Play Your Best Golf for Longer thanks to Just Breathe Yoga

Let’s start with something we’re all guilty of. How much time do we spend on our phones before 9am? A quick look at the news, check the weather, WhatsApp messages, perhaps answer an email. Maybe we drift into a bit of Facebook or Insta. Suddenly we’re 30 minutes in and our brain has already been reset in a way that doesn’t feel great. We all do it. What if we gave those first minutes in the morning to ourselves instead? Not because scrolling is bad, but because we might feel better. We’re talking about 30 minutes of movement and 15 minutes of breathing. Then get on with the day. And it leads to a much bigger conversation about golf, ageing and what we mean by performance. Are we looking after the golfer, or just improving the golf? There is no shortage of advice telling golfers how to improve – swing, putting, distance. Strengthen your core, improve your flexibility, work on your mental game – confidence, mindset, awareness and enjoyment. All of that has value, and most of us have tried lots of things. But perhaps we’re missing something. Who is looking after the golfer? How we manage ourselves matters. If we’ve learned that the mind needs looking after, why do we tend to think about the body only when something starts to hurt? What does performance mean after 50? For a 25-year-old golfer, performance means getting stronger, faster and longer. My kids are made of elastic and talk to me about fast twitch and swing speed. For someone in their 50s, 60s or 70s, performance means something different. Not necessarily about getting better. More about staying the golfer you are. How about being able to walk 18 holes, manage recurring injuries, maintain your rotation, keep your balance, retain your flexibility and range of movement and recover properly? My dad played golf until he was 87. He wasn’t trying to be a better golfer or to break 100. Golf was part of his life. It gave him somewhere to go, people to see, a reason to get outside and something to look forward to. So perhaps the real performance question isn’t, ‘how much better can I get?’ It’s, ‘how can I keep playing the golf I love for as long as possible?’ The body still matters None of this means that physical performance is secondary – quite the opposite. I’ve experienced the difference first-hand. It helped that I married a yogi, but regular yoga practice has improved my mobility, flexibility and range of movement, and I believe it has improved my golf. There is plenty of evidence that yoga can improve physical and mental wellbeing and quality of life. And that yoga is excellent for the golf swing. But it only works when you practise. Regular practice rather than occasional punishment I’ve always found the no ‘pain, no gain’ argument odd. It just makes me not want to do it again. I remember a spin class that put me off cycling for a long time. I know I’m not alone. So, I’m a buyer of my wife, Nicky’s, version of yoga. Keep moving regularly and consistently. Gently enough that you want to come back. Although, to be fair, Nicky can turn the dial up at any time and properly challenge you. Most golfers understand the power of regular practice. You wouldn’t expect to hit 100 balls once a month and suddenly become a better golfer. Andy Candlish and his wife Nicky | Source: Supplied And then there’s the nervous system We spend a lot of time switched on – phones, emails, news, work, family, deadlines, notifications. There’s lots of evidence about breathing, the nervous system and helping us out of ‘fight or flight’. This is Nicky’s end game; this is what she really cares about. And this is where Dr Bob and yoga come together, Nicky was astonished how yogic his teaching is. One shot at time (one breath at a time), trusting your process over outcome (don’t get mad when you miss a shot), equanimity (don’t get yourself in a state and play one bad shot after another). Jayne Storey’s Breathe Golf, Zen Golf, ex-pro Andy Matthews – all the same stuff. Our nervous system responds to what life throws at us, and we don’t always give ourselves the opportunity to slow down. To move from doing to being. From tension to calm. To active rest. This is where the breathing is crucial. And nowhere more so that the golf course with a card in your hand. The first 30 minutes of Nicky’s classes are movement. Then 15 minutes of guided breathing. The breathing isn’t an afterthought. It’s the reset. That’s the end game. “I’m not a yoga person” There is a small elephant in the room. Yoga comes with some baggage – for men and women: I don’t know the positions or the language; I’m not flexible enough; I’ll look daft; It’s a bit ‘woo-woo’. The hardest part of starting something new is not knowing the form or feeling that you don’t belong. That’s the way Nicky feels about golf to be fair – she comes from a cricketing family. There is an embarrassment gap. I think Nicky’s key point of difference is her approach to yoga. It’s deliberately practical and accessible. You don’t need to know anything before you start, you don’t need to be flexible, and there is no chanting. You don’t need to wear yoga pants (although I do). You simply turn up and move. Because the classes are online, you can do it in your own space. No one is comparing you with the person next to you. No one is watching whether you can touch your toes. You work at your own level and your own pace. That’s her magic. Why are we always trying to do everything in 10 minutes? We’re constantly told that we can improve ourselves in 10 minutes – workouts, stretches, mindfulness. Nothing wrong with 10 minutes if that’s all you’ve got. But maybe weshould change the question. Not: “How can I squeeze in 10 minutes for some practice?” Maybe, as we get older, we should ask: “What is important enough to deserve my time?” We set aside four hours for golf; we spend time on the range. We make time for friends; we book holidays. We make time for the things we value. So why shouldn’t we make time for ourselves? That’s why Nicky’s classes are deliberately 45 minutes. They run at 8am on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with chair yoga on a Monday at 6pm – it’s great and just as challenging. You don’t need to attend all of them. You don’t need to catch up if you miss one. There isn’t a prize. The point is simply to establish a regular practice. Thirty minutes to move,15 minutes to breathe. And then get on with your day. Dr Bob meets Joe Wicks – at 8am! It’s about how you feel afterwards. Calmer, more mobile, more present, perhaps a little clearer in the head, perhaps more ready for whatever the day brings. That’s the reset. So, what are we really trying to preserve? Perhaps the goal isn’t just a lower handicap or gain another 10 yards. Perhaps it’s something much simpler. Keep playing, keep walking, keep moving, keep meeting your friends, keep enjoying the game. Nicky tells me she doesn’t really care about my golf. As we get older, she cares that I can walk the dogs without pain, that I can put my seatbelt on without cricking my neck, that I can get up and down the stairs without putting my back out. That I can handle difficult moments in our lives without getting anxious and stressed. That’s why I don’t think this is really an article about yoga, it’s about being more deliberate about what we do, and deciding that looking after ourselves is important. Yoga is just the mechanism. This is all about longevity, looking after your body, calming your mind, learning to change your state. Regular practice rather than occasional punishment. And ultimately, givingyourself the best chance of continuing to do the things you love for longer. So tomorrow morning, before you pick up your phone, perhaps ask yourself a simple question: What would make me feel better at 8.45 than I did at 8am? Thirty minutes of movement. Fifteen minutes of breathing. Forty-five minutes you’ve deliberately given yourself. And then get on with your day. If you like the sound of it and fancy giving it a try, simply to go to the Just Breathe Yoga website and try your first class. Golfers can always take advantage of live classes to try. And if you decide you like it and want to keep going, use the code NCG25 when you subscribe, and you’ll receive 25% off for the lifetime of your membership. NOW HAVE YOUR SAY Have you participated in any yoga classes before? Does this sound like something that would interest you? Let us know in the comments or by getting in touch with us on X! NOW READ: Are golfers abusing member guest rates? NOW READ: Have golf club members forgotten how to behave? The post Play Your Best Golf for Longer thanks to Just Breathe Yoga appeared first on National Club Golfer.