As a novice golfer, I am fascinated by the parallels between trying to coordinate the body and the intellect in golf and in yoga. Inner Golf by W. Timothy Gallwey describes the Law of Awareness that states that if you want to change something you must first increase your awareness of the way it is through attentiveness, or focused awareness. This is certainly true in yoga!

The lesson plan below encourages attention through sound, touch, and progressive body scans. Rachel Schaeffer suggests two Private “I” body scans in her book Yoga for Your Spiritual Muscles. The first is done standing in Mountain and the second in Sivasana. In both cases one scans the body without changing anything, noticing the right and left sides of the body, the front and the back. Where do we feel tense or open, heavy or light? Notice where energy or breath flow easily or feel blocked. Once we have observed where we hold and where we feel loose, safe, comfortable, and relaxed we can give ourselves a little shake and notice again. What changed?

Please play with this series to sharpen your focus on your own sensations and let me know what you found most helpful.

Inner Golf & Inner Yoga PDF

PS – How about listening to The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations to set the summertime mood?