Spirituality and Sports

Riding is a very physical and mental sport. Researchers find that engaging in spiritual practices improves sports performance and overall well-being while fostering excellence and individual growth (Aspinwall & Staudinger, 2003; Dillon & Tait, 2000; Joseph, Linley, & Maltby, 2006; Miller & Kerr, 2002; Nesti, 2004; Ravizza, 2002; Vernacchia, McGuire, Reardon, & Templin, 2000). Spiritual practices have also been found to help athletes overcome setbacks and enhance performance (e.g., Coakley, 2003; Czech & Bullet, 2007; Maranise, 2013; Park, 2000; Watson & Czech, 2005). For example, spiritual practices related to enhancing an athlete's “mindfulness,” such as meditation, helps athletes to be present in the moment when they are performing, which increases their ability to concentrate, establish clear goals, and maintain self-control (Gardner & Moore, 2004, 2006, 2007; Kee & Wang, 2008). Although the influence of spirituality on athletic performance is gaining more traction in the sport psychology literature, the impact of spirituality on improving athletic performance in equine sports is notably absent. This gap is especially troubling given the spiritual nature of the animals involved in the sport! Horse Girl Reiki addresses this gap. 

Horse Girl Reiki is a part of the New Age spiritual movement that focuses on inward reflective practices along with a sacralization of the Self and is often related to physical and material actions such as health, yoga, martial arts, sports, and exercise (Roychowdhury, 2019). In particular, yoga and reiki are used as spiritual practices to connect the mind, body, and spirit to improve our connection with animals - thus improving our athletic performance (if engaged in the riding aspect of equestrian sports). For example, when we start to give in to our feelings of self-doubt and fear in our riding, our mind-body connection can be blocked. Some of the best practices for connecting mind, body, and spirit are through yoga and bioenergetic practices such as reiki. The Horse Girl Reiki approach to helping people become effective riders and intuitive horse and animal communicators is to develop a framework for improving a person’s mind, body, and spiritual connection and incorporating that connection into their daily interactions with animals. This is done through bioenergetic work like reiki and mental and physical practices like yoga. 

Reiki means “universal (rei) life-force energy (ki).” Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that involves channeling energy through the hands to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The seven chakras represent the steps we take to express our life force energy fully. The chakras represent “wheels” or “disks” and are “spinning spheres of bioenergetic activating that branch out from the bottom of the spinal column. Yoga is a mind, body, and spiritual practice that connects the individual with the divine. The word yoga means “yoke.” The postures and breakwork included in different yoga practices aid us in accessing a higher state of consciousness through the seven chakra systems. Researchers find that yoga (Hatha yoga in particular) aids athletes in transcending their ego, improves their mental focus, and helps athletes experience a state of relaxation (Ravizza, 2002). The mindfulness aspect of yoga also helps athletes manage distractions from the past, present, or future. Both reiki and yoga create a powerful combination of practices and healing techniques that target psychological blockages that negatively impact our relationship with Self and, ultimately, our relationship with horses and animals. By incorporating reiki and yoga into our equestrian lifestyles, we improve our communication and connection while opening ourselves up to more fully experience the incredible healing powers of horses and animals.