You know what?
Yoga and ancient martial arts NEVER in a million years assumed the body & mind were disconnected. These practices ALWAYS involved working along side and/or with the breath. Because the breath IS the one tool that connects the body and mind.
"You are not your body.
Your mind and body are not connected."
It’s a old fashioned trend we need to stop following.
It’s possible that you still believe that the body and mind are not connected because it’s not something that gets taught at schools.
The old non scientific “dissociation belief between the body and mind” actually became more pronounced when religions arose. And it is not science based. It is an old paradigm that no longer serves you nor our community if we want to thrive in good times and in times of crisis.
The body mind connection is not something spiritual. It’s not something religious.
The BODY MIND CONNECTION is SCIENCE. And Charles Darwin already knew that.
That is why I’m feeling especially fascinated by Darwin’s take on the body mind connection from his publication near the end of his career “The expression of emotions in humans and animals” dating from 1872.
“Heart, guts, and brain communicate intimately via the ‘pneumogastric’ nerve (vagus nerve), the critical nerve involved in the expression and management of emotions in both humans and animals. When the mind is strongly excited, it instantly affects the state of the viscera; so that under excitement there will be much mutual action and reaction between these, the two most important organs of the body.”
Charles Darwin
And in order to foster and develop that body mind connection?
You don't need fancy gym equipment, run marathons or do heavy crossfit workouts. All you need is to add a moment of conscious movement to your day. Practicing any eastern practices such as tai chi, qigong or yoga is great way to do so. Especially for golfers!
Whatever style you choose, they all combine a physical movement with an awareness of the breath. The component of movement and breath help us bring our consciousness in line with our body, instead of allowing our mind to be carried away by the sea of daily worries...just like on the course. Most of the time, we are just not aware enough of our breathing.
Breath awareness not only anchors you in the present moment, it is also a doorway to playing golf in a peak performance state. It creates and develops engagement.
I talk about this and more with Dr Joe O in his podcast: The Healthy Golf Podcast. I've been hearing this episode has brought some great insights to a few of my peers already, so I'm so happy to share it here with you and would love to hear how you liked our conversation. Dr Joe's podcast values and mine couldn't be more aligned: We designed a podcast and programs to help you achieve peak performance on and off the golf course. And I'm feeling very honoured and humbled to be able to share my perspective on his very renowned podcast! TUNE IN HERE
OR CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES.
Follow DR Joe O on Instagram here: @puredrive_golfphysio
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This week we have another great guest on the podcast, Liesbeth Pauwels. Liesbeth is a golf movement specialist and has been working with golfers for over 10 years. She has a ton of experience, has mentored under Jason Glass, and loves to combine yoga, fitness, and the mind to create a transformative experience for the golfer. Some highlights from this episode include:
How she helped to grow golf fitness in The Netherlands and Europe.
How she blends yoga and fitness for her golfers
The difference between yin yoga and vinyasa yoga
How she deals with clients who may not be optimistic about incorporating yoga into their routine
What The Golf Yoga Retreat is and why you should go
Make sure you give Liesbeth a follow at the links below and feel free to reach out to her if you have any questions, would like to work with her, or if you're interested in The Golf Yoga Retreat.
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