Equi.yoga

08/26/2021

Super excited to be teaching Clinics this week in the Hamptons! Stay turned for lots of great posts on tips to incorporate Rider Biometrics and Yoga into your riding! 🙏
𝓫𝓪𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 • 𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 • 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓸𝓷𝔂

06/22/2021

𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆, 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗 𝑬𝒒 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓? 😆 Let me introduce you to 𝙈𝙮 favorite asana, or pose: 𝗛𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗸 lengthens your legs and provides a gentle stretch in your hamstrings. The loop of the strap creates a counter-pressure from your head to your foot. Balanced and supportive, this pose is easy enough for a beginner, but everyone will benefit! 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙏𝙧𝙮: Begin by making a large loop with your yoga strap. Lying on your mat, carefully place one end at the base of your skull, not your neck! Imagine where the bottom edge of a baseball cap would go. Bend your right knee and place the other end of the strap under the balls of your toes (not the arch of your foot). Extend the leg straight up as if you were trying to walk on the underside of the clouds and adjust the strap length as needed until your strap is taught but you can still straighten your leg. Your head, neck and shoulders will be off the mat. This is a deeply relaxing and restorative pose so stay as long as you wish 😉 but be sure to do both sides! I've actually had clients drop their irons two holes because their legs felt so much longer!
🙏 Namaste my fellow equestrians and happy trails!

05/21/2021

"When 𝙮𝙤𝙪 doubt your power, you 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍 to your doubt" ~ Diane von Furstenberg 🧘‍♀️
Ready to harness your power? When it comes to empowering postures, 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐞, also referred to as ‘𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆’ would be in the top ten. The arms are at shoulder length and spread wide and muscles of the back are engaged. The body is taking up more space and the mind therefore is feeling more confident and powerful. Shown here is the upper half of the pose, or goddess arms, with a high lunge. Goddess arms can be added to many yoga poses to increase the power and intensity. As 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 we benefit from riding with our shoulder blades activated and coming together, while the tops of our shoulders relax down, releasing tension in our arms, chest open and strong, with even seat bones. Sound familiar? That's exactly what we activate in this pose! Try it and see how it effects your workout and your riding!
🙏 Namaste my fellow equestrians and have a great weekend!

04/23/2021

𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙐𝙥 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 Want to boost your brain power? Inversions increase the blood flow to the brain, giving it more oxygen and nutrients and making the brain function faster and better. This improves concentration, memory, observation and boosts clear thinking. It also reduces stress and can reduce swelling in your legs and ankles. However it can also increase blood pressure & eye pressure, and slow your heart. So be sure you have the 👌 from a medical professional first! An easy inversion pose or 𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒂 is 𝓥𝓲𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓪 𝓚𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓲, or 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒔-𝒖𝒑-𝒕𝒉𝒆-𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒍. You can actually use a wall or no wall. Lying on your back, fold a towel and place it under the small of your back. Inhale bend your knees to your chest and exhale them straight up to the sky. Protect your knees with a microbend and activate your feet so that they are flat to the sky. Hold for 5-20 min. Start with a few slow deep breaths, and then relax and let everything go. To come out of the pose, bring knees to chest, roll over to one side, relax there for a few minutes, and then press yourself into an upright position.
~ Enjoy the Weekend & the Refreshed version of you! ~
I'll be doing this to relax and prepare for a horseshow this weekend 😆! What are your plans for the weekend?
🙏 Namaste my fellow yogis and equestrians

04/06/2021

𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐞𝐬 can really take a toll on your riding and body! The Piriformis muscle stabilizes the hip joints, allows us to rotate our thighs, and allows us to shift our weight. Without these abilities, when we shift our weight or lengthen our leg on one side, the opposite side moves up and/or out in response, instead of being independent. Piriformis issues also are the main culprit for Sciatic nerve pain in many athletes. A great 𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪, or pose, to help maintain Piriformis health is 𝓢𝓾𝓹𝓽𝓪 𝓟𝓪𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪, or 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞. Now You Try:
• Lie supine on the floor, legs strongly extended
• Loop a strap around the arch of the left foot and hold the strap in both hands. Inhale and straighten the knee, pressing the left heel up toward the ceiling
• You can stay here for the stretch, or slowly lower to the left side
• Hold for 1-3 min and slowly raise back up, release by bending the knee toward the chest and removing strap
• Repeat other side.
Sorry it's been so long since the last post but with the warming weather business has been crazy! Thank you all for your support and happy riding.
🙏 Namaste

03/08/2021

👉 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜...Happy  to all the boss 'shequines' out there! Celebrate the little successes that happen everyday and don't compare your journey to anyone else's. Whatever fears you may have is just as big and scary as the next person's and to show up, face those fears, and overcome them is just as courageous as tackling any Grand Prix course or test!

