Billions of people around the world embrace the practice of yoga. Its lessons in breath control, simple meditation, and specific bodily postures are widely regarded as a means to achieving health and relaxation. Yoga teacher and horsewoman Cathy Woods says that’s not all: She believes the meditative, mindful breathwork and lifestyle aspects of the tradition, as well as the postures, can be profoundly helpful in our interactions with horses. Over the course of her 30-year career, Woods has created teachings that are accessible to everyone—new and experienced yogis, and riders of different levels and disciplines—giving them life-changing benefits, including empowerment, confidence, connection, and feel. Her unique program is presented here in the form of highly illustrated instruction, guiding you through the steps to achieving present moment awareness; finding body, breath, and energy awareness; breathing through challenges; listening to your inner voice; slowing down; and developing balance and symmetry in the saddle. All of these are key to better communication and improved partnership with our horses. In addition, Woods shares specific stretches for strength, flexibility, and balance, as well as postures that contribute to rider safety as we age. The result is a book that helps us become more aware and conscious riders while gently correcting our imbalances, resulting in a richer, more rewarding, more joyful horsemanship experience.
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Broschur/Paperback
Klebebindung
Illustrationen
175 Halftones, color; 175 Illustrations, color
Maße
Höhe: 258 mm
Breite: 208 mm
Dicke: 14 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-57076-971-9 (9781570769719)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Cathy Woods is a longtime horsewoman, author, yoga teacher, international retreat leader/presenter, and creator of Body, Mind, Equine®, who focuses on overall equestrian wellness.
Cathy aims to impart a practical approach to authentic yoga and mindful horsemanship, making it accessible to everyone regardless of what that looks like for the individual. She’s passionate about supporting equestrians in their wellness journey, promoting a more enriched and skillful life.
She began leading programs in 1991. Cathy enjoys combining and sharing her passions of yoga, horses, travel, and women’s empowerment in creative ways and finds great joy in helping people handcraft their lives and their horsemanship.
Her programs have been offered at distinguished locations such as The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Yogaville Ashram, and Mount Madonna Center. On the equine front, Cathy has partnered with amazing venues such as Equitana, Liberty Festival, Equine Affaire, Warwick Schiller's Journey on Summit, Tryon International Equestrian Center, White Stallion Ranch, and C Lazy U Ranch, to name a few. She also shares her work through her book Yoga for Riders, published by Trafalgar Square Books, and writes for publications such as Horse Illustrated Magazine and others. She’s been featured in Forbes, Yoga Digest, Horse and Rider Magazine, and many other publications. Cathy is currently working on a second book to publish in 2026, titled Riding Through Change.
Cathy is an avid equine enthusiast and longtime backcountry trail rider who loves exploring the natural world from the back of a horse. She remains passionate and dedicated to sharing authentic yoga and wellness, and how it enhances life and mindful horsemanship! She is based in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
1. The Yoga/Horsemanship Connection
a. The commonalities of both practices
b. How these complement each other
c. For a richer yoga and equine experience
2. What is True Yoga?
a. What yoga is and isn't
b. Clearing up common misconceptions
c. Yoga means to yoke or unite
d. Beyond postures
e. The other 7 limbs of yoga, meditation, breath-work etc.
f. Important aspects of complete yoga
g. Yoga should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, life-style or spiritual belief
4. The Yoga of Everything
a. Brining integrated awareness into all that you do
b. How you do anything is how you do everything
c. Yoga on and off the mat
5. Practical Parallels - From the Mat to the Saddle
a. These apply to any discipline, style or level of horsemanship from ground to saddle, to arena to event, to show, to trail
b. Applying yogic metaphors to horsemanship
c. Present moment awareness.
d. Body, breath and energy awareness
e. Breathing through challenges
f. Listening to the inner voice
g. Slowing down
h. How these parallels can be used/applied to daily life as well
Note: I could see a chart in this section. Perhaps even a pull out that can be hung in a barn or yoga space as a quick reference
6. What Makes a Good Rider
a. Attributes/characteristics/qualities - i.e.: awareness, skill, common sense, courage, good intuition, resourcefulness etc.
b. Becoming an aware and conscious Rider
c. What riding with awareness looks like
d. Balanced in the saddle, weight symmetrical in hands, seat, legs, feet etc.
e. Using Yogic tools -the parallels and metaphors
7. Intentions
a. Setting and using intentions as a tool for yoga, horsemanship and life
9. Not an "Airy-Fairy" Approach
a. Applying yoga principles to horsemanship is not a "mystical" method
b. The yoga of horsemanship does not mean throwing practical horsemanship skills out the window
c. This is not a replacement for practicing safety, boundaries, discipline, training, skill or good ole common sense when working with horses
10. Detecting Energy
a. We have the ability to detect energy and do so all the time, whether consciously or not
b. Awareness of your own energy, the energy of our equine partners and the energy around us.
c. Noticing when energy shifts
d. Detecting the ambiance of a situation and adapting accordingly
11. Collection and Groundwork with Ourselves
a. We use collection and groundwork with our horses. It is also beneficial to do this type of work with ourselves.
b. Working on the mat with our bodies and minds
c. Learning how to become collected energetically. Getting familiar with what that feels like vs. scattered energy
d. As we become clearer, right thought and right action come spontaneously
e. This helps us to become more skilled human beings
f. Improves our intuition
12. The Spirit of The Horse
a. Equus shows up in almost every mythological writing and folklore
b. Horse medicine/horse totem/the message of the horse
13. Yoga Postures for Riders
a. Good stretches for riders for staying strong, flexible and balanced (this would include images of yoga poses on a mat)
b. Good stretches in the saddle (this would include images of stretches that can be done in the saddle)
c. Riding more safely into older age
14. Breath-Work
a. Yogic breathing techniques for use on the mat, in the saddle and anywhere
b. Instruction on breath-work such as the complete breath, alternate nostril breathing and similar
c. The direct link between breath and emotions
15. Meditation
a. The value and benefits of meditation
b. Meditation methods/techniques/instruction
16. Embodying the Practice
a. There is no end game; continuing personal growth-a forever practice
b. Understand
c. Committing
d. Internalizing
