Equine Mindfulness & Yoga Spartanburg, SC October 2023

When people think of yoga they think of spectacular poses that look superhuman to achieve.  Similarly when they think of yoga with horses, if they've seen anything about it in the past it was probably someone doing something that looks challenging.  The reality is that yoga is an 8 limbed path only one of which is the asana (pose or posture.) The whole of yoga is based in practices that all for mindful interaction with the world around you.

Equine Yoga is the practice of applying ALL of the limbs of yoga to working with horses.  What this looks like in practice shifts slightly class to class based on the needs of the horses and attendees involved.  A class is likely to include breathwork, meditation, guided visualization, energetic awareness, physical stretching in asana sometimes unmounted and sometimes mounted.  

There is no need for fancy equipment.  

• You can practice barefoot, in cowboy boots, or anything in between.  
• For clothing you can wear anything you can easily move in.  Yoga pants or riding tights are probably easiest, jeans are more challenging but possible if that's all you have.
• Helmets can be used, but are not required, unless that is a state law or barn requirement. 
• Your horse will be in a halter with a lead rope or clip on reins, or a bitless bridle.  
• In the mounted portion you would be bareback or you could use a bareback pad.  

Expectations

• You'll be around horses. You will touch horses. 
• The horses are participants not props - If they aren't into what we are doing they will be able to leave or not participate.
• Safety trumps expectations. 
• You might get dirty.
• There's inherent risk in being physically active. This is a choice you are making and neither the location, the instructor, nor the business are liable for injury or damage.

This is not acrobatics and you don't have to know anything about yoga to attend. The yoga we will do will resemble stretching - nothing complicated - and I can help you adapt if needed. It's more about taking the fullness of being mindful with our horses and starting to use those skills to bring us into a deeper partnership outside of your typical ride experience.

In order to participate in this class you must have either horse or yoga experience.

30% of the proceeds go to Cross Roads Youth Ranch.