Yogabr is a discipline with physical and mental benefits that include brincreased flexibility, energy and vitality; improved muscle strength andbr tone, respiration and posture; stress reduction and maintaining a brbalanced metabolism. Yoga can be incorporated into anyone’s life, brwhether they are a novice or an experienced student.
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brAthletes attest to the impact and benefits yoga and meditation have madebr in their routine. Legendary championship basketball coach Phil Jackson,br often referred to as the “Zen master”, integrated meditation, Buddhism brand other spiritual traditions into his coaching practice. Athletes thatbr practice yoga and meditation include LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Evan Longoria, among others.
br First, no matter what the level of our age or athletic ability, it’s brvery important to take time out for ourselves every day. Yoga and brmeditation are a pathway to learning who we are and what it is in our brlife we want to accomplish. Once we are on that pathway, all things willbr become clear, as yoga will improve our health mentally, physically and brspiritually.
Yoga will teach us how to respect ourself andbr those around us. By focusing on who it is we want to be, we can and brwill overcome any obstacle that might be blocking our path. There will bralways be forks in the road, but with time and practice, we can learn brwhich direction is best.
The mind is the most important brpart of our being, and daily meditation, whether it’s five minutes or a brcouple of hours, allows us to learn how to train our thoughts to stay inbr the moment.
Here are five points to get started in yoga and meditation:
1. Breathing control is an exercise designed to help you relax. Visualize what you wish to be in your life.
2. Meditationallows you to reflect on letting things go, be aware of your brsurroundings and understand what you can and cannot control. For brexample, in golf, you can’t control the weather, width of the fairway, brheight of the grass, etc.
3. Relaxation as yoga brand golf both require you to be mindful at all times. Being mindful is brlearning to be in the moment and not allowing the chatter of the mind tobr control what you do.
4. Concentration allows youbr to be aware of your thoughts without being attached to those thoughts. brBy learning to create options to reset the mind and refocus through brvisualization, an athlete can control what they’re doing that very brmoment.
5. Conscious body posture through yoga brwill help improve your strength and muscle flexibility. Athletes that brpractice yoga and meditation tend to recover more quickly from injuries.br Yoga also improves posture.
Victor Stringer, 78 years old, is a certified instructor of kundalini yoga, member of Kundalini 3Ho Foundation International and National Council on Strength Fitness (NCSF), and author of the international bestselling book Yogi on the Green.br He started playing golf 30 years ago and had a three handicap. When he brintegrated yoga into his life, it helped him emotionally, mentally and brphysically on and off the golf course. For more information, email [email protected] or visit YogiOnTheGreen.com.
