Well, that's sort of the idea at one animal
school in Argentina.
You may have heard of yoga's "downward-facing dog" pose, but
what about "upward-staring horse"?
A video of a wrangler performing yoga-esque
poses atop a strapping steed went viral on the internet earlier this year,
bringing predictable headlines like "You'll neigh-ver believe it" and
"Horse yoga is actually a thing!"
But the practice turns out to be not quite
the same ancient Indus Valley art that such reports have suggested.
Instead, it owes its formation to the
indigenous communities of rural Argentina, in which horses have played an
integral, almost mystical role for centuries.
According to Cristabal Scarpati, co-founder
of the Doma India school in the town of San Luis, these impressive skills have
been honed and passed down through tribes, towns and settlements in the region
for generations.
"The philosophy of our school is the
philosophy that my father learned from an old Indian named Don Cristobal
Luna," Scarpati told CNN."He taught us how to recreate these
exercises practiced by the Indian aborigines.
"These people were endowed with
extraordinary abilities and very often the survival of their tribes depended on
them. It was also a way for cawelche (tribal horse experts) to display their
union with the animals and show off their skills."
On the film, a man can be
seen stretching a horse's legs before carefully performing a headstand on its
chest.
He then maneuvers the horse onto its side,
soothing it into a trance like state of relaxation.
It's an oddly enchanting sight, displaying
the controlled movement and calmness that many who have dabbled in the practice
of yoga or meditation will recognize.
"For many years I traveled the world
bringing this message and what we can say is that horses -- regardless of race
or color or origin -- are all susceptible to the same stimuli ... like
affection, empathy, respect and solidarity," Scarpati said.
"I've never done yoga but now
people tell me a little about it I actually think there are many points of
connection," he added on the similarities of the concepts. "The
pursuit of harmony, peace of mind and body health are closely intertwined in
both activities. I think the suggestion is quite correct."
Doma India primarily exists to teach owners
about the mental state of horses and to help tame horses that are troublesome,
untrusting or insecure.
However, the school also aims to help people
meditate or seek an inner calm through the experiences and interactions they
can have with horses.
"The horse can actually produce a
calming effect on people," Scarpati said.
"I sincerely believe that we can enjoy
something very similar to yoga if we encourage people to play with horses and
if we dare to truly connect with them on their frequency in the frequency of
nature."
With that in mind, maybe the upward-staring
horse pose isn't so far fetched after all.
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