Reduce Your Handicap with Yoga for Golfers #2

I hope you took the time to try pose #1 from last weeks class 'Easy pose with twist'

Practising the moves everyday  (or more than once a week) will provide noticeable results and greater benefits for your whole body and your game.

So we will start building a basic sequence, one that is easy to follow and can be utilsed by all abilities. If you wish for something a little more ambitious drop me a message and we can go from there.

#1 Easy Pose With Twist (Parivrtta Sukhaasana)

#2 Easy Pose With Forward Fold (Adho Mukha Sukhasana)

Although this sounds straight forward there is much more to the pose than meets the eye. When executed well the move can have measurable effects, as it stretches the back, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. Caution should be taken if you have a current or recent knee injury and If your hips are very tight.

For absolute beginners I suggest uncrossing the legs and letting them sit straight out in front of you. You may also wish to lift the hips by placing a cushion under the buttocks, this can be useful if the knees sit higher than the hips as aids in better alignment during the fold.

Benefits

1. Relives lower back pain and tension in the muscles created by the repetitive motion of the swing
2. Opens up the space in between the lower vertebra elongating the spine
3. Creates supple muscles in the spine and helps with postures and alignment.
4. Helps with core strengthening and stability
5. A great hip opener and helps to stretch the inner thighs, glutes and hamstrings.
6. stretches and relives tension in the sides of the torso and shoulders.
7. Compresses /massage the abdominal organs aiding in digestion
8. Aids in lowering blood pressure, alleviates fatigue and relieve tension headaches.

Start in easy pose, sitting in a balanced position with the hips neither slumped backwards or pushed to far forwards.
Imagine you vertebrae are stack evenly on top of each other in straight line, engaging the muscles in your trunk imagining the muscles wrapping around and encasing the spine to help hold the position and give support.
Continue the straight line through the neck until you reach the top of the head (the tail bone preferably sits directly in line with the crown of the head). Utilise the muscles in the center of the back by drawing the shoulders down away from the ears in to the center line of the body opening up the chest. (even though the shoulders are firm there should be no tension in the neck muscle or arms).

This first step is vital to achieve a deep and effective stretch - Inhale and raise your arms up over your head, lengthening the entire torso stretching at the sides of the waist up through to the finger tips and create space between the vertebra (especially in the lumber region).

As you exhale imagine you are reaching for something as you fold the body from the hip bones forward (not from the waist, this is important). By reaching out/forward for the entire fold will helps maintain the length of the torso and offers a more effective stretch through the lower spine. Imagine your muscles wrapping around the spine as you bend for support.

Do not allow the shoulders to slump down. Think of movement like this..... the intention is not to put your head on the ground, but to stretch through the lower spine. Keep the vertebra in a straight line all the way through to the crown of the head while you fold down. Dropping the head may cause stress through the neck and upper back, it may also cause problems with those who suffer blood pressure problems. You can rest the head on a block or hands stacked on top of each other.

Let the body relax, your gaze should be soft (looking but not really seeing) take some nice deep breaths and let the body soften and release tension slowly. Initially the muscles may feel tight, but after a some breathing and relaxing the muscles will begin to release. Do not force the movement. Hold the pose for a count of 8 or 8 breaths. Uncross and then cross the legs in the other direction and repeat the move.

Remaining in a folded position inhale and slowly walk both hands around to the side of the body. Exhale and allow the stomach muscles to soften.Ensure that you isolate the movement to your torso and keep you lower body still. Take a moment to assess the position of the lower body, The weight should remain even on both buttocks and the knees should remain level.

Hold the position for a count of 8 or 8 breaths. Repeat in the other direction.