Feel Fit, Strong and Confident In and Out of the Saddle
Join the Yoga for Riders Program with Heidi Blackman
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy,
not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
SOCRATES
People who have never ridden think we have it easy. You just sit on the horse, how hard can it be?
But as riders, we know just how hard it can be!
Riding requires balance, coordination, and being able to give small cues to the horse. We need to be able to move one part of our body without that movement changing everything else. We need to be strong and mobile.
Riding does more than just challenge us physically, however. When we are riding, we need to stay focused, connected to our horse, and aware of our environment.
With all these different elements, riding requires more than most sports.
As riders, I think most of us feel this drive to be the best we can.
We want to be able to stay quiet and balanced in the saddle, so our horse can move freely, we want to be coordinated and subtle in our aids so we can communicate with the lightest of pressure.
Riding is the art of learning to be a
good load to carry.
RICHARD WEISS
But the reality of how much time we have to ride can make progress feel slow.
And the honest truth is that to really do our best, we need to constantly be working on our overall health and fitness, so that we can do the focused riding exercises most effectively.
Even if you are really motivated it can be difficult to keep in the routine and consistency that is so necessary for real improvement.
When I thought about the best way to help riders become stronger and fitter, I wanted to create a program that would help with each of the elements we need to be great riders – coordination, mobility, strength, and the awareness of our internal state.
I wanted to create a program that would help with each of these elements while also making it easy to stay on track and build new habits.
Introducing Yoga for Riders with Heidi Blackman, to help you feel fit,
strong and confident, in and out of the saddle.
Heidi is an experienced yoga instructor who specializes in Yoga for Riders and has been practicing for over 17 years.
She focuses on correct alignment, listening to your own body and limits, and building on slow, correct movement.
With Heidi’s guidance, you will learn:
- To be stronger and more flexible, the combination we need to be stable in the saddle and give clear aids to our horse.
- How it feels to have a neutral spine and pelvis, to be level in how you sit and aligned in your posture, so that you are a better rider for your horse to carry.
- How to be aware of your breathing for fluid, easy movement, and a calm focused mind.
- The feeling of isolating movement in the body for clear, precise aids for your horse.
Balance for You + Your Horse
All of these ideas can be applied in the saddle to find your optimal riding position, use your aids more efficiently and effectively and find more ease in your movement.
The more balance you have in the saddle, the more your horse will be in balance and be able to perform at their best, moving forward freely and responding easily to your aids.
Beyond the awareness of the physical body and the strength and flexibility that we gain with yoga, we also increase our awareness of patterns in the mind.
We begin to uncover the limiting beliefs or thought patterns that may be holding us back, such as being too hard on ourselves, making excuses, or comparing ourselves to others.
Yoga is sometimes called a moving meditation, as the yoga practice not only improves strength and flexibility in the body, but is also practice for staying calm and present in our minds.
Through the classes, Heidi will provide different options and modifications as there is no one right answer or pose for everyone, every day.
The same can be applied to riding – every horse and human pair have quite different physical and mental characteristics that can change depending on the day or environment.
Just as with our riding, we must learn to listen to our own bodies for feedback on balance, alignment, and the right amount of challenge.
When you can really still the mind and listen to your body – and that of your horse – the path forward will become more clear.
Yoga essentially teaches us to honor the present moment. Being able to stay present and focused is a key of great horsemanship.
There is one principle that should never be abandoned, namely, that the rider must learn to control himself before he can control his horse. This is the basic, most important principle to be preserved in equitation.
ALOIS PODHAJSKY
Meet your instructor
Heidi Blackman
Heidi has been practicing yoga for over 17 years and is a specialist in teaching Yoga for Riders. She has always had a passion for animals and grew up riding horses and spending as much time as possible at the barn.
Heidi lives in Nosara, Costa Rica and teaches yoga classes for all levels and is co-founder of a retreat company combining the transformative power of yoga and horses.
Heidi’s formal training in yoga is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Training (200 hours of yoga teacher’s training through YogaWorks with Kia Miller and 300 hours of SmartFlow training with Annie Carpenter).
In her classes, Heidi focuses on correct alignment, listening to your own body and limits, and building on slow, correct movement – and you will often hear her say “If it feels too much, it is too much”!
Through the class, Heidi will guide us in a sense of curiosity and awareness of what is happening in our body and mind while we are practicing.
When we have balance and carry ourselves it allows our horse to find self carriage and collection.
Heidi Blackman
What is included in Yoga for Riders
3x 30 minute Asana
Classes each week
1x 15 minute
Restorative Class
each week
1x Guided
Meditation Class
each week
Horse Homework
each week
This program is four weeks long and each week will consist of three 30 minute classes, a 15 minute restorative class, a 10 minute meditation, and Horse Homework with Callie.
