THE KEY TO CHANGE IS NOT TO FIND DYSFUNCTION,
IT IS TO FIND FUNCTION.
ANYONE CAN FIND DYSFUNCTION,
BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN FIND THE DOOR TO FUNCTIONAL.
Equine tensegrity balancing therapy is a therapeutic modality that addresses the body as one cohesive structure. It takes into consideration all the structures, tissue types and systems of the body equality, their significance and ability to maintain a three dimensional shape and coherently manipulate that shape into motion and against gravity.
Equine tensegrity balancing therapy is where structural integrity and force transfer find balance.
Welcome to the home of the hindlimb hammock, the breathing bone, and the rainbow crunch.
The hindlimb hammock is a foundational technique that addresses many aspects of the horse; in fact it addresses all three axes of motion simultaneously. Most importantly, the hindlimb hammock address is the ability of the spine, particularly the sacrum and lumbar spine to rotate and open to facilitate correct loading when the limb is placed on the ground again. This technique does a lot for the sensorimotor connection across the SI joint, the lumbosacral junction, and the entire hind limb. This technique is good for addressing both the lateral frame and the rotation frame of the horse, and it reaches all the way to the occiput and TMJ.
The Breathing bone is the foundational technique affecting the follow-through of the hind end to the front of the horse through the dorsal ventral frame of the horse. This taps into the horse's ability to generate locomotion in body connection while opposing the forces of gravity. This technique is vital for reminding the horse of body connections, reminding the horse what it feels like when you breathe correctly, and your viscera moves correctly. This technique affects the SI joint, the diaphragm, the psoas, the pectorals, in fact, the entire core.
Rainbow Crunch, the technique known as the kissing spine savior.
It’s another foundational technique, addressing the lateral frame of the horse, the spinal ligaments of the horse, the ribs, pelvis, scapular ligaments, pelvic ligament, sympathetic chain, and diaphragm. This technique also addresses balancing proprioception, particularly in relationship to limb and eye coordination. It connects proprioceptive sensory input and integrates the body into one cohesive unit, affecting core and core slings together with the nervous system and the spine.
What drives me:
My hope is to share the knowledge I accumulate, to share my success, and help both people and horses. We all have unique gifts and my hope is that each student can integrate what they learn, with their own gifts, to create a peer network that can collaborate to solve the big puzzles of the equine body.
Want to learn more?
Please clink on the link to contact the host for availability.
Class schedule 2024:
-
January 2- 4 Hawaii level 2 Full
-
January 20-21 Ocala ALC : Full
-
February 16-18 Southern Pines, North Carolina level 2 : Full
-
February 23-25 Crockett, Texas level 1 : Full
-
March 8-10 Chino Valley, Arizona level 1 : Full
-
April 5-7 Chino Valley, Arizona Level 1 : Full
-
April 19-21 Chino Valley, Arizona level 2 : Full
-
May 10-12 Copenhagen, Denmark level 2 : Full
-
May 17-19 Copenhagen, Denmark level 1 : Full
-
July 24-26 Canberra, Australia level 1 : Full
-
July 29-30 Canberra, Australia level 1 : Full
-
September 13-15 Devon, UK level 2 : Full
-
September 20 -22 Devon, UK level 1 : Full
-
October 11-13 Crockett, Texas level 2 : Full
-
October 24-27 Chino Valley, Arizona Level 3 : equinetensegritybalancing@gmail.com
Levels of Education
Passing on all the information and knowledge I have collected takes time and needs to come in layers. The information comes from so many different areas of consideration; students are asked to learn the foundation of embryology, have a good understanding of fascia, neurology, biomechanics, assessment skills and treatment skills. Learning and understanding needs to be cerebral and tactile coupled with practice and experience. My goal is to help you find the amazing therapist within you. By helping you see, think, respond and treat the equine puzzle presented before you so we can all do better for horses. Currently I have put the knowledge I want to share into 5 classes of three days and 3 advanced learning classes.
