Page 11 - CR NEWS Summer 2020

Self-Bodywork to Improve Balance
This hands-free exercise can be done on a horse, a wooden horse (i.e. an Alexander horse), or a barrel. You can even do it sitting on a firm chair.
At the halt, teeter-totter on your seat bones, noting they are like little rockers. Rock a little forward, a little back, come to upright from the less familiar place (too far forward or too far back). Notice that you grip if you are too far forward or back. Do your legs release excess tension when you are in balance, or in “neutral” position?
Now, bring your attention to your head.
Note that the first vertebra of your spine, the atlas, at the base of your skull, allows your head to rock on little rockers, too. Let your nose get a little heavy, then think of having a very heavy ponytail, finding a balance where your head lightly balances on your neck. Your neck should feel free, not contracted in front, in back or to either side.
Focus on your head again, remembering that it weighs about as much as a bowling ball (16 pounds or 7.25 kilograms).
Allow that weight to travel down through the middle of your spine.
In your mind’s eye, follow the weight through the curves of your head and spine.
• The back of your head curves back,
• Your neck curves slightly forward,
• Your thoracic spine and ribs curve gently back,
• Your lumbar spine curves forward,
• Your sacrum, slightly back.
• Letthatweightsplitthroughyourseat bones and drop to the ground through your legs.
Can you then ALLOW the dropping of that weight to create a rebound, sending the top of your head up and a little forward.
If you are on a horse, go forward into walk. Pay attention to your following seat, and explore how allowing the weight of your head to move through your spine in motion helps you to find a new balance to your building blocks.n
Gail Field is a Level IV Centered Riding clinician and chair of the Level IV Committee. Gail lives in Center Moriches, New York.
By Gail Field
CONGRATULATIONS!
The following Centered Riding Instructors have successfully upgraded to:
Level II:
Nora Contzen – Germany
Bernadette Jochum – Germany
Joëlle de Sterke – The Netherlands
Kicky Van Loon – The Netherlands
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