United States Eventing Association

The Yoga of Competition: How This 4,000 Year Old Tradition Can Create Success in the Show Ring

Blast from the past – this article originally appeared on the USEA blog in January 2008. We dug it out of the archives to re-inspire our readers!

“Omâ. Omâ.” I chant aloud. Slowly and methodically I recite ancient Sanskrit chants and invocations in the warm-up arena. My fellow competitors turn and look wildly around to see what that foreign noise is. They half expect to see a stick of incense burning from a hole in my reins, and me sitting cross-legged atop my dressage saddle with my hands in some strange mudra. For some, it may seem like a great idea for a cartoon but amidst the stares and giggles, I’m creating strength of presence in my saddle and a centeredness in my being. My horse, Sebastian, is being soothed by the ancient language and the sacredness of the chants: he is relaxed and attentive. My body knows that chanting means relaxing, coming into the moment, and being present with all that is. My arms relax, my hips open and softness occurs in my belly, I am in union with my surroundings and, most importantly, with my horse.

Sages and physicists would agree that life is in dynamic motion; yoga teaches us how to embrace this on and off our horses. Yoga, which loosely translates as union, has been around for some 7,000 years: yes, that is not a typo, that is seven-thousand years. It has been in the last 15 that it is has grown into a household name in North America. At this juncture most everyone has heard or has personally experienced that yoga is good for you; mind, body and soul. After all, 70 centuries of empirical evidence can’t be so erroneous, no matter where your belief systems lie.

Fad, fashion or formula for enlightenment, whatever yoga is to the masses, for me, it is something that has invited me to look more deeply at my life and my riding. Horses and yoga have been a significant part of my life, but it wasn’t until I started riding competitively again that I was clearly able to bring the two together to benefit myself and my equine partner. I realized that what was happening on the mat was happening on the horse, inextricably linked. Tight hips on the mat means tight hips in the saddle. Trouble with balancing poses is a clear indication that balance is an area that needs to be worked on in the saddle as well. Kristen Herman, a dressage rider and yoga teacher, writes, “What hatha yoga does is make the rider conscious of the stiffness in the muscles, and help these tight areas to relax and thus align, so that the basic position required for riding will be obtained.”

Most trainers would agree that when the rider is correct, the horse is correct. When the rider is tense, the horse is tense. The famous psychologist Carl Jung once said, “Like any chemical reaction, when two things make contact, both are transformed.” This transformation can occur in a positive way or a negative way, depending on the state of the body and mind. Wanda Webb, a trainer in Wilson, Wyoming credits yoga for “feeling more balanced and in tune with” her body position, while riding her event horse.

Until I found yoga, every show I’d gone to had been a series of arguments between anxiety, will, and fear, a fight to see which would get to torment me first. Whether I’m chanting as I warm up or practicing my deep breathing, yoga profoundly affects not only my physical riding but my mental/emotional riding. When I am mentally present in the moment, my horse feels my presence and support, and he benefits – he feels ‘I am here,’ and seems to have greater confidence. Horses, being naturally present and living in the moment – which is why they make great teachers and are reflections of our bodies and minds, blessing us with immediate and honest feedback.

Linda Kohanov, author of “Tao of Equus,” states this clearly in her book: “Every horse I had ever known was a reflecting pool for me. Somehow, this regal thoroughbred mare was able to mirror a host of unresolved issues, suppressed emotions, and unconscious attitudes I had not fully exorcised.” Although this might be a step in an all too uncomfortable direction for the linear thinking equestrian, I think we could mostly all agree that the horse is able to reflect the imperfections in ourselves and our riding, by mirroring what is going on in our bodies and our emotions.

I teach yoga to a group of eventers in Wyoming. We work on the physical aspects, the biomechanics that are required for riding, but we also work on the state of mind required to be a ‘healthy’ competitor. All of my students are encouraged to relax, surrender to the present moment, and train the mind. I will use the analogy of training the mind, like one would train a horse: You don’t let a horse run you down, misbehave and act dangerously, and there is no difference in the mind. When your mind runs wildly, you try to corral it gently, return it to the present. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ancient text on yoga it says, “Now is set forth the authoritive teaching on yoga. Yoga is the ability to direct and focus mental activity. With the attainment of focused mind, the inner being establishes itself in all its reality.”