03/08/2021

👉 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚂𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜...Happy to all the boss 'shequines' out there! Celebrate the little successes that happen everyday and don't compare your journey to anyone else's. Whatever fears you may have is just as big and scary as the next person's and to show up, face those fears, and overcome them is just as courageous as tackling any Grand Prix course or test!

02/25/2021

𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲? Yes! This client is doing a pose, or 𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪, called Pigeon while seated on her horse. She is calm and practicing diaphragmatic breathing. Look at her horse, he has fallen asleep! And it's not because he is bored standing there. He was in an open Polo field on a very cold and windy day. Not this horse's favorite m.o.! But he was absorbing and then reflecting the rider's energy. Fun Fact: 💁‍♀️ Humans emit chemical signals through our sweat and our skin that horse's can smell. Horses will pick up on your nervous energy and some may start looking for whatever you are afraid of. The great news is that they can also pick up on your calm energy! 🧘‍♀️ Focusing on breathing while releasing the stiffness and tension from your body will help both your mood and your riding. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙏𝙧𝙮: Use deep diaphragmatic breaths that pull the air down and expand your stomach. Count 1, 2, 3, 4 as you breathe in, holding your breath for the same 4 count, and then exhaling. Repeat several times to for a very calming effect. Also practicing mindfulness will bring your thoughts back to the present and can stop the negative chatter in your mind!
🙏 Namaste my fellow equestrians!

02/07/2021

𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧!
So proud of this student today! Swipe left to see the difference in 2 short months. How did EquiYoga sessions help? We incorporated poses or 𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓼 that target the psoas and glutes to enable her body to properly achieve hip dissociation (movement of the hip without excessive movement of everything else! 😉). In the posting trot the psoas controls the downward motion while the glutes create the upward motion. This is a new concept for many riders who engage the quads or knees which results in posting in your stirrups or pinching at the knees, both which result in the swinging of the legs. 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙧𝙮: Incorporate different poses into your daily routine. You can scroll through my feed to find lots. Next, when you ride, focus your awareness on your psoas and glutes. See if you can isolate those areas and feel them working. Be aware if you feel your legs swinging or have a friend watch. If you are, continue to post focusing on those isolated muscles and keeping the upper body relatively still and relaxed. You are creating new muscle memories so it may feel awkward at first, but keep at it. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆!
Happy Riding ~ Namaste 🙏

01/21/2021

01/21/2021

🐎𝟭𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
This variation of 𝓐𝓷𝓳𝓪𝓷𝓮𝔂𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪 is every equestrians best friend! Hold for a minimum of 30 seconds on each side and you'll feel as if your legs grew an inch. The key is to allow your straight leg to hang long ~ no gripping, and feel equal weight in both seat bones in your saddle. Keep chest and shoulders open, breathe, and relax into the pose.
𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝑫𝒐 𝑰𝒕? 🔽
Anjaneyasana Benefits:
🐴 Stretches the hips on the back leg.
🐴 Opens the hip flexors & strengthens the hip extensors.
🐴 Stretches the psoas muscles.
🐴 Strengthens the quads, glutes & hamstrings.
🐴 Builds strength for the muscles that support the knee.
Whew! That is one multitasking asana!
🧘‍♀️ Neighmaste my fellow equestrians.

01/07/2021

𝙇𝙚𝙜 𝙔𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 ~ This sweet boy was so 𝒁𝒆𝒏 after the unmounted yoga portion of our session that he was falling asleep 😆 while his owner introduced a crinkly water bottle all over him to work on a little desensitization.  We then focused on leg yielding which is one 🔑 to maintaining a straight horse.  The aids in the leg yield require communication between the inside aids and the outside aids asking the horse to yield to the side while also  continuing forward and maintaining straightness.  To help encourage a nice, long leg and open hip flexor, we included 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙋𝙤𝙨𝙚, or 𝓝𝓪𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓳𝓪𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓪.  𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗧𝗿𝘆:
•Exhale bend your left knee, bringing your left foot to the buttock, and hold the outside of your left foot with the left hand. Firm the right hip in and engage your right thigh and knee to make the standing leg strong. 
•Keep the torso upright, the chest open and lengthen your tailbone down. As you inhale, push the left foot back into the hand, raising the leg so the thigh bone ends up parallel to the floor and the lower leg in a right angle with the thigh bone and vertical with the floor. You can lift your right arm up in front of you, parallel to the floor or a little higher next to the ear, even gently on your horse!
•Stay for 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the other side. Happy !  Namaste 🙏
Common Sense Disclaimer: Seek the advice of a physician before starting any exercise program.