Yoga for Golfers

More golfers are looking to the 5,000-year-old practice of yoga to improve their health, fitness level and golf swing

Yoga, as a component of physical and mental conditioning, has taken the PGA Tour by storm as one of the golf world’s hottest fitness tools. Tour pros, including Brad Faxon, Jonathan Kaye, and Andrew Magee among others, have embraced yoga as a way to improve fitness both on and off the course.

An entire training program, tailoring yoga to the needs of golfers, was developed ten 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.

While yoga is a popular form of exercise for golfers and non-golfers alike, Yoga for Golfers promises benefits any golfer would dream of: 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.

The program selects yoga poses that are most suited for golfer’s needs, such as enhancing flexibility and strength in muscle groups involved in the mechanics of the golf spring –rimarily the spine, shoulders, hips and legs.

“A lot of people haven’t recognized it yet, but there’s a very basic connection between yoga and lowering your golf score,” Debbie Horovitch, a Toronto-based Yoga for Golfers instructor, told the National Post. “The foundation of yoga, which I think most people misunderstand to be stretching, is actually coordinating breath and movement together. One of the biggest keys in golf is being able to quiet your judgmental mind and find your tempo with your breathing.”

In fact, the root of the Sanskrit word yoga is yug, which translates to “the union of the mind, body, and breath.” A yogi, or one who practices yoga, uses postures to bring an overactive mind to a level of calm and quietness. This is especially important for golf, a game involving both physical and mental challenges.

Yoga, as a fitness tool, is particularly compatible for increasing flexibility, strength and balance in the older player. Program founder Katherine Roberts says she works with clients of all age groups, including those in their 70s. But as with any other exercise program, she advises to begin slowly. Roberts makes the following recommendations:

• Start with a minimum of five to ten stretches targeting the areas you believe to hold the greatest challenge

• Never go to pain. The “no pain – no gain” concept does not apply to stretching. At most, you should only experience a slight discomfort as the muscles stretch

• Make sure you maintain proper body alignment while stretching. It is imperative that your body is in the correct postural alignment in order to prevent any injury, as well as to ensure you receive the maximum benefit of the stretch

• Breathe deeply while stretching. Deep breathing through the nose maintains proper blood flow to the muscles and calms the nervous system.

Praise for Robert’s program abounds. CBS golf commentator and Senior PGA Tour player Gary McCord told Golf Online: “Preparing for golf, from the viewpoint of a professional, is an exhaustive task. You have to tighten your swing, practice your short game, get in the right frame of mind and get physically fit. Or you can practice yoga and accomplish all of the above.”

For more information on Yoga for Golfers, visit www.krtotalfitness.com