To prepare yourself for this experimental approach to self-analysis, please review and summarize on a piece of paper: - What you believe are your 3 main weaknesses - Your concept of tension before and after reading: - The three behaviors you wish you could change and the hidden tension that may be part of their cause. Let's make an inventory of our physical tension. To do this we need a simple reference position. How about standing still on a level floor with our eyes open and our arms hanging down. The external signs of motion are our breathing and an occasional blinking of the eyes. Tension prevents us from falling. To identify tension we scan our body from toes to shoulders and from fingers to top of the skull. Don't worry if you can't identify the tension that's holding you up. Unless it is unusually excessive, it is taken for granted. Now, close your eyes. If you lose your balance reopen them immediately. What muscles did you have to contract to maintain your position? If you had not reacted what would have happen? Would you have fallen? How? Backward, forward, or to one side? Would you have relaxed? Answering these questions reveal the tension that mantains your balance. You become aware of the efforts that hold you standing. Used properly scanning your body is an excellent tool for in-depth evaluation and problem solving. It is a conscious process that tests your sensory perception. As your brain identifies all the parts of your body according to their location, you detect their PoD, size, density, texture, temperature, and tension. You must also be aware of their relative position and compare paired parts for symmetry. The parts of the body you scan consist of bony structures held by muscles, tendons, and ligaments with cushioning by bursas and cartilage linings. Scanning may help detect a pathology. However, in a healthy body the holding apparatus relies on muscle tension to do its job. When you scan a healthy body to try to improve its behavior you should focus on muscle tension and its true cause. The muscle tension that holds it standing most often compensates for another tension. Like a muscle resisting stretching for a behavioral reason. Propioception is the neurological process that controls tension in muscles. It relies on the sensory perception of muscle changes. Nerve terminals called proprioceptors detect the length of muscle cells and their rate of lengthening. Motor reactions are regulated autonomously by the nervous system from an INK PoV. Thanks to proprioception SBs are aware of the relative position of all the parts of their body. Click this Exploratorium Website. It teaches us what happens when a part of our body is moved without visual support. Now, following the map on the left column you should be ready to perform a full scan of your body keeping your eyes open without looking or moving, just breathing normally? Proceed. Listen to your body. Be fully aware of everything that happens. Take mental notes. Shut your eyes. Don't fall. Pay attention to the muscles you have to contract to hold your balance. Breath normally. Repeat the scan. When you are through, list your findings on a sheet of paper. Draw outlines of the human body standing. Mark on them eveything you perceived. Use different colors for eyes open and for eyes shut. Repeat these scans for other positions: Sitting straight on a chair; Lying down on the floor; Sitting in the saddle. Is there any hidden tension these exercises help you discover? While you stand does the pressure feel equal under both feet? While you sit on a chair or in the saddle does the pressure feel equal under both buttocks? How do these observations differ when you shut your eyes? Did you discover any evidence of hidden tension? Did you perform thorough scans? Did you compare both sides of your body? Does your body feel symmetric? Were you aware of the relative position of all parts of your body? To improve your perception you may wish to add visual support. A 3-panel full length mirror or a friend would do. You may then discover that the hip or the shoulder you felt were high aren't. You may see physical tension you had not perceived. Here is a complementary application of these scanning techniques. It will provide you with a first aid relief of unusual excessive tension. Repeat each scan. Without using force, tighten each part of the body as you scan them. Hold them tight until your whole body is tight. When you reach your neck hold your breath as well. Hold the body contracted for at least a count of 3. Finally, let go all at once. Breath! The benefits of scanning in familiar static conditions are obvious. Each scan adds to your awareness of hidden tension. It is a very good tool for self-analysis. Tightenning as you scan adds to your perception. It gives you a feel for tension under stress. Letting go will release most of your tension. While lying down it will allow you to rest in comfort. It will help you sit or stand with minimum effort . Before you ask your horse to move on, do a tightening scan in the saddle. It will deepen your seat. It will relax you and your horse too. |
SELF-ANALYSIS/SCANNING To help your horses be their best you must first be your best. This Web page introduces scanning for detecting most hidden tension and hopefully eliminate unusual excessive physical tension. |
To prepare yourself for this experimental approach to self-analysis, please review and summarize on a piece of paper: - What you believe are your 3 main weaknesses - Your concept of tension before and after reading: - The three behaviors you wish you could change and the hidden tension that may be part of their cause. Let's make an inventory of our physical tension. To do this we need a simple reference position. How about standing still on a level floor with our eyes open and our arms hanging down. The external signs of motion are our breathing and an occasional blinking of the eyes. Tension prevents us from falling. To identify tension we scan our body from toes to shoulders and from fingers to top of the skull. Don't worry if you can't identify the tension that's holding you up. Unless it is unusually excessive, it is taken for granted. Now, close your eyes. If you lose your balance reopen them immediately. What muscles did you have to contract to maintain your position? If you had not reacted what would have happen? Would you have fallen? How? Backward, forward, or to one side? Would you have relaxed? Answering these questions reveal the tension that mantains your balance. You become aware of the efforts that hold you standing. Used properly scanning your body is an excellent tool for in-depth evaluation and problem solving. It is a conscious process that tests your sensory perception. As your brain identifies all the parts of your body according to their location, you detect their PoD, size, density, texture, temperature, and tension. You must also be aware of their relative position and compare paired parts for symmetry. The parts of the body you scan consist of bony structures held by muscles, tendons, and ligaments with cushioning by bursas and cartilage linings. Scanning may help detect a pathology. However, in a healthy body the holding apparatus relies on muscle tension to do its job. When you scan a healthy body to try to improve its behavior you should focus on muscle tension and its true cause. The muscle tension that holds it standing most often compensates for another tension. Like a muscle resisting stretching for a behavioral reason. Propioception is the neurological process that controls tension in muscles. It relies on the sensory perception of muscle changes. Nerve terminals called proprioceptors detect the length of muscle cells and their rate of lengthening. Motor reactions are regulated autonomously by the nervous system from an INK PoV. Thanks to proprioception SBs are aware of the relative position of all the parts of their body. Click this Exploratorium Website. It teaches us what happens when a part of our body is moved without visual support. Now, following the map on the left column you should be ready to perform a full scan of your body keeping your eyes open without looking or moving, just breathing normally? Proceed. Listen to your body. Be fully aware of everything that happens. Take mental notes. Shut your eyes. Don't fall. Pay attention to the muscles you have to contract to hold your balance. Breath normally. Repeat the scan. When you are through, list your findings on a sheet of paper. Draw outlines of the human body standing. Mark on them eveything you perceived. Use different colors for eyes open and for eyes shut. Repeat these scans for other positions: Sitting straight on a chair; Lying down on the floor; Sitting in the saddle. Is there any hidden tension these exercises help you discover? While you stand does the pressure feel equal under both feet? While you sit on a chair or in the saddle does the pressure feel equal under both buttocks? How do these observations differ when you shut your eyes? Did you discover any evidence of hidden tension? Did you perform thorough scans? Did you compare both sides of your body? Does your body feel symmetric? Were you aware of the relative position of all parts of your body? To improve your perception you may wish to add visual support. A 3-panel full length mirror or a friend would do. You may then discover that the hip or the shoulder you felt were high aren't. You may see physical tension you had not perceived. Here is a complementary application of these scanning techniques. It will provide you with a first aid relief of unusual excessive tension. Repeat each scan. Without using force, tighten each part of the body as you scan them. Hold them tight until your whole body is tight. When you reach your neck hold your breath as well. Hold the body contracted for at least a count of 3. Finally, let go all at once. Breath! The benefits of scanning in familiar static conditions are obvious. Each scan adds to your awareness of hidden tension. It is a very good tool for self-analysis. Tightenning as you scan adds to your perception. It gives you a feel for tension under stress. Letting go will release most of your tension. While lying down it will allow you to rest in comfort. It will help you sit or stand with minimum effort . Before you ask your horse to move on, do a tightening scan in the saddle. It will deepen your seat. It will relax you and your horse too. |
BE AWARE OF YOUR: Weaknesses Hidden Tension Desire to Change PHYSICAL TENSION Scan your body in a reference position PERCEPTION What tension? Closing eyes could be an eye opener. The tension that maintains your balance Scanning is a conscious process that tests your sensory perception When you scan parts of a body to try to improve its behavior focus on muscle tension and its true cause Proprioception? A neurological process that autonomously controls muscle tension and provides spatial awareness Scan: toes, feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips, buttocks, belly, chest; fingers, hands, arms, elbows, shoulders, neck jaws, eyes, skull Repeat the scans in several positions to discover more hidden tension To complete your scans you should compare your notes with visual observations Tightening scans w/o force will free unusual excessive tension from your body SUMMARY Scans help you analyze, discover and release most hidden tension EQUESTRIAN APPLICATION |
Copyright 2001,. All rights reserved to Michel Kaplan and Beau Geste S. O. A. R. |
This page was last updated on: October 31, 2001
