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."

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

soft eyes, big picture

Judith Cross-Strehlke made a deep impression on me during her Centered Riding clinic a few weeks ago at Woodbine Equestrian in Southern New Jersey. Her self-contained manner, powerfully quiet presence, and generous way of tuning into each and every one of us was very inspiring.

Judy also offered me a comment in private which caused me to take a deep breath, step back so to speak, and begin to open my perspective on this process of learning to ride. She suggested that I use more “soft eyes” in relation to my whole approach to learning. Suddenly I was acutely aware of how my enthusiasm, focus and determination had subtly evolved into over-thinking, overly critical over-analysis and a kind of grasping or over-reaching.

With a sigh of relief, I decided to relinquish my hard focus and give myself the luxury of non-doing, just being with the whole idea of horses and riding for a while. No list of books to read, no blog to write. I let go and stepped back, catching myself over and over in the habitual response of asking myself “what should I be doing now?” It took the form of “I’m sure there is a book to read, a thought to get down on paper, a video to order, a clinic or course to sign up for, an image to invoke…” Each time a thought of this type surfaced, I was reminded to breathe, and out would come an audible sigh. Then I would remember to ask myself, “ wait a minute, what is the bigger picture?” 

A week of this “let’s open up to the big picture” approach turned into two, with a couple of days which masqueraded as a mild flu -- of simply sitting on the sofa, reflecting. What is the hurry? What am I really trying to learn? During this retreat on the sofa I was drawn to the Magic Eye (stereogram) books loaned to me by a friend. I had “tried” to use them a number of years ago and was never able to allow my focus to soften enough to enter their 3-D world. A week or so before the clinic I had my first experience of allowing the depth of the images to be revealed to me. Now I couldn’t seem to get enough of the peaceful place where the process of softening my vision took me. One way to learn how to see the stereograms is to start with the image directly touching your nose and allow your eyes to keep the same diffuse focus as you slowly move the image farther away.

The tendency for most of us is to try harder to see something, which I notice goes along with a tension in the neck and jaw and a holding of breath. What a good metaphor for the new approach I was exploring. What a wonderful biofeedback tool for soft eyes. And as I discovered very quickly when teaching the Alexander Technique to the Centered Riding instructors last autumn, most of them immediately released tension in their head/neck relationship at the mere mention of using soft eyes.

If you would like to learn more and try it for yourself, visit: The Magic Eye image of the week. In addition to reminding me to soften my approach and expand my vision of riding, Judy also shared much detailed information and instruction during the clinic. We are already making plans to see her again soon and other ideas from her teaching will be making their way into my reflections here.

Judy rode several horses during the clinic; above she is shown with Chloe, a sweet and beautiful Andalusian mare. Watching her make an immediate connection to Chloe and proceed to ride with seeming effortlessness reminded me of a phrase we use when describing several of our aikido master instructors: “no moving parts.” It really just means that they are so integrated, functioning with such harmony, that we cannot see how they do what they are doing!

being there / here

When I am feeling a bit discouraged during those seemingly endless stretches of time between our (mostly) weekly riding lessons, I take heart from quotes like the ones below (excerpts from an article regarding Mark Rashid for U.K. Magazine written by Kathleen Lindley).

“The best tool in the world for working with horses is us, our body and mind, and we have it with us 24 hours a day to practice with. Most of us spend a relatively short period of time every day with our horses, but we still have hours and hours in which to practice our horsemanship. How we live our life is how we’ll work with our horse. If we live our lives in turmoil, hurry and frustration, then we’re likely to find those things present when we work with our horses. If, rather, we live our lives deliberately, consciously and in a centered way, we’ll find our horse work reflects that as well.” 

Conversely, after spending even a brief amount of time around a horse, I notice a change in my state of being. My step has an unaccustomed weight and my breathing more of a quiet depth. I am more attuned to the subtleties of an interaction. Sometimes I’m sporting an ear-to-ear grin which subsides to a subtle smile. When I find myself back in the city, the memory of my last ride can bring some of this state back to me, causing me to slow down and be more present, and often expanding my vision and awareness as I remember to use soft eyes or allow more fullness in breathing.

“For Rashid, horsemanship is a way of life and a way to be. The best place to practice horsemanship, he says, is outside the arena, while driving or at work or with one’s children. We can practice being soft, breathing, awareness and patience anywhere, and then simply bring them to our horsemanship instead of trying to summon those things when we’re with our horse without practice.” Mark Rashid discovered aikido after many years of experience with horses. A gifted storyteller, his books are all instructive and inspirational and one of them, Horsemanship Through Life, draws direct parallels between aspects of aikido training and riding horses.

Above, once again we see Calvin, the horse I found so special at the Centered Riding Instructors’ clinic in North Carolina last autumn. Auditing the clinic was a teacher of natural horsemanship, who spent quite a bit of time working what I considered “magic” on Calvin, although he did very little which I could actually see. He would hold Calvin’s rapt attention while often seeming to feign disinterest. Their connection was very palpable, if not easily described. Something about his way of being present.