on her Nebraska ranch (in a lope – that’s a Western canter, right?) – technical challenges are keeping me from realizing this post… but it will soon be possible
-habit & change
-my urban laboratory – using the City’s challenging environment
-the psoas is where it’s at
-the center
I think I know something about what it means to be grounded when my feet are actually touching the ground. It is about my connection to the earth and my relationship with gravity. Sometimes I am aware that it includes a sensation of weight and stability, but with an inherent quality of ease. Sometimes it speaks to me of calm simplicity. When I have a heightened awareness of the present moment I sense my ground, and then often notice that I am centered and balanced as well. I might feel that I am breathing in through the soles of my feet. It’s an experience of aliveness. These are some aspects of what it means to me to be grounded, at least while standing on the earth, walking on the streets of New York or on the aikido mat.
However, this connection to the earth is not something which can be "achieved." It comes most often when we stop doing and trying and just notice “what is.” It's a quality of awareness, not an act of will. At least one aikido Sensei has told us that we don’t have to try to be grounded -- we already are naturally grounded. We just need to allow ourselves that luxury -- by getting out of our own way. Alexander Technique shows us that being grounded is part of our natural coordination; young children and animals don’t have to work on their grounding -- they experience it directly, without interference from habitual tension patterns.
So, sometimes my training and awareness allow me to suspend my effort or "doing" for a while and experience my connection to the earth, my "being." But put me on a horse . . . and then what happens? It certainly brings me into a new relationship to the earth! And now my connection must be “wireless” so to speak. This connection is an energetic one, and even after years of practice and study of various martial and healing arts, this new energetic relationship is elusive. However, I am beginning to understand that I’m going to have to allow it to develop, through the use of the Centered Riding images and through diligent yet delicate repetition.
Sally Swift created many powerful images as part of her pedagogy. One is of a giant fir tree which, as you sit on the horse, rises majestically up through the center of your body and at the same time grows roots extending deep down into the earth. Another visualization allows your legs to extend all the way down to reach the ground from your seat on the horse, where you imagine bare feet with toes wiggling in the mud!
At the Centered Riding Symposium in Vermont earlier this month, Peggy Brown, a Level IV Centered Riding instructor, gave a vivid demonstration of the power of the imagery of centering and projecting intent. She said (while talking about Centered Driving) “I can project my center 3 feet in front of me {pause}; or I can project my center 10 feet in front of me {pause}; or I can project it to the back of the room {pause}; or into the parking lot outside the hotel” etc. -- and each time you felt her do what she said, and had no doubt whatsoever that she certainly could project her center (energy and intent) -- wherever she wanted! That demonstration assures me that I may also, eventually, learn to use this "thought power" which unites body and mind to create an energetic bridge, to complete the circuit from my seat on the horse, down to the earth -- to the ground.
Definitions, Terms & Food for Thought
Ground (Science: physics) a conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electric circuit.
A ground is a direct electrical connection to the earth, a connection to a particular point in an electrical or electronic circuit, or an indirect connection that operates as the result of capacitance between wireless equipment and the earth or a large mass of conductive material.
Electrical grounding is important because it provides a reference voltage level (called zero potential or ground potential) against which all other voltages in a system are established and measured. An effective electrical ground connection also minimizes the susceptibility of equipment to interference . . . eliminates electrostatic buildup that can damage system components . . . In effect, an electrical ground drains away any unwanted buildup of electrical charge. When a point is connected to a good ground, that point tends to stay at a constant voltage, regardless of what happens elsewhere in the circuit or system. The earth, which forms the ultimate ground, has the ability to absorb or dissipate an unlimited amount of electrical charge.
Wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path.
