Campfire
"...that I may dwell I their midst." Exodus 25:8
Sometimes it is good to be still and dwell in the moment. It's even better to dwell in the moment with the One who loves you the most! Before Jesus accomplished the work of the Cross, God dwelt with His people in different ways. Occasionally in fire, a cloud, and in tents! The Cross made it possible for God to make us His sanctuary so He can be with us all the time. The word in Exodus for dwell also means to settle down, abide & reside.
How to do:
1. From SMB, take your hips/knees down
2. Regain Squash posture and breathe
3. Keep the focus up, and breath going
4. Stable yourself square on your seat
Don't do:
Plop down in force
Arch neck and hunch shoulders
Tighten hip flexors
Rock all the weight backwards
Tip:
What is the difference between stagnant and active? There can be two people standing in line in the grocery store...One person can be mindlessly scrolling social media on their phone. The other person could be mindfully taking inventory through an app for their personal business. The point is, don't just STAND there... DO something. You can sit in this posture feel demoralized because of it's familiarity or simplicity - but don't be fooled. You can DO something "just sitting" there. Whether it is purposefully being still and dwelling with the Holy Spirit telling Him, Thank You for your horses and your breathing body, or if you are purposely breathing into the bottom set of abdominal muscles while letting your hips open up more - you can ABSOLUTELY make this posture your own.
Ride and Apply:
This posture correlates in a couple ways for riding. The first is flexibility in getting our hips to open up. We do so many repetitive leg movements, micro movements and adjustments in the saddle. Over time we can really get locked into a certain muscle memory which is too hard to stretch out of. The second is stability and circulation. Our back, neck, and shoulders can sometimes 'forget' they don't need to be so busy. Letting our upper body be still and find a resting alignment while still being stable is important. This position also allows us to be hyper-aware of our breathing. The distraction of standing up is gone, and we have a really physical sense of where our breath is going and how it's filling and releasing the tension. And lastly... it's just nice to remind your skeleton it DOESN'T have to be hovering over the phone.
Try it:
How often do you look down? Down at your phone, down at the saddle, down at the ground, down at your horses mane...down down down! Look UP is a thing! Not just in barrel racing but an actual posture thing! If we LOOK up where we are going or want to go, not only does our visual and mental focus strengthen, but it IMMEDIATELY activates our feel/proprioception. So try this...take a video of yourself riding around for a few minutes. How often do you see your focus shift down? Then pick a song to ride to, and every time the chorus comes along let it be a reminder to look where you are going, bum squarely seated, shoulders back, and breathe!
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