Riding with Learn how Feldenkrais Method can improve your riding. By Paris Kern with Katherine P. McFarland Photos by J. Brough Schamp Nobody s perfect. No spine is absolutely straight. Our bodies are totally asymmetrical in design: liver on one side, heart on another; one lung with three lobes, the other with two. trick is to learn to function symmetrically. It is only a problem when you can t function symmetrically in an activity. What we do throughout the day, in the mundane moments of our lives, directly impacts our functioning on the horse. How you sit, walk, sleep and even brush your teeth reflects a pattern of self-use. This pattern is exaggerated on the horse, and your partner will let you know when something is amiss. Unfortunately, he can only snort and bear it. It is up to you to figure out how and why you do what you do. To quote Moshe Feldenkrais (founder), If you don t know what you are doing, you can t do what you want. What Is It? Feldenkrais Method is a form of movement therapy designed to isolate separate muscle groups to promote flexibility, release tension and enhance balance. Feldenkrais is about the process of learning to develop your ability to self-regulate and adjust from moment to moment. Because a horse responds to the information from the rider s seat, leg Help for Rider and Horse Judith suffered from back and neck pain. As soon as I saw her on her horse, a perky Fjord, I felt sorry for both of them because they were looking tight and uncomfortable. She felt she needed to keep him in tight check with her hands at Paris Kern the trot or he would suddenly take off. On closer examination, I could see that her mouth was clenched, chin tightly tucked as her hands gripped the reins making her stiffen her shoulders and back. horse emulated the rider head uncomfortably tucked, mouth clenched, belly tight and ears back. As a Feldenkrais teacher, this was a familiar problem. I needed to alleviate their discomfort and put them on the path to further exploration and healing. I decided to do a lesson called the pelvic clock with both of them (see photos Learn how to use Feldenkrais Method almost falling asleep within minutes. to improve your riding. This often happens when horses relax as By Paris Kern with Katherine P. McFarland below; a different rider and horse). Often overwork in the upper body is due to lack of properly conveyed power from the lower body or pelvis to the arms, neck and shoulders. As a helper held the horse, I asked the rider to roll her pelvis forward, backward, right, left and, eventually, in circles, allowing her whole spine and head to participate. As she moved, the horse became more and more relaxed, I work with the riders. I have observed this over and over again. horse pelvic clock connects the head and pelvis for both horse and rider by balancing the flexor and extensor muscles. 68 Dressage Today September 2008
and hands, the rider must learn how to be more focused and precise. This work addresses nearly every movement function or difficulty a rider can imagine. Yet these lessons are all designed around the same basic principle to provide essential information to the brain or nervous system in order to move more easily. strength in Feldenkrais work is the ability of the teacher to see that, although both Susie and Tom have difficulty in lengthening the leg on the horse, Susie s problem has something to do with her jaw, and Tom s difficulty has something to do with abdominal muscles that are too tight. Do a body scan (see Body Scan, p. 72) and try these movements to help you increase your body awareness. senses the calming of the rider s nervous system, softening of the seat and hands. It seems as though the horse is relieved to have someone who feels lighter and more responsive on his back; it is like he is breathing a sigh of relief. Next, I got a treat for the Fjord. I lifted the treat up and down in front of the horse s head, then right and left and then in circles, asking the rider to echo the movement with her body from her head to her pelvis. Within a short time the pair were more relaxed and supple. When Judith took up her reins, I had her walk her horse as she continued the movements with her head and neck and with her pelvis. It wasn t long before her neck pain was gone, the horse was reaching out in his stride, and the sitting trot, which had been painful to watch, was smooth and graceful. Her hands were soft on the reins without any instruction to do so. When there is comfort, there is ease. This was a great example of improving a basic body function, leading to improved muscular action in many areas. How It Works I first met Becca at a riding camp coordinated by her local dressage association in Vermont. I noticed Becca because she hobbled into class with obvious severe pain in both hips and asked if I could possibly give her a private lesson. Nearly in tears, Becca confessed the need to take high doses of painkillers. With the spirit of invention, I gathered some horse blankets to cushion the floor so she could lie down. This first lesson led to a series of private lessons I taught when I traveled to her area. With someone in such pain, the first priority is to create comfort. Feldenkrais teachers don t just treat a bad shoulder. Rather, we look at the whole body. We look at what they do throughout their days, on and off the horse. Initially, I helped Becca to breath more fully and to sense all the parts of herself that were moving nicely without pain, eventually teaching more ways to let go of the chronic contractions that were leading to her pain and loss of flexibility. This was sometimes accomplished by working with the ribs, the jaw, the coordination of the belly and the back muscles. A series of lessons like this takes into account the necessity for synchronicity of the whole self. feet have to know what the knees are doing, the eyes have to tell the hips how to shift and so on. When these connections aren t clear, confusion, lack of grace and eventually discomfort and pain can ensue. Our lessons continued, supplemented with other movements to practice how to keep her hips soft and open. Becca experienced quickly that, when hips are tight, many other things are equally as tight. One of the keys for Becca was helping her to understand that tightness in her jaw guaranteed tightness in her buttocks and hips. Object: to open the hips How to do it: This is not an exercise. It is an opportunity for you to feel what you are doing, learn to differentiate and teach your nervous system a new path. Self scan. Lie on your back, with your September 2008 Dressage Today 69
Opening the Hips 1 2 3 Bend your legs and place both feet flat shoulder-width apart (1). Tilt both knees to the right (2) and then to the left (3). Notice which direction is easier. legs long and arms along your sides. Let your legs be spread comfortably, and keep your belly soft. This is the time to undo that tight top button of your pants. Notice your breath; let it be easy. Roll each leg in and out, one at a time. Notice what and where your body moves easily. Does anything happen anywhere else in your body? Bend your legs and place both feet flat while lying on the floor. Have your feet at least shoulder width apart, a little more if you can. Without stretching, and only moving within a comfortable range, tilt both knees right and left. Notice if it is easier to go in one direction. Also notice what happens throughout your pelvis (which side comes away from the floor). Notice your spine (how far up the spine you feel movement), shoulders (do the shoulder blades come away or tighten on the floor) neck and head. What is happening in all of these places as you tilt your knees? Choosing the easier direction first, tilt both knees to the side. Feel how the opposite side of your pelvis is more away from the floor. Lift only the top leg back to the original position, leaving the pelvis tilted and the other leg out to the side. Lift the bottom leg back to the standing position still leaving the pelvis tilted. Return the pelvis to a resting position. Repeat this six or seven times, resting completely between each repetition. After the last movement, stop, lengthen your legs and feel the difference between the two sides. Spend at least five to 10 breaths just resting. Repeat on the other side. Go right and left doing the movements in both directions, staying within the easy range of movements and compare the two sides. 70 Dressage Today September 2008
Roll to your side and stand up, feel how it is to get up off the floor and walk around. Result: After doing these movements several times, you will be more aware of your hip flexors, and you will experience freedom of movement in your hip joints. Finding the Lost Seat Bone Inez s issue was a very common one sitting crooked in the saddle. Since she favored one seat bone over the other, we had to look into several issues. She preferred the right side, so we did the seated-chair movements below with her left buttock off the chair. After this quick fix, I had to find out why she had this pattern. re were quite a few facts that came to light. A long time ago, she had a bad sprain to her left ankle. Simple enough. With this knowledge, I was able to show her how to stand on her left leg properly, allowing her left buttock to come into the saddle properly, and her left leg to lengthen, as well. n, another problem emerged. She still had a tendency to always look more though her right eye which turned her head slightly to the left, again bringing her more over to the right buttock, so this too needed correction. I taught her some eye exercises, which included patching closing first one eye and then the other until she could feel her weight evenly distributed in the chair or saddle. She now has a way to self-correct when she finds herself drifting to the right, whether it is on the horse, behind the computer or at the dinner table. Many people, non-riders as well, sit crookedly. We do not usually know we are doing so until we have pain or, in the rider s case, the horse has pain, or we can do a lovely circle in one direction but not the other. Try this: Object: to balance your seat How to do it: If you have trouble keeping your right buttock in the saddle or if your right leg has a tendency to creep September 2008 Dressage Today 71
Scan Your Body Lie on the floor on your back. If you can, have your legs long. If not, bend your knees. Keep your arms alongside your body. Observe your arms. Does one feel longer, shorter, lighter or heavier than the other? Next, notice how your head is lying. Is your ear on one side closer to the shoulder than on the other side? Is it possible to notice these differences without judgment? Can you be aware of asymmetries without straightening them? Observe your breathing. Can you follow the movement of your breathing in your chest and abdomen without changing the rhythm or size of your breath? How does it feel to pay attention like this? Bring this same open-minded attention to an area of discomfort. Can you keep your attention there without shifting to get more comfortable? Is the quality of the discomfort muscle tightness, achiness or sharp pain? Notice an area of yourself that is comfortable. Notice that you have both areas of comfort and discomfort, of varying size, degree and quality. Without judgment, scan your whole body and notice these varying sensations. Do you notice any changes? Integrate Your Head and Pelvis Sit on the edge of a firm, flat chair with no arms. Notice how this is for you. Is it a lot of work to sit tall? How is your breathing? Where do you feel your weight in the chair in front or behind the seat bones, more to the right or left? With your hands in your lap, look up to the ceiling and make note of where you see easily. It will change! Continue to look up and let your lower back participate by allowing a gentle arch to form. Allow your belly to come forward as you arch your back. Exhale as you do each movement. Repeat five to 10 times, noticing how your weight shifts. Do only what is easy and without any strain. Simultaneously look up and arch your back but look downward with your eyes. Go slowly. This will get easier and more comfortable. Repeat five to 10 times. Return to looking up to the ceiling with your eyes as you raise your head and arch your lower back, making the movement as smooth as you can and allowing the whole spine and the pelvis to participate. Is it easier now? Can you see higher without any strain? Slowly lower your head to look between your knees to the floor. As you look down, round your lower back so it goes closer to the back of chair. n return to the starting position. Exhale as you do each movement. Simultaneously, lower your head and round your back while you look upward with your eyes. Repeat five to 10 times. Return to lowering your head to look between your knees to the floor making the movement as smooth as you can, allowing the whole spine and the pelvis to participate. n, return to the starting position. Exhale as you do each movement. Look up to the ceiling, letting your back arch, and make note of where you see easily now. Feel how more of your spine is participating in the movement, allowing you to see farther with less effort. Sit on the edge of the chair again. Notice how this is for you this time. Is it a lot of work to sit tall? How is your breathing? Where do you feel your weight in the chair in front or behind the seat bones, more to the right or left? Stand up and feel the length of your spine in standing and then in walking. 72 Dressage Today September 2008
up; if the reverse is true, just switch all the right/left directions. Find a firm chair with no arms and a flat seat. Sit near the front of the chair. How is your weight in the chair balanced? Do not change anything; just see where you are sitting more heavily in the right or the left? Slide to the right so your right buttock is completely off the chair, so you are sitting only on the left side. Hold the chair gently with your left hand. Keep both feet flat on the floor. Allow your right buttock to sink toward the floor and then bring it back so it is level again with the chair. Repeat this 10 to 15 times. Feel how your waist on the right opens up. Put your right hand on your head with your elbow to the side and bend your head to the left, allowing you right elbow to go up toward the ceiling as you continue to let your right buttock to sink down. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Return to sitting on the chair with both buttocks. Notice how you are sitting now. Which side feels heavier now? Rest at this time. Slide over to the right again so the right buttock is once again off the chair. This time raise your right buttock so it is a bit higher than the left and return it to the level with the chair. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Notice how your right waist closes and the ribs on the right come together. Make sure your breathing is easy. Only do what is easy; don t strain or stretch. Put your right hand on top of your head, elbow out to the side. As you lift your buttocks also take your head and elbow down to the right, as if you want to listen to something in your right pocket. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Slide back onto the chair, and notice how you sit now. Rest at this time for at least 10 cycles of breath. Now, combine the two movements. Slide off the chair to the right, put your right hand on your head and lift 74 Dressage Today September 2008
and lower your right buttock as you also take your head and elbow up and down. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Slide back fully onto your chair. Do you feel more even now? Or, do you feel more lopsided? Feel the difference between the two sides. Spend at least five to 10 breaths resting and feeling the difference. You can choose to end the lesson now enjoying the lopsidedness or perhaps a newfound evenness of weight. Or, you can do steps 2 through 10 with the left buttock off the chair. Result: After doing these movements several times, you will be better balanced in the saddle, be more aware of imbalances and be able to correct them. To be a top-notch dressage rider, you must improve self-awareness and selfexploration. Many riders suffer problems of balance, pain, stiffness in hands and feet, which Feldenkrais Method can address directly. By becoming more sensitive and aware of your patterns, you can reduce tension and improve the accuracy of your aids. You horse will feel better and be more likely to cooperate. When you run into new challenges, your heightened self-knowledge will help you solve them. Paris Kern has been a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher based in Baltimore, Maryland, for 16 years. She has developed Riding with the Whole Self, a system that tailors the principles of Feldenkrais to the needs of horses and riders. By sharing the knowledge she has gained as a practitioner and teacher, she helps people learn to be independent and self-sustaining in their own growth. She is currently working on audio recordings of Feldenkrais lessons for equestrians that will be available on CD in late 2008. Her Web site is pariskern.home.comcast.net. 76 Dressage Today September 2008