Breath is energy. Horses respond to energy, on subtle levels. Having the ability to control your breath, in various situations, can effect what’s happening around you. Learning to control your breath starts with being aware of it.
Most of us only use a small portion of our lung capacity. We breathe shallowly and unaware of the energy that we are robbing ourselves of. So sit straight, relax, and let your breath fill up your chest cavity, your belly, your ribs, under your armpits, your back under your should blades, all the way up into your collarbones. Count as you breath in through your nose and count as you breath out through your nose. Are the inhale and exhale equal? Or do you breath out much more quickly. Most of us do. Try balancing out the inhale and exhale, so that they are even for 3 breaths. Then relax and see how you feel. There is no right or wrong; good or bad. Just see what is. Do this once every 31 minutes for a day. Again, see how you feel.
Drawing your awareness to your breath in this way can help to ground and center you in this media saturated, techno-crazed world. We have so much information flowing at us and into us at all times… blogs, newsfeeds, twitter, email, texts, cell phones, work phones, radio, TV, and on and on… That it is worth taking these few moments every so often for ourselves. Being more grounded, centered and calm will also help your relationship with your horses, your pets, your family, your co-workers and on.
Try it!
Bob beckoning me to continue on our walk at TDR.
Oh, sweet Bob … What a diligent, loving, unconditionally dedicated trail companion. I love how dwarfed Bob appears by the trees. (The trees have been dropping right and left with the snow, by the way. Sally and I finally turned in to firewood scavengers and have been “ambulance chasing” downed trees with the chainsaw in tow!)
I very much need to take your informative breathing lesson to heart. I need to set aside a specific time so that I will remember to breathe. Having danced in a ballet company, I learned how to appear to not breathe, one way of looking like a dancer is pleasantly enjoying what they are doing.
Bob cannot wait for spring and trail rides. : )
Oh, me too, me too!
I sooo need some nice, long, sometimes FAST trail rides next summer!
In fact, I would take one right now, in the cold and dark…