Off-Horse exercise number four

I may look like I’m having a quick nap on the floor…and to be honest, being with my kids TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY for the past ELEVENTY THOUSAND WEEKS I nearly did drop off….😂
But I’m actually practicing my breathing. I know, I’ve mentioned it several times before, but it really IS important. You’d think that by the time most of us have reached adulthood that we’d be fairly good at it by now, but a lot of people (myself included) tend to let our bodies fall into very unhelpful patterns, as we just DON’T think about it consciously. 

Grab a book, and lie down on the floor. Feel free to grab a yoga mat or thick towel if this is uncomfortable. Pop the book to one side for a moment, and take a few minutes just to breathe. Don’t try and change anything, just notice how you’re breathing. What parts of you are moving, which muscles are working, what is lifting as you take air in to your lungs. 

So, which part is moving? Does your tummy rise, and your bottom ribs flare out? If so, you’re part of a lucky minority; you’ll find engaging your core and using calming breathing exercises relatively simple. If, like me, your chest rises and your shoulders head to your ears, you may find accessing your core and centring yourself (both physically AND mentally) much MUCH harder. If you really can’t tell, and you may not be able to, try placing the book on your chest for a few breaths, then on your stomach. When does it move? You could even ask someone else to watch or film you for clarity.

So if you’re a chest breather, and yoga/Pilates/meditation visualisations don’t really worn for you, place the book on your stomach, just below your ribs. See if you can send the air down there when you breathe in, and push the book up. Sometimes having a specific ‘thing’ to do with something like breathing can change patterns when just thinking about it doesn’t work. Practice this for a few minutes. Once you can get the book to move, try noticing what you’re doing to make it move. What’s working hard, which areas of muscle are you recruiting? Give it a description; it can be something daft like ‘making yourself fat’, as long as it makes sense to you. Practice finding that feeling again once you’re up off the floor.

So why does it matter, as long as you get some oxygen in? Well, an expert body worker could give you an exact answer, naming the correct muscles, and the effect it has on your well being. From a biomechanics point of view, unless you breathe into your belly you won’t be able to engage your core well, and if you manage it you certainly won’t be able to breathe very well at the same time! But it also has a huge effect for me on confidence; how many times have you been riding, and worried, and realised you’re not really breathing at all? Fear makes us tense up. If you can consciously control the speed and depth of your breathing, you stand a chance of being able to control your fear. And that will not only make you a happier, more effective rider, it will also help your horse remain calm too. 

(For homework – if you get the knack of this, the next time you see your horse, just stand next to them and breathe slowly into your belly for a few minutes and watch what happens. You’ll thank me 😊)