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YOGA FOR GOLF
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was named 'Gentlemen Only ... Ladies Forbidden' and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
Perhaps no game is more wrought with mental hazards than golf. The sport introduces a constant struggle between the conscious mind - analyzing, alert, and logical - and the subconscious mind - the well of intuition and long-term memory. Though fundamentals like body stance and stroke are learned in the conscious mind, they are stored in the nether regions of the subconscious.
Golfers who don't learn the nuances of the mental game of golf remain frustrated or give up before mastering the sport. Yet by incorporating elements of yoga practice, you can develop the mental discipline that golf demands.
Cynthia Ross Cravit writes in 50 plus.com, that more golfers are looking to the 5,000-year-old practice of yoga to improve their health, fitness level and golf swing. Yoga is a component of physical and mental conditioning.
The Mental Game
When dedicated golfers are making progress, hitting the golf ball well, and feeling on top of their game, they're 'in the zone' - a state of being athletes reach where thought is suspended and focus and concentration are heightened.
To achieve this state, golfers must free the subconscious and relax. Yoga can help golfers reach this deep state of relaxation; when your mind becomes clear, you're able to approach your golf game with focus and awareness. Breathe deeply while stretching - deep breathing through the nose maintains proper blood flow to the muscles and calms the nervous system.
The Physical Game
In order to reach the mental peak of your game, you need the instrument of your body to be well tuned.
A strong, stable body that is fluid and flexible creates the foundation for a healthy, injury-free athlete. Due to the fact that golfers swing from one side of the body, there is asymmetry inherent in the sport. Over-training and repetitive motion manifests as larger muscles on one side of a golfer's body; these stronger muscles are also tighter, while the weaker muscles are more flexible.
Striving toward symmetry and balance is the essence of a Yoga program, which breaks down tension the body has learned to work around. It is an intuitive process that takes practice to develop, much like a good golf game.
An entire yoga training program, tailored to the needs of golfers, was developed 10 years ago by Scottsdale golf expert, Katherine Roberts.
'Yoga For Golfers' applies the principles of yoga - flexibility, strength, core conditioning, balance and mental focus - to success on the golf course. It promises many benefits: greater distance and accuracy off the tee, better rhythm and tempo in the golf swing, improved concentration and visualization capabilities, reduced risk of injury and more effective club control and weight distribution.
Yoga, as a fitness tool, is also particularly compatible for increasing flexibility, strength and balance in the older player. The program selects yoga poses that are most suited to golfer's needs, such as enhancing flexibility and strength in muscle groups involved in the mechanics of the golf swing - primarily the spine, shoulders, hips and legs.
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