Brain Training

What if achieving peak performance in terms of appearance, feeling, and performance wasn't just a pipe dream but rather something everyone could do?

Sure, some of us manage to perform at our absolute best in one or more areas. For example, there are professional card counters, computer programmers, and race car drivers who spend their days hunched over their keyboards, cards, and steering wheels. They have optimized minds. They also have optimized bodies. Monks and meditators wander the earth with optimized spirits.

But in an ideal world, you could have everything: total improvement of the mind, body, and spirit.

Ben Greenfield, an expert in health and fitness and the author of Beyond Training, presents a ground-breaking roadmap for overall human improvement in Boundless.

Did you know that the "Lizard Brain" is a region of your brain that only considers the present moment and your chances of survival? Yes, even if you know better, there are times when your "Rational Brain" will actually "shut down," leaving you at the mercy of a reptile with parched mouth, sweaty palms, nausea, and a cloudy head. What time does the Lizard Brain take over? It can occur in a variety of new, unsettling, difficult, or "stressful" riding conditions. The good news is that with the appropriate training, you can learn to control your inner reptile, which will boost your riding skills and confidence with horses and, in the end, bring you enjoyment at the stable, in competitions, and anywhere else.

How-to advice from Andrea Monsarrat Waldo includes: deal with unpleasant feelings including fear, wrath, anxiety, and embarrassment; To make the most of your hours in the saddle, improve your mental preparation and concentration while riding; Care for your emotional wounds in the same way you would a wounded horse. Create a state of "Focused Calm" and use your skills-whether you're aware of them or not-to assure a great ride.