Change Old Patterns

When I first started taking horse back riding lessons it was fun because I didn't know anything and everything was new and fascinating and there was no pressure. I didn't know how to groom a horse or ride a horse or talk to a horse. Every lesson was exciting as I tackled a new technique. I still had to think quite a bit and that horse could cover a lot of distance while I was still thinking about how to get a certain result. My instructor had me try different horses and even bareback riding. That could get exciting because in order to stay on the horse I needed to squeeze my legs and that just made her go faster and I had to squeeze my legs harder not to fall off and - - - you got the picture!

But the one horse I rode most often, Libby, and I eventually ended up stuck in a little pattern. She would get away (I would let her get away) with stopping to eat grass and just stopping and not moving no matter what I did and how I tried to kick it up a notch. So I started to change the pattern. I took her across the road, I changed the pattern in the arena, and was finally able to get the results I wanted from her.

In yoga, I change up my classes a little bit every time and focus on different body parts. My students sometimes get into a rut and only work so far in a pose or stay with their favorite poses or the ones they can do and sit out on the ones they think are too hard for them. We need to change up the old patterns and try new poses or try to push a little harder to keep our body from falling into old patterns.

See you on the mat!