don't try this at home

Especially the part at around 2:40!

And Aikido practitioners may especially enjoy the footage between 1:15 and 1:35 . . .

Stick with it to the end of the clip and you will hear the answer to the question, "how do you do this?"

Even if you don't speak Czechoslovakian, I would recommend visiting the website of Honza Blaha and viewing the amazing photos and video clips.

Link to English translation (automated, but you can get the idea) here.

inspiration from the heartland

So subtle is the communication between Stacy Westfall and her horse that one of my non-riding Alexander Technique colleagues half-jokingly commented to me: "how does she do that, telepathy?" I was expecting him to offer his unique perspective on the movement analysis -- as he usually does -- but in this case he was almost at a loss for words.

You see, it's just Stacy and her horse here -- no saddle, no bit or bridle, and no reins!

The video on YouTube circled the globe, and soon Stacy was "discovered" and even made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (which you can also view on YouTube)! Now the invitation I had been eyeing, to come spend some time at Westfall Horsemanship, has disappeared from the website and all the clinics offered are completely sold out -- I have a feeling I may have missed my window of opportunity here.

However, congratulations, Stacy! The recognition is certainly well-deserved, as I'm sure you will agree.

Take a look and see what you can "see."

a sport of kings

While visiting my daughter in Montana last month, where I found myself in some breathtakingly beautiful wild landscapes, I was inspired to purchase and devour a book called Falcon Fever by Tim Gallagher. It has only encouraged my love-affair with "my own" New York Red-tailed hawks.

One particularly vivid image from the book is a description of a falconer Gallagher met on a trip to the British Isles -- a former master of the Queen's cavalry, and a magnificent equestrian as one might imagine -- who galloped up at full speed while holding his falcon perfectly still on his gloved arm!

Enjoy this short video on the history of falconry, filmed in Wales, complete with charming accents, humor, heathered-moor scenery and accurate information too!

better living through imagery

“I don’t do images!” I heard one student say. Wait a minute, I’m at a Centered Riding® clinic I thought to myself. Why are they here if they don’t believe in the power of the images? Subsequent experience has shown me that CR recognizes that not all of the techniques and terminology work for every type of person. The beauty of the method is that it provides a very full toolbox of teaching techniques and encourages its teachers to sensitively adapt and experiment to find the best image or exercise for each situation.

Ideokinesis, from the Greek ideo (idea) and kinesis (movement), applies mental imagery to facilitate movement, improve body awareness and alignment and re-program movement patterns.

One website, Ideokinesis.com, recognizes Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®, as a pioneer of this work. Sally’s method for teaching the art of riding is filled with incredibly creative and vibrant images which encompass both horse and rider and are designed to help the rider find ever more subtle and integrated means of influencing the horse. These rely less on isolated muscular actions and more on thought power and visualization. They help the rider envision their interaction with the horse as a synergistic whole. The rider’s re-balancing, release of tension and clarity of intention are all reflected in the movement and behavior of their highly sensitive partner, the horse.

If you do “do” images you might wish to explore some of the rich literature of Ideokinesis (you will find an extensive bibliography at Ideokinesis.com). One classic work is The Thinking Body by Mabel Todd. I am enjoying the essays in Taking Root to Fly by Irene Dowd and the book quoted below on the work of André Bernard is very accessible. Many of the exercises utilize a supine position known as “constructive rest” (familiar to both Centered Riding and Alexander Technique students) where the body is placed in a neutral, non-doing state and the mind and neural pathways become activated by the various visualizations. Applying imagery to movement is also included, and much functional anatomical knowledge is incorporated as well.

Below are several brief excerpts culled from a reminiscence of the work of André Bernard by Ursula Stricker, from Ideokinesis – A Creative Approach to Human Movement and Body Alignment:

“’Think it, imagine it, let it happen.’ With his deep, warm voice, André Bernard guided us into the heart of ideokinesis, into constructive rest . . . Layer by layer I gained access to the deepest layer, the weight-bearing structure of the bones, and over time I developed a continuous awareness of my bones. Through aligning and balancing my skeletal structure, my behavior and work habits changed and many burdensome postural patterns loosened and melted away. . . . What became familiar as a meditative, creative path of body, alignment, and movement awareness began to weave itself naturally into the dance of daily life. Routine movements became clearer, lighter, and more flowing, which to me is essential to ‘quality of life.’”

The image above was taken at Thorncroft Equestrian Center in Malvern, PA where I contributed Alexander Technique teaching to Susan Harris' Centered Riding® Instructors’ clinic in early May. Please visit their website to see some of the many special people and horses who create the warm and peaceful atmosphere at this very special place.

the thrill of it all

Much has happened during my hiatus from this space and I finally feel refreshed and ready to share again. Encountered along the journey:

-The really big skies of Montana, pungent hot springs, yoga on horseback, BodyTalk
-A falconry penpal in Wyoming
-Eckart Meyners’ brilliant work
-Alexander Technique teaching at another Susan Harris’ Centered Riding® Instructors’ Clinic
-The honeymoon ends – first scare on horseback
-Josh Lyons, Craig Cameron and Pat Parelli do aikido with horses
-Winners of the first ten years of the World Cup competition in dressage
-Aikido of Missoula – Raso Hultgren leads with power and grace
-Taking Root to Fly – essays on ideokinesis by Irene Dowd

AND, “The Horse” pre-exhibit opening reception at The American Museum of Natural History, here in New York City:

Having so looked forward to attending the event, I somewhat naively took the instructions as to “derby attire” very much to heart and was convinced that everyone attending (the women at least!) would be wearing some kind of amazing hat. This was my very first adventure with floral headgear and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience – but I was a bit disappointed that more of my fellow New Yorkers did not join in the spirit. Thanks to Lisa Garrison for giving me the opportunity to be one of the first people to tour the exhibit and also for causing me to acquire such an amazing hat that I will surely have to attend at least a polo match, if not one of the Triple Crown events, and probably collect a few more vintage head pieces in the process.

The exhibit opens this weekend and runs through January 4, 2009.

“Well . . . , Debra once again did it, this time uplifting the entire museum going public by wearing a stunning flower hat, bought at a vintage clothing store earlier in the day, to the opening of "The Horse" at The American Museum of Natural History. Though "derby attire" was suggested on the invitation, I can assure you that the New Yorkers in attendance were conservatively dressed and that Debbie was the ONLY one who entered the event with the stylish energies of a thoroughbred! She truly did her homework - reviewing the website of the Kentucky Museum of Arts and Design and coming up with the time honored tradition of wearing smashing hats! What Fun!

There were a handful of hats and pastels at the event, but none drew so many comments (and photos). Nor did anyone else genuinely befriend the policemen and their horses guarding the steps, who bid farewell to Debra on a first name basis as we descended. I was honored to escort a true inquirer into equestrian matters to this opening!”
-- Lisa Stewart Garrison