YOGA FOR Golfers
Hello, my name is Annette Reese. Timber Creek Farms and I have
partnered together to bring you the gift of yoga. A consistent yoga
practice will make you feel better - we promise.
What is yoga? The word yoga means "yoke" or "union" of mind, body
and spirit. Anyone can practice yoga. Some people have a more
physical practice than others, and there are many styles of yoga but one element is always present - the breath. Without focused breathing,
yoga can become just another form of exercise. By bringing together an open mind, a willing body and a focused breath you can obtain a
strong, flexible body, an alert, open mind, and a calm, serene spirit.
Deep, abdominal breathing fills the front of the body from below the
belly button to the top of the lungs. This may take time to master as
most of us walk around breathing quick, shallow breaths at the chest.
Don't give up. Start your yoga practice with several minutes of
nose-to-nose breathing (the mouth remains lightly closed to hold in
the warmth). Let tension and stress leave the body with the exhale
and be replaced with calm energy on the inhale.
As you watch the video and begin to practice yoga with me, there are several things to consider to greatly reduce the risk of injury to the
body. First and foremost, as you begin each practice with the breath, scan the body for any areas of tightness or soreness and take special
care with those areas as you begin to move the body.
Always keep the knees and elbows soft, not locked, in postures such as
forward fold and downward facing dog. LISTEN to your body as you
practice and let yourself feel the body working without any sharp,
stabbing pain. Work with your breath flow and realize your body has
strong days where it could keep practicing indefinitely and weak days where some focused breathing and a few sun salutations are all that
you need. Take "rest breaks" by retreating to childs pose and SMILE because you a doing your body good and feeling better and better with
every yoga practice.
When you decide to add the warrior poses to your practice follow these guidelines:
1) Line up your heels with the long edge of your mat. Make sure the front toes are pointing to the top of the mat and the back foot is at
an angle where you feel the full foot on the mat.
2) Let the bend in the front knee line up with the ankle of the front
leg. The deepest you will ever take yourself in these poses is where
the thigh would become parallel to the floor.
3) Let the hips turn toward the front of the mat in Warrior I but not to the point of any back pain. Allow the body to stay tall over the
tailbone and the back leg to extend long, giving the hip flexors of the back leg good stretch.
4) Let the hips turn to the side of the mat in Warrior II without
moving the legs and feet. As you extend the arms allow the shoulders
to melt away from the ears.
5) Remember to do these postures on both sides of the body and try to hold each of them for 3-5 breaths to begin, lengthening the holds as
you progress with your yoga practice.
Keep watching the Timber Creek Farms website for more poses to add to your yoga practice.
Namaste
Annette Reese has a Masters degree in exercise physiology, is a
certified yoga instructor, and has been teaching yoga for eight
years. She and her family (a husband, two daughters and two dogs) live in
Yorkville and she teaches yoga and cycling classes in the area. She also
offers personal training in her home or yours.