1) Raise one arm straight up, "reach for the sky", breathe deeply and
exhale slowly to a count of 5. Sloooowly bring the arm to a 90 deg
position, then swing back as far as is comfortable (not much at first),
breathe, swing forward, breath, lift to vertical, breathe. Repeat with
other arm.
2) Hand on hip, sloooowly bend to the side as far as is comfortable,
breathe, and repeat with other arm.
3) Center your seat bones, "drop your knees"--an equivalent but different
way to think heels-down/leg-back, then alternately lift one leg, then the
other, 90 deg to the saddle (not too much at first or you will cramp),
then both. Then slowly swing each leg alternately front-to-back,
breathing rhymically.
These exercises do several things:
a) stretch your muscles & prepare them for work
b) sets a pattern for correct, deep, rhythmic breathing
c) centers your seat bones
d) deepens the seat
e) relaxes the horse (I believe it's the breathing that does it)
When you are "a little older" like most of us folks, it's more important
than ever to prepare your body for the task of centered riding.
Hope this helps.
Diane @ Safe Haven