You have access to the classes for a full year to repeat as often as you like. Also, you can download the classes, to continue watching them after the year of streaming access!
In the 30 minute classes, Heidi will guide you through a series of poses and movements, helping you improve your posture and remembering to breathe (we will be sure to have a few laughs along the way too!).
These are the classes that will develop your strength for riding and make a big difference in your posture!
Heidi will instruct you how to modify the exercise when it is too difficult or if you have limitations such as an old wrist injury or troublesome knees.
Each week, and each class, will have a particular focus – generally a movement principle or a set of movements as well as general themes flowing from the Chakra system, the energy system of the body.
In the 15 minute restorative yoga class, Heidi will lead you through poses that release stress and tension while improving flexibility and range of motion.
There will also be a short and easy 10 minute guided meditation each week.
If you’ve tried meditation before and found sitting still and trying not to think for 2 minutes seemingly useless… don’t worry, Heidi’s got you! You will come away from these guided meditations with a sense of calm, ease, and quiet that your horse will truly appreciate.
Finally there is the weekly Horse Homework, where you get a few simple exercises with Callie to take the skills and movements you practiced in your weekly classes into the saddle.
Each week of Yoga for Riders will progress in physical difficulty, but also in a holisitic sense, beginning with grounding and acceptance and moving through finding your edge, sensing connection, and listening to your intuition.
As you progress through each week, you will feel the benefits in your body, during your riding time, and out of the saddle too.
But let’s be honest for a moment… We both know how easy it is to get excited about getting fit. We get all jacked up about the improvements we are going to make, only to watch that enthusiasm fizzle as each week passes by. But not with Yoga for Riders!
You will get simple inbox reminders to hit your mat and follow along the classes and meditations guided by Heidi. At the end of the week, you will receive another email with simple journal prompts to reflect on the meaning of that week’s theme for you.
After you complete each class or meditation, check it off as done on your Yogi Journey Map and share your success with the group!
New or Returning to Yoga?
It doesn’t matter if you have never done yoga before because the classes will begin with basic foundational poses and movements and gradually integrate more poses and concepts as the program progresses.
Especially as a rider, Heidi is the perfect teacher to help you get started, guiding you in a yoga routine that has been created specifically for the unique challenges of riders.
Your Flow for the Next Month
in Yoga for Riders!
Week 1 Grounding, Awareness and Acceptance
This week we will work on awareness of breath, standing poses, and lengthening and opening the hamstrings. You will learn grounding techniques to become more present and mindful.
In your riding, you will learn to find a neutral pelvis and spine, and become more flexible through your hips for better mounting and dismounting and easier movement with your horse.
Symbolically, these movements are associated with calmness, patience, and a willingness to slow down and stay in one place. Find a renewed self confidence and commitment to the next steps on life’s journey.
Ease fears as you learn to trust the earth, your horse, and your body.
Week 2 Find Your Edge and Honor It
In this week’s practice, enjoy movement that is uplifting, energizing, and challenging. Learn to honor your body, find your edge, and either go for it or be more gentle.
The physical movements of this week will focus on core strength with twists, inversions, arm balances, shoulder stretches, and back bends.
In your riding, this will help with the broad open chest that helps us to stay stable in our upper body with good contact and clear rein aids.
Symbolically, discover sensible risk taking, where risks may involve confrontation, setting limits, or asking for what we need – all ways of reclaiming our power.
Slow down to discover that everything you need is already inside of you – not somewhere outside of you. The more we can slow down our mind chatter and listen to our hearts, the more we can be at peace.
Week 3 Intention and Intuition
This week focuses on staying connected and true to your True Self.
In the movements and poses of this week, explore the effects of your gaze and intention as you move through balance exercises, neck stretches, and forward folds.
In your riding, you can use this for better turns and clearly knowing and asking what you want from your horse.
Symbolically, listen to your intuition and how to communicate your truth to the outside world. Calm the mind of chatter and recognize the convergence of mind and body.
Week 4 All is Coming! Connection
and Consciousness
Consistent practice over time will lead to real change in your body, mind, and feeling of connection to something greater.
Through this week’s practice, we combine all the movements into a well rounded practice for the whole body.
In your riding, you will connect all the elements we have worked on so far, feeling the affects of your combined movement and focus for your riding and your horse.
Symbolically, we explore our spiritual connection to all beings and ability to go beyond ourselves and our own experiences and intellect.
Also Included in the Program...
Quick Reference Guide
Even when you don’t have time for an entire class, you can still find the benefits of practicing the yoga poses.
Perhaps a few each day before you go to the barn or as you warm up for your ride.
This Quick Reference Guide will help you improve each pose, with tips for getting the most out of the posture and how each pose later benefits your time in the saddle.
