Spring has finally sprung, the green is looking lush and the back nine is calling! Before you hit the links hard this season, you should hit the mat for a Yoga tune-up to ensure a strong season on the green.
The following moves will help improve your hip and core strength, mobility and balance while providing preventative care and stability to joints.
A strong core is the foundation of an effective golf swing.
Bird Dog
Build core strength, back health and rotational stability.
Come into Table Top, with your wrists aligned with your shoulder and knees with your hips, toes curled under. Brace your core with these 3 core cues: squeeze the lower belly in, pull front ribs towards back ribs and keep your sternum lengthened.
Extend your right leg back, keeping your ankle dorsiflexed, then extend your left arm forward. Take 3-5 breaths in this position, then switch sides.
Hovering Table
From Table Top, brace your core (3 core cues), press hands into the ground and lift knees up 2 inches off the ground. Hold for 3-5 breaths.
Spinal extension is important for back health in a sport where you are in a flexed and rotated position much of the time.
Cobra
From a lowered plank position, hands by your shoulders, core engaged, slowly lift your upper torso off the ground. Hold for 3-5 breaths.
A powerful golf swing requires balance, mobility in your hips and thoracic spine, as well as glute strength.
Airplane
With knees slightly bent and legs squeezing together, slowly lift one foot off the ground with ankle flexed. With your core braced, inhale and hinge at the hip to extend hovering leg behind you. Exhale to bring leg forward, bringing knees to touch. Balance on supporting leg. Repeat 3-5 times.
Coming out: Hold in position with leg extended. Option for 3 single leg squats. Flex your knee to a hamstring curl, squeeze your glute to lift heel to ceiling, then return foot to ground. Repeat both sides.
Athletic Lunge
Build low body strength and stability with the athletic lunge. From a lunge position, keep back leg bent to 90 degrees, lift arms overhead. Exhale lower, inhale lift. Repeat 3-5 times and from both sides.
Rotating Lunge
Working on golf posture and stride, from the Athletic Lunge position bring fingertips together at the bottom of your sternum. Straighten your back leg and shift forward slightly. Inhale to lengthen your spine, and exhale to twist. Repeat both sides.
Chair Pose Side Stretch
Legs together, knees bent into a chair position. Lift arms above head, palms facing each other. Clasp right wrist with left hand. Inhale lift arm up, exhale breath info your ribs and slowly laterally flex to the left. Hold for 3-5 breaths. Repeat other side.
balance rhythm motion 