It has been made clear to me by no less than four of my instructors that I need to learn to ride RELAXED.
My tense form is apparent while atop Diamond’s Daylight in Germany.
Most notably, I have been informed that my arms are “too rigid” affording “no flexion” in my elbow when using my reins. This is so apparently true that in one (particularly fun) lesson I was likened to the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, in need of a good oiling!
Add to this my tense back (causing my horse to be the same) and uptight shoulders (practically touch my ears). I am constantly being told to “shake it off” or “loosen up” or, my personal favorite, “take a breath.”
In self-defense, I have to say that I find riding relaxed somewhat of a dichotomy. I mean honestly, how can one be in a tranquil, calm or stress-free state when atop a 1200 lb hot horse barreling towards a series of fences (without the aid of pharmaceuticals)?!
So, after a recent lesson where it was articulated that my stiff arms were “working against me and my horse” for the umpteenth time, my instructor, Abby, decides that more aggressive action is in order.
“Do you ever do Yoga or stretching?” she inquires. I think about my daily workout routine; it consists of running, free weights, Pilates and riding. Stretching and Yoga are not built into the equation. I shake my head no, in response.
“What about meditation?” she adds.
Oh good! Yes, I think to myself, I do meditate— actually every morning. That is if you call slugging coffee at 5:00 AM while contemplating how to drive sales that week – month – year, meditation.
“I will give it a try,” I say. (I will do anything to further my mission to the Prix.) As a matter of fact I recall my IT consultant just recently mentioning that I should try Hot Yoga to relieve my tennis elbow, a painful, nagging injury, from none other than, yes you guessed it, my Schwarzenegger grip on the reins.
So I click on the link he emailed me for the place he recommended and look up their class schedule. It seems that they have an 8 AM class – TOMORROW. No time like the present, I think. I explore the site further. It’s suggested that I arrive by 7:30 AM (as a first time visitor), bring a towel and wear a bathing suit. They stress cleanliness, a good thing as the image of sixty sweaty people in a hot, enclosed space pops into my mind. I shudder at the thought but shake it off and decide that I will go tomorrow to check it out.
Morning comes fast and before I know it I’m filling out paperwork for the ninety minute session. Ninety minutes – REALLY?! Seriously, an hour of regular Yoga is too long let alone ninety minutes of Yoga in a room registering 140 degrees with 100% humidity. What did I get myself into?!
I once again shake it off. “Buck up,” I tell myself while spreading my matt out on the floor. I am up for this, I think (not really convinced).
The room is sweltering and packed with an assortment of people, scantily clad in various forms of workout or bathing attire.
The instructor begins and within seconds I am in downward dog, a popular yoga position where your hands are outstretched on the floor in front of you, with your back up and feet spread behind you. A front, back bend of sorts.
What a great position for stretching my ankles (maybe I can finally ride with my heels down!). Oh, and I can see the clock from this position, although it’s upside down. This confuses me during most of the class as it seems my primary focus is not on the instructor, or following the other students to ensure I am doing the poses correctly, but trying to determine the actual time from the minute hand, in reverse while in downward dog.
Surely it’s broken, or perhaps I’m in some type of blistering worm hole that doesn’t register time accurately. It’s moving sooo slowly. After each Yoga stretch, I glance at the clock and think, “that must have taken at least ten minutes.” WRONG! A mere 45 seconds has elapsed. Ugh! I will surely die before this session ends! And what‘s with the buckets of water pouring from my body (and soaking my hair –reason enough to never attempt this again – bad hair!).
OK, so there’s about thirty minutes left. This seems bearable because usually the last fifteen minutes or so are spent lying on your back in some form of instructor lead, guided meditation. I just need to hang on for another fifteen minutes and I am in the homestretch. The clock registers 9:20 and we’re still doing some sort of body contortion. At 9:30, when class time is up, the instructor declares, “for those of you who wish to participate in the relaxation phase, you may stay.”
I grab my matt and towel and head to the dressing room.
Undeterred, the very next day, I head into a regular, sixty minute Yoga class. I will learn to ride and be relaxed if it’s the last thing I do! I find this class much easier (gosh, who knew what a difference 70 degrees would make?!). I go through the motions and before I know it there’s only fifteen minutes left, “everyone on their back,” the instructor declares. I love her.
I finish the class and join the gym. I feel a difference in my posture and sense of serenity already.
When I get home, I tell my eleven year old daughter about my weekend experience and how Yoga is going to help me to become a more relaxed rider.
My daughter has her riding priorities right…
She looks up at me and says, “Why don’t you just have fun riding Jaliska, Mom? That should be relaxing, right?”
Do you have advice on how I can learn to be a more relaxed rider? Please send them to vwaters@questfortheprix.com
About Quest for the Prix
Victoria Waters’ Phelpssports.com column chronicles her trials and tribulations, the good the bad and the very ugly, in learning how to ride and compete at the top level of show jumping – a Grand Prix competition, as a middle-aged novice to the sport. Follow her Quest for the Prix at www.facebook.com/questfortheprix, www.questfortheprix.com or contact her at vwaters@questforthprix.com
About the Author
Victoria Waters, CEO of Green Education Foundation (GEF), a non-profit organization, is committed to creating a sustainable future through education. GEF provides free curriculum and resources to K-12 students and teachers worldwide with the goal of challenging them to think holistically and critically about global environmental concerns and solutions.
