The photo: There are many keys to Steve’s success here with Oliver – riding down a lane way with a whole herd of loose horses first trotting and then galloping past – with Oliver so deeply connected that he stayed with Steve mentally, emotionally and physically. This was an iconic moment in proving their bond. And breathing is one of those keys to success. (Only one mind you! 🙂 ) The Buteyko breathing in this lesson and the Reverse Breathing that focuses on the outward breath and deepens your Inner Awareness that we teach in some of the Quiet Mind work both play a part in the communication of relaxation to your horse.
The Lesson
Oh well, we all breathe and it’s a pretty normal thing to do, hey? So how important can it be?
Well the RIGHT kind of breathing is incredibly important to those of us who aspire to be the best that we can be with our horses.
In this Program, Fast Track to Brilliant Riding, we have done the healing work that has released fright imprints which has released tensions in your body and we’ve learned this incredibly powerful and stable riding position that is knocking everyone’s socks off with your magnetized butt and how good you feel on your horse.
What the right kind of breathing can do is help you access your magnetized riding position under difficult circumstances – AND have the emotional stability that goes with that beautiful, stable riding position.
What this would mean is that – say you were competing, or someone was watching you, or you found yourself on a very difficult part of a trail or basically if there was anything that was going on with a higher energy than you are used to – then you can bring yourself into that powerful physical place in the saddle and the powerful emotional place in your mind – you can anchor yourself into that powerful and relaxed place with your breathing – and you will find the rest of your Program will help you to do just that.
So breathing becomes more than that thing that we do automatically to stay alive…
Breathing through your nose naturally and easily is an essential part of using your breath as an anchor like that and it’s very good for all kinds of health issues too. So here is a Youtube that will give you a way to breathe naturally and easily through your nose.
Here is a link to a very short public Youtube showing you The Buteyko Method of breathing.
I love his Irish accent, but if it is a bit much for some of you where English is a second language then just Google another video – there’s heaps of them out there.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to do that exercise 5 times, a few minutes apart, for 5 days in a row.
The health issues improved or even fixed by Buteyko breathing range from asthma (my uncle who spent vast amounts of his life on a machine, got rid of the machine and got a new lease on life with the Buteyko method) a reduction in allergies, improved dental hygiene (mouth breathing adversely affects your teeth) to…
DRUM ROLL PLEASE…
a reduction or even an elimination of snoring – all the way to reducing or eliminating sleep apnoea!
So now your horsemanship course is solving your marital problems too! 🙂 Get your partners to do this breathing exercise with you. And if the snoring (or asthma) isn’t reduced enough, find a Buteyko practitioner near you and do the whole course.
You can visit the Buteyko Institute for more information.
Up Next
Your next lesson is all about softness in the bridle – see you in Lesson 64!