- Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Something as simple as stretching your back, deepening your breath and focusing your mind can have a tremendous impact on your golf performance. A gentle stretch such as child’s pose will do the trick.
Begin in cat (table pose), and gently shift the weight back so the sit bones are on the heals. (If your knees are sensitive, you can keep the hips higher). Extend the arms away from the body to feel a gentle shoulder stretch. The forehead can rest on the ground if it reaches. In yoga philosophy, the forehead, particularly the space slightly above the middle of the eyebrows is referred to as the “third eye”. This is an area of insight, intuition, and wisdom. Important tools to have ready and focused for golf.
Once you are in the posture, breath as deeply as you can. In and out through the nose. Ideally the exhale should be twice as long as the inhale. Notice the torso lightly pressing on the tops of the legs as you fully inhale. Become aware of any thoughts you might have, and simply let them pass. Re-focus your mind on the breath and the relaxing of the back. Hold as long as you need to in order to create a relaxed lower back and a calm mind.
Once you feel complete, head to the course and/or the first tee and notice how much calmer you feel. Aim to keep the deep breathing and quiet mental state for as long as you can. Re-focus whenever you need to with the long breath. Your back will be loose, your mind sharp and you’ll be ready to play your best golf.
Dodie Mazzuca: dodiemazzuca@live.com
