Here’s a new video for you based on some of the feedback and questions I’ve been receiving about my book ‘Breathe Golf’.
Thank you to everyone who’s written to me having read or listened to ‘Breathe Golf; The Missing Link to a Winning Performance’.
It’s been great to hear about all your success stories but I’ve also been asked certain questions about breathing meditation by people who are finding the practice challenging and difficult.
As you probably know, the training I’m bringing to golf is not something of my own creation but is based on principles and practices from the Eastern world which are hundreds if not thousands of years old.
What’s really important from the outset is that we need to be sincere about our practice and not look for an outcome or a result, so there is an immediate paradox which is right there and which we need to be aware of.
If you add something to your practice such as looking for an outcome or a benefit to your golf then it’s simply an add-on and takes us away from the practice of mindful breathing and it won’t help you.
Secondly you mustn’t try too hard. We cannot approach this practice in the same way we do when going after goals in business, everyday life or when training our bodies at the gym.
Ultimately what this practice can bring to your golf is a state of relaxed concentration or relaxed attention in the moments before you take your shot. This state is known variously as Zen-mind, flow, alpha-state and the zone.
The conventional approach to golf coaching will have you think about technique and various swing positions as well as using mental game or psychological reworking of your thoughts and/or being mentally tough but there is another side to performance and that’s all about the relationship between stillness and movement.
In truth, it’s always the quality of your breathing which determines how closely your mind and body are connected as you stand over the ball, and this bodymind connection is what’s responsible for the quality of your shot-making.
Finally, when doing your meditation practice don’t try anything elaborate like counting or holding the breath or doing any kind of ‘breathing technique’ but simply follow the natural rhythm of your breathing with a relaxed attention.
Continue with your practice day by day and soon you will find a sense of calm and clarity in life and on the golf course.
For more about breathing meditation for golf please find ‘Breathe Golf’ online and in book stores.
