CHI KUNG en CENTERED RIDING #4
CHI KUNG en CENTERED RIDING #4
4. BALANS EN UITLIJNING
Centered Riding is een methode binnen het paardrijden en rij-instructie, die de ruiter tracht te helpen door deze gecentreerd en uitgebalanceerd is in het zadel te laten zitten. Centered Riding bevat elementen uit de traditionele martiale kunsten, Feldenkrais en Alexander Techniek. Het werd ontwikkeld Sally Swift (1913-2009). Vier essentiele componenten van Centered Riding zijn ‘zachte ogen’, ademhaling, balans en centreren.
Dit zijn de delen van je lijf die je goed boven elkaar moet stapelen, namelijk je schouder, heup en hiel. Je moet als het ware een loodlijn kunnen trekken vanuit je voeten door je heup, midden, schouder en oor. https://natuurlijkpaarden.nl/centered-riding/
De onderstaande tekst komt uit: The Dynamics of Standing Still door Peter den Dekker
Stand with your feet parallel, about the width of your hips. Place your right hand on the lower abdomen, and your left hand on top. Your knees are slightly bent, as if you are sitting on a giant beach ball. Relax as much as possible and let the weight of your body freely travel towards the soles of your feet. There it is touching the ground. Imagine that your weight is sinking a meter into the earth. Let it sink as deep as you like, the centre of the earth is the limit!
While the body weight is going down, the head is floating up. Two opposite forces result in natural straightness of the whole body.
Another image you can use is that the top of your head is suspended by a thin cord from the ceiling.This will help attain lightness in the upper body, specifically in the neck and head. Let this cord go as high up as you like through the ceiling and into the sky. The awareness of the zenith, the point in the sky dome right above your head helps to elongate the spine.
You can use the image of those tall cone-shaped hats that children wear at parties. Bring your mind to the very tip of the hat. Now try to draw a small circle with the tip on the ceiling or even write your own signature with it. Do not force, write slowly and do not push the point hard against the ceiling, as it will bend. Bringing your attention high up, and moving your head lightly will release tension in the upper body, specifically in the neck and shoulder region.
Your weight sinks deep in the earth, while the top of your head is suspended on a string that goes all the way up to the sky. This simultaneous action means you are standing straight, free and naturally. The task sounds very simple: to be aligned and centred and just stand still.
But in reality it is a practice that can stretch out over many years.The centreline is not a fixed mathematical line, and certainly not a philosophical topic. When you take two points far apart, and draw a straight line between them, any smaller section of this line must also be straight. So, instead of focussing on the limited area between the top of the head and the point in between the two feet, extend the line far beyond your body, between ceiling and floor, between zenith and nadir, like a man standing between heaven and earth.The line is stretched up from above, and stretched down from below.
Stand naturally without concentrating on anything specific.The eyes are not closed, but are allowed to look around. The hands are on the belly, softly but continuously emphasising this area halfway between head and toes, between ceiling and floor.