When you are in the present moment, there is no anxiety: this is what you work to take from the mat into the show ring or cross country course. When the mind is out of control, piling one thought on top of another, following winding roads of fear and what-ifs, then you cannot be relaxed: essentially you are lost, disconnected from your body and your horse.

Through breath work and asana practice, you can train the body and the mind to blossom and grow in healthy ways and bring this into your competitions. Your equine partnership will benefit, your physical and mental health will benefit. Although, I doubt that I’ll hear any Sanskrit chanting over the loudspeaker at Rolex, nor will I hear the announcer quoting the Yoga Sutras anytime soon. But, for the riders I teach, a few sun salutations and breath work before cross country is a little something that goes a long way. By accepting the reality that changes we make in ourselves have a direct effect on our horses, we are demonstrating the essence of yoga and what we create within can pervade all that is outside.

A Few Exercises for Show Nerves

I always travel to competitions with a yoga mat in tow, but if you don’t have one here are a couple of exercises that you can do at home or right before a competition to open the body and calm the mind. You can do one, or a combination of any of them depending on the time you have.

Cow / Cat Pose (Bitilasana and Marjaryasana)

1. Start on your hands and knees in a “tabletop” position. Knees are stacked directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Your head is in a neutral position, eyes looking at the floor.

2. As you inhale, lift your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling, allowing your belly to sink toward the floor. Lift your head to look straight forward.

3. As you exhale, round your spine toward the ceiling, gently bringing the chin to the chest as you release the head towards the floor. Make sure to keep your shoulders and knees in position in the transitions.

4. Repeat 10-20 times, returning to a neutral tabletop position when complete. This will gently awaken the spine and get you moving with the breath.

Child’s Pose – Balasana

1. Kneel on the floor. Bring your knees hip distance apart, touch your big toes together and sit on your heels.

2. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Keeping the tailbone lengthening away from your back and lift the base of your skull away from your neck as your forehead gently rests on the floor.

3. Lay your hands, palms up, on the floor alongside your torso, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor, widening the shoulder blades across your back.

4. Become aware of the breath as mentioned in Easy Pose. Balasana is a resting pose. Stay anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.

Easy Pose Sukhasana with Breathing Exercises

1. You can fold a thick blanket (or saddle pad) or two into a firm support about six inches high. Or if you don’t have anything, just sit comfortably on the ground. Sit close to one edge, cross your shins, widen your knees and put each foot beneath the opposite knee as you bend your knees and fold your legs in towards your torso.

2. Relax the feet so their outer edges rest comfortably on the floor. You should see a triangle formed by the two thighs and crossed shins as you look down. There should be a comfortable gap between the feet and the pelvis.

3. Your pelvis should be in a relatively neutral position. To find neutral, press your hands against the floor and lift your sitting bones slightly off the support. As you hang there for a few breaths, make your thigh bones heavy, then slowly lower your sit bones lightly back to the support.

4. Stack your hands either palms up in your lap or palms down on tops of the thighs. Keep the spine lengthening and the sit bones rooted in the earth.

5. Come into the breath taking relaxed inhalations and exhalations. Smooth, and uninterrupted. Relax into the wavelike quality of the breath. As we become stressed or exhalations grow shorter, work at extending the exhalations for an extra second or two. This type of breath awareness calms the nervous system and creates ease and relaxation in the body. If your mind wanders, simply return it to the breath, focusing on rhythmic inhalations and exhalations.

About the author: Amanda Botur, is a Acupuncturist, Classical Homeopath, yoga instructor, eventer and freelance writer who lives in Wilson, WY. She is currently working on her first book about yoga and horses she can be reached at [email protected].