Streaming + Download Access
The Yoga for Riders Program is four weeks long and you will have access to the classes for a full year. You may also download the videos, so you can keep them as long as you like, or so you can watch in areas where you do not have good internet service for streaming.
Receive these Bonuses for
Free when you Join!
We have packaged up a few special bonuses to help you apply
your new yoga practice directly to your riding.
Riding Warm Up
Get limber before you spring into the saddle!
In the Riding Warm Up, Heidi will lead you through a quick routine that is perfect to do at the barn before your ride.
Warm up your body, calm any riding nerves, and just get ready for a great ride.
Rider Reset
Not every ride is great. Sometimes it just feels all too hard, our horse isn’t listening, and frustration takes over.
This is where the Rider Reset comes in!
Take a moment to move through a few poses that Heidi put together specifically to promote the release of stress but that you can still do right in the arena with your horse.
Don’t let the downward spiral of a bad ride continue. Take a few minutes to reset and then move on!
Working Through Injuries
Our bodies are not perfect. Especially as riders, many of us have had our share of mishaps that leave us sore, stiff, or with limited mobility.
The way to improve is to move, and when you know what to do to modify poses for your unique body, you can be confident and feel good every step of the way.
In this bonus session, Heidi will explain how to modify any of the exercises and poses for you – if you have sore knees, an old wrist injury, back pain, etc.
You can use what you already have around the house or barn, a blanket, pillow, towel, blocks, and going into different positions to listen to and protect your body.
Yoga is something we can do out of the saddle to improve the time we have in the saddle.
CALLIE KING
Testimonials
Developed an Awareness
of Whole Body Posture
Gained More Confidence and
a Better Balanced Seat
In case you're wondering...
You will need a non-slippery surface to do the movement classes – this is why yoga mats are so great! Many people like the thicker mats to also provide some cushioning, especially if your knees or hands tend to get sore.
You may also want to purchase a pair of yoga blocks and a stretch strap, but if needed, these can also be improvised with towels and a stack of books.
This class is designed for beginner to intermediate students, with NO base level of fitness needed. If you are fit enough to get on a horse, you are definitely fit enough for this class.
And if you’ve been waiting to ride until you get more fit, Heidi is here to help!
(If you are still unsure, ask your family doc if it would be ok for you to start a light yoga routine.)
Our bodies are not perfect. Especially as riders, many of us have had our share of mishaps that leave us sore, stiff, or with limited mobility.
The way to improve is to move, and when you know what to do to modify poses for your unique body, you can be confident and feel good every step of the way.
Through each class, Heidi mentions modifications that you can do when you feel uncomfortable, plus we have a special bonus focused on how to modify for injuries.
In each pose, Heidi guides you through how to find the best alignment, for example “check that your knee is right over your ankle here”.
But more importantly, yoga is about listening to your own body, finding your limits, and noticing what feels good and what doesn’t.
These classes are designed for beginner to intermediate students. Especially in the early weeks, Heidi carefully describes each pose and how to move through the pose, with a focus on alignment and steady, purposeful movement.
Heidi describes more advanced versions of poses, but will be mostly demonstrating the beginner to intermediate poses.
You have a full year of access to repeat these classes as often as you wish! You can also download the classes to continue watching them or to watch them in areas where internet service is not suitable for streaming.
The classes are all pre-recorded and will be available at the beginning of each week, so you can do each class on your own schedule! No need to be on live at any specific time.
30 Day Full Money Back Guarantee
As with all of our HorseClass programs, I want you to be completely confident and comfortable joining Yoga for Riders.
If you are not satisfied with this Program for any reason, return it for a full refund within 30 days of joining.
We would love to have you join us!
Join Us in Yoga for Riders!
Become fit, strong, and confident – in and out of the saddle.
Secure One-time Payment in USD .. Risk-free 30 Day Full Money Back Guarantee
Here is Exactly What You Get When You Join
4 Weeks of Classes you can repeat over and over
for your full year of Program Access
Each Week You Will Receive
- Three 30 minute Asana (or flow) Yoga Classes to build your strength and mobility
- One 15 minute Restorative Yoga Class to release stiff, tight muscles
- One 15 minute Meditation to feel calm, focused, and present
- Weekly Horse Homework with Callie to take your new skills and movements into the saddle
- All yoga classes can be watched online for a full year or downloaded for forever access
Plus THESE Extra Bonuses
- Riding Warm Up Flow to feel loose and limber before you swing into the saddle
- Rider Reset for those moments when it’s just not going well and you need a fresh start to your ride!
- Working Through Injuries Tutorial to help you make any needed adjustments to make each pose beneficial for your unique body
- Plus Quick Reference Guide for when you don’t have time for an entire class
- Plus 30 Day Full Money Back Guarantee
