Photo by Jared Rice

Originally Posted On: https://www.thegolfbuddha.com/blog-post/top-5-restorative-yoga-poses-that-can-help-any-golfer/

Over 30 million people in the United States practice yoga each year. It’s no surprise when you consider the health benefits of yoga. Restorative yoga poses can help anyone enjoy more flexibility, mobility, and improve recovery – especially for golfers.

If you are a golfer looking to preserve your range of motion and mobility, yoga is an excellent option. Yoga can help you improve swing power and explosiveness by making your hips and arms more flexible.

The Top Restorative Yoga Poses for Golfers

Simply knowing that yoga can help you as a golfer is not enough. The world of yoga is a massive one, with many different poses and styles. To help you out, we’ve identified five of the best poses to perform if you are looking to use yoga to help your golf game.

1. Sphinx Pose

In the Sphinx pose, you lie with your legs flat on the floor. By gently bending your back and pressing your forearms downward, lift your upper body off the floor. Imagine yourself like the real Sphinx in Egypt!

Remember to keep your legs and hips flat on the floor. The Sphinx pose will strengthen your shoulders, mid-, and lower back. These are all important areas for power and control in your golf swing.

2. Side Plank

The side plank is important for healing any imbalances in the center part of your body. It’s especially valuable for fixing the torso and hips. To perform the side plank, press one palm flat onto a mat with your fingers spread and pointing forward.

From there, elevate your body off the floor, keeping it straight through your toes. Remember not to put all the pressure on your arm and upper body. Try to contract your core and leg muscles as well to ensure you don’t injure your hand or wrist.

3. Pigeon Pose

The pigeon pose is especially great for opening up your hips. It will also help relieve tension in your groin and glute muscles. This will give you a smoother, faster golf swing.

To do the pigeon, start in downward facing dog. Bring one leg up and cross it towards the other side of