Customer Reviews

Yoga & Riding Volume 2: Breathing and Relaxation Techniques for Equestrians

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This DVD is for riders interested in learning how hatha yoga can be directly integrated into their routines, such as fitting in a short practice before leaving home to go riding, warming up at the barn, and even practicing yoga on the horse! It is an introduction to the breathwork and bodywork inherent in yoga, something that many equestrians are unfamiliar with. The 3-part program will help students blend conscious breathing with movement, and introduces "skilled relaxation" methods, such as the rider-specific guided visualization in "Corpse Pose" that comes at the end of the DVD's first segment - an unmounted routine to practice at home.

Yoga techniques are also presented as a rider warm-up in the DVD's second segment, illustrating how easy it is to practice outdoors at the stables. This encourages riders to breathe, stretch, center, and relax before getting on. As in any sport, a warm-up improves performance...and in riding, improvements made by the rider also benefit the horse's performance. Because conscious breathing is a skill not many students are taught in riding lessons, it is an imporant lesson to learn from the DVD. Breath control is presented on the ground first, then in motion on the horse.

Many riding students can surely relate to the experiences of the young female rider that demonstrates mounted yoga during a longe lesson in halt, walk, and trot in the DVD's third segment. While it is evident that her body is in motion, her seat moves with the horse as he can be seen stretching over his back, undisturbed under the rider's adhesive following seat. Her upper body shows some instability, which is acknowledged during the session, and it is clearly something she is working to improve. Although the demo rider is a novice, she sufficiently demonstrates mounted yoga exercises while sitting the trot without reins or stirrups - a challenging test of skill for novices of any age.

For equestrians that wish to improve "feel" and better connect with the horse, this DVD offers simple, practical techniques for developing two of the most essential rider basics: breathing and relaxation.

I was very disappointed with this DVD. If you have done any yoga before you already know what is in this DVD. Working with the breath is the foundation in yoga. The rider in this DVD is floppy and not properly seated so therefore not moving with the horse. I would not recommend it.