Improve Your Golf Game through Mindfulness
Posted by George Shears | Filed under Applied Mindfulness
The list of potential benefits of the skill set comprising Basic Mindfulness is very long indeed; much like duct tape, it has almost endless applications and, without any exaggeration, can be applied effectively in every major area of one’s life. At age 75, having practiced mindfulness ardently for nearly half of my life, I strongly regard it as being BY FAR the most important set of skills I have ever learned.
In this short article, I will focus on how, specifically, Basic Mindfulness can help people markedly improve their golf game.
The three key components of Basic Mindfulness are: Concentration Power; sensory clarity; and equanimity. With regard to the first of these, I’m certain that every golfer understands the crucial importance of being highly concentrated or focused in order to perform at the highest level in this sport. Unfortunately in this age of rampant attention-deficit disorder, a growing number of people experience great difficulty in staying highly focused on a chosen object or activity. Formal mindfulness practice provides a very effective way to develop this skill to a high degree.
Most golfers, however, may be much less aware of—or not recognize at all– the equally crucial importance of equanimity in improving their game.
Shinzen Young, master teacher of mindfulness, defines equanimity as “an attitude of loving acceptance and gentle matter-of-factness with regard to your sensory experience” or–at a deeper level of understanding–as “a radical non-interference with the sensory circuitry of your own nervous system.”
Equanimity, when developed to its highest degree, consists in what the Third Zen Patriarch points to very succinctly in his wise aphorism, “the great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.” Most basically, “the great way” here entails being fully in harmony with the flow of nature—including most importantly one’s own body and mind, which are experienced through advanced mindfulness training as being one with the entire universe.
Just as is true with concentration, even a modest development of equanimity is likely to place most modern westerners at several standard deviations above the mean in their ability to apply these master skills. So, to the degree that golfers develop them, they will tend to enjoy a significant improvement in their game and similarly gain an edge on competitors.
A recent article about George Murray, a 27-year-old former amateur golf champion from Anstruther, Scotland, reports how he is using this type of skill training as part of his strategy in achieving the same level of success as a golf pro. In this article, he is quoted as saying, “I don’t think about winning, I just want to let it happen. That’s the Zen Golf talking.”
He’s referring here to the book, Zen Golf, authored by Joseph Parent. Vijay Singh, a highly successful professional golf champion, has also cited this book as contributing importantly to his success.
As a means of developing inspiration to develop the skill set of Basic Mindfulness, I strongly recommend that ardent golfers watch the following short video clip from the movie, “The Legend of Bagger Vance.” Although it is entirely fictional and does not explicitly refer to Basic Mindfulness, it nevertheless accurately represents the potential of this remarkable skill set when it has been fully developed.
If you’re interested in developing Basic Mindfulness, I invite you to click on the following link to get a FREE self-guided program in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, including 6 audios in mp3 format.
Also, if you have any questions about mindfulness or would like coaching assistance, please contact me at 651-204-0523 or at yodaspal@gmail.com.
Related posts
- Mindfulness as a Master Skill--Part III, Equanimity
- Mindfulness Meditation--Does it Reverse Aging?
- The Truth of No-Self--A Key to Realizing True Happiness
- Mindful Eating As Food for Thought
- Mindfulness in Action as A Way to Enhance Ordinary Happiness
In the summer of 1992, I had the great good fortune of participating in a 5-day professional training workshop with Drs. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at Omega Institute in New York State. This watershed experience occurred after I had personally been practicing mindfulness meditation for about 16 years. Among its many other
What does it take to make you happy? How happy are you whenever “it” occurs? How long does “it” last? How attached are you to “it”–that is, how UNHAPPY are you when “it” isn’t occurring? Can you imagine yourself being happy even if “it” were never to occur again?
In his article in the Irish Times, Padraig O’Morain addresses these questions
Parents and teachers, listen up. Goldie Hawn is on a mission to recruit you in helping children become the leaders of tomorrow through the practice of mindfulness and yoga. To this end, she has authored a best-selling book, entitled “10 Mindful Minutes.” You can learn more by reading this article in the NZ Herald.
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This blog has been created as a resource to all people who are dedicated to increasing happiness and to decreasing suffering in their lives--and in the world--by learning how to live more wisely and skillfully.It aims to include a distillation of what I have personally learned in theses regards, along with the collective wisdom of many others.
Hey George,
Mindfulness and meditation is important in all aspects of life… even in business. Nice post.
Coach Freddie
Coach Freddie´s last [type] ..The Power of Meditation In Your Business
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George Shears Reply:
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Thanks much for your comment, Harder. I appreciate you getting back to me. I hope that you’re right about others receiving benefit from my blog.
With warm best wishes,
George
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