-
Level 1 putting air in the fascial bag
-
Level 2 addressing the snags in the fascial bag
-
Level 3 understanding the head and its significance to the body
-
Level 4 organs the silent fule of dysfunction
-
Level 5 neurology streamlining conductivity
-
ALC 1 distal limbs and psoas
-
ALC 2 pelvic floor and ribs
-
ALC 3 head shakers
Core Principles of ETBT
-
Restoring tensegral integrity to the equine body by facilitating healthy posture and locomotion. The emphasis is on correct force transfer in a stable, balanced, three-dimensional, living structure that can compensate and protect itself from the stresses of daily life placed upon it.
-
Changing the brain and the state of the nervous system through neural plasticity by harnessing, introspection, and self-awareness.
-
Somatosensory re-integration using sensory information from the body to remove cortical smudging, reignite homunculus refreshment, and allow a clear map within the sensory and motor cortex.
-
Fascial remodeling, by harnessing the piezoelectric properties, retrains the fascia through movement patterns to facilitate a change in the body bag.
-
Assessing the habitual pattern of the central pattern generators and using the four concepts above to retrain and re-pattern those central pattern generators into healthier, more balanced reflexive movement.
-
Help rebalance natural asymmetry that has become compensatory and reflexive movement.
If you want a little more...
Things that matter when considering Tensegrity.
Enjoy some classroom shorts:
"If the brain works on the basis of 'use it or lose it,' what is not being used can not be changed because, according to the brain, it's lost. In order to find it, we need to reconnect it to the mainframe."
"The laterality of respiration is hardly ever considered in the equine world, yet it rules and maintains much of the laterality we are struggling to equalize. Assessing and supporting laterality of respiration is the key to change."
"Nothing in the body is an orphan, nothing in the body works alone or can function alone. If we think in segments and isolated structures, we will treat the body how we think. Whole horse is the key."
"Every therapeutic technique is also an assessment technique, we must always adjust our treatment in response to the information we collect along the way."
About the Creator
I am an eternal student of the equine body. I have spent a lifetime studying the equine form- from my artwork as a child through to my Bachelor of Fine Arts painting degree. I have illustrated anatomical educational material for several equine professionals. Sketching and illustrating every new concept is how I make sense of the world and what I see around me. I finally found the trifecta of neurology, embryology and motion. I kept applying these concepts and looking through this multi-focal lens whilst treating the horses in front of me. I have found these tools to be applicable and efficacious from world's top endurance horses to the everyday happy hackers.
I never intended to be a world-wide educator... there wasn't a plan for all of this. I just want to help the horse. What I offer has changed the lives of countless horses all over the world. And I didn't want this collection of hard-won information to die with me. So I feel a responsibility to find a practical and affordable way to share my work.
In my journey as an equine therapist and educator, I share efficient and TEACHABLE tools, visuals, and ways to interact with the equine body that are memorable and make sense to students. I always come back to my artistic roots and look at the horse again and again as speaking geometric shapes. My artistic observation and the understanding of equine anatomy have firmly planted me in the world of body tensegrity. The body speaks in art. Without being able to see movement and related structures, we can't address physical issues. My classes share this information and I am always happy to support my students and other ethical equine professionals.
Disclaimer. Warranty. Equine Liability. By watching any videos posted, by consuming any information from this site or any subsidiaries or affiliates, you acknowledge and confirm that activities involving horses can be dangerous and horses can act in a sudden and unpredictable (changeable) way, especially if frightened or hurt. There is a significant risk that serious INJURY or DEATH may result from any such activities. You agree to hold Tami Elkayam, all associated businesses, affiliates, and subsidiaries blameless and forfeit your right to sue. This information is always shared, and/or sold, with the understanding that it should not replace professional veterinarian advice or council, or other appropriate professional equine care. The information on this website, social sites, private or semi private groups, or in classes is intended to be for educational purposes only and as a starting point. There is no implied warranty or guaranteed outcome or results intended. In-person classes come with the most instruction, sharing here is never intended to be your only source of understanding, and we can not be responsible for any results achieved or not achieved based solely on information ethically or not ethically dispersed on the web.