Why is Yoga beneficial for riders?

Yoga is great for :

Switching your brain off, unwinding and relaxing. Let’s be honest horses can be stressful. Add into that work, families etc and it can sometimes all be a bit overwhelming. Taking some time to switch off can be hugely beneficial to your mental well being and resilience. 

It can teach you to focus on both stillness and precise movement of your body. Being able to switch off and fully focus is a huge asset to your riding and Yoga is a great way of practicing that whilst tuning in to how your body reacts to signals from your brain and different movement patterns. If you can fine tune this off horse it will be a whole lot easier on horse. 

You learn to recognise your own movement patterns and asymmetries and can work to improve them. If you don’t know what your body is doing when you ride you have no way of correcting it. If you don’t know your left is different from your right you won’t take steps to improve it. Recognising these things in Yoga means your both feeling and addressing them ready to put into practice when you ride. 

Yoga combines mobility, flexibility and stability. Which are all required not only to be a good rider but also to help prevent injuries and make you feel good day to day. 

I utilise Yoga with my 121 clients, in my classes and we do a weekly yoga session in my online programme.