Balance: being two places at once, successfully.
Balance: when moving things work together for stillness.
Balance: where a structured frame is suspended in time.
How to:
1. From barrel pose, lift through squat
2. Press supporting leg into floor evenly
3. Slightly propel leg upward with control
4. Allow squash blossom/core to support
Don't do:
1. Drop belly button belt buckle low back
2. Lack power in rooting feet down
3. Unevenly weight feet, heavy in heels
4. Attach shoulders to the neck, hunched
This pose allows us to work several parts of our body, as well as challenge our focus, balance and symmetrical mobility. Our hamstrings, glutes, and thighs are all connected and controlled from the pelvis and core. This pose is where we will find our habits of asymmetry will show. Sometimes our feet will be rocking back on the heels, or one foot will weigh heavier than the other. Our knees might want to bend in, or bend stiffly, and our hands might want to flail around or get stiff in the wrists. The leg lunge is not only about 'the burn' but largely about the biomechanics of what allows our body the ability to do the position well. Any time we add in balance as a factor, it is a steep challenge for our brain to remain focused on the position, task, and next move.
Ride and Apply:
When we ride, we don't balance on one foot - but our horse does! And if you've never thought about what it takes for him push off and land on one leg, at speed, with 100+ lbs on his back, then this pose will make you! The point is, the more we can be independently balanced by the strength and stability in our own body, the more he can operate soundly. The body starts to compromise alignment, quality of movement and athleticism when strength starts to wane and the frame can't be balanced. The more opportunities we take to find challenging positions to balance in and hold, the better we will be as riders.
Try it:
If you have a mirror to do this near to evaluate that your lower back and squash blossom does not retaliate against you. You want your posture to support you not impede you. You can try this exercise multiple ways. You can just lift the leg from the hip, and feet flat with hands on your hips. Or you can lift the leg higher with your arms above your head stretching high through the squash blossom posture. To elevate the challenge, raise the heels and balance on the balls of the feet. You can also try holding the pose as the arms move in a fluid pattern.
NOW would be the time you could log in to the Human Videos section with password : unicorn . Feel free to come back to individual tutorials if you need reminders. If you feel like you have all the basics movements down, then you can follow along and start to memorize the flow of the choreography in the follow along videos!
Comments