Scottish yoga?? What is that–a system of yoga practiced by the Scots? Not exactly. Its actually a yoga-like system invented by the Scots…and it’s called golf. Now you’re likely really confused. But before you decide this is all nonsense, read on.
Let’s start with the basics. Yoga is a form of exercise and a means of balancing body, mind and emotions. it uses movement, breathing, posture, meditation and relaxation to achieve that balance. Yoga is, of course, much more for committed practitioners of it. Yet, those for whom it is a way of life and those who use their yoga mat only on weekends all share a desire for better balance, a quiet mind, better health combined with physical and mental flexibility.
Some have even used yoga as a means of improving their golf game. Michael Campbell credits yoga for helping him win the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst, his one and only major championship. Other golfers have benefited from yoga as well in what might be seen as the typical paradigm: off-the-course learning to better focus, to quiet one’s mind, to achieve a zen-like state of balance and harmony that can then be brought to the course to boost performance to the next level. What if this paradigm was reversed? What if learning to better focus, to manage frustration and negative emotions and to stay resilient in the face adversity could be accomplished on the golf course and brought into daily life? We argue that it can, and that is what Scottish yoga is all about.
The health benefits of golf have been well recognized. Walking 18-holes is akin to a five mile walk, and research has shown that it can burn between 800 to 1400 calories, depending on whether you ride a cart or walk and carry. The mental and psychological benefits of the game, however, have been lesser known, despite the universal recognition that golf involves a significant mental game. (“Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course — the distance between your ears,” as Bobby Jones said to make this very point.) These benefits of golf are deserving of more attention.
The fuller value of the game was not lost on Michael Murphy when he wrote Golf in the Kingdom in 1972. Through the character of Shivas Irons, Murphy tells a tale of golf as a metaphor for life; where a committed practitioner to the game can achieve–much like with yoga– balance and harmony, not just in mind and body but in a spiritual and metaphysical sense as well . “The game is a mighty teacher–never deviatin’ from its sacred roots, always ready to lead us on. In all that ’tis a microcosm o’ the world, a good stage for self discovery,” says Irons. In fact, the story inspired the creation of the Shivas Irons Society, an organization dedicated to furthering golf as a mindful pursuit and as a tool for personal growth and development.
One of the primary missions of Bogies2Birdies.com is to help golfers learn about themselves from their play on the course. As we’ve written elsewhere, golf, more so then almost any other sport, mirrors life off the course—it offers a great metaphor for how we strategize, problem solve, handle mistakes, focus, deal with frustrations and stress, and how we contend with a roller coaster of emotions experienced during a round.
What if learning to better focus, to manage frustration and negative emotions and to stay resilient in the face adversity could be accomplished on the golf course and brought into daily life? We argue that it can, and that is what Scottish yoga is all about.
In addition to self-discovery, golf actually has a number of benefits that are useful both on and off the course. Believe it or not, golf can be a stress reliever. You may wonder how that can be, as you recall the time (or two) you contemplated throwing your 6-iron into the lake to follow the path of your ball which took a sharp left turn into the water, but consider the following.
Back in the ’70s, Herb Benson, a cardiac physician, wrote about all the bad effects that daily stress can have on the body (e.g., cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension, backaches, headaches, insomnia), not to mention the mind, and countered with the “relaxation response“–self-care techniques to specifically reduce stressors and save wear and tear on the body. He focused on the regular use of meditation as the self-care technique to enhance stress management. When you dig a little deeper into his thinking, however, it’s clear that meditation was really only an example of an activity that helps to improve focus, quiet the mind and foster relaxation.
Other activities can also serve as a relaxation response, including golf. Golf requires continuous focus and concentration, or at least continuous bursts of focus and concentration, to play well. Blocking out unwanted negative and intrusive thoughts, creating a quiet mind, being in the “zone” or striving to achieve a zen-like state during a round is the goal of amateurs and pros alike. It’s no coincidence that one of the most well known books about the mental game of golf is titled Zen Golf . That’s not to say that everyone who plays golf is able to play in such a state, But tension on the course is a round killer, and learning how to manage it is as important as learning how to get the ball out of a sand trap. Once learned, the opportunities to use stress management techniques are endless.
Perhaps the most important but most under-recognized set of skills to be learned through the game of golf is the resilience required to be successful. To paraphrase well-known sports psychologist Bob Rotella: golf is not a game of perfect, it’s a game of recovery. Being able to recover or bounce back from mistakes and disappointments on the course is what resilience is all about. Research on resilience has shown that it is not a trait that people either have or don’t have; resilience involves ordinary behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed by anyone. Using golf to learn these behaviors, thoughts and actions to increase your resilience will be of benefit both on the course and off.
The point with all of this is that while the game of golf is fun and entertaining, it is also a way to improve body and mind. So grab your Scottish yoga equipment (your clubs) and get on the road to health, wellness and resilience through golf.
