Take your yoga practice to the barn with these horseback moves.

BY NATALIE DeFEE MENDIK PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAITLYN MENDIK

Tree Pose: Breathe while envisioning energy coming from the earth through your body to your heart center, and then from your heart to your horse.

Yoga has worked its way into the fabric of modern culture, and with good reason: Studies suggest regular yoga practice offers a wide variety of mental and physical benefits. With the mind-body connection yoga brings, the physical benefits include increased flexibility, strength and circulation, as well as protective effects on the spine, cartilage and joints. Additionally, attention to breath and centeredness facilitates a quieter mental and emotional space.

How about all this while spending time with your horse? A true win-win! Equestrian yoga, an ancient tradition with a modern twist, takes the practice away from the studio and into the barn: this is yoga done together with your horse. Danny Chapparo of Ashva Yoga in Castle Rock, Colo., shows us how.

| With Your Horse |

TREE POSE: Standing next to your horse while facing the same direction, place your hand closest to the horse on his shoulder or chest. Balancing on your leg closest to the horse, bend your other leg at the knee, placing the sole on your opposite inner shin or inner thigh (avoid resting your foot against your knee, as pressure on the knee can cause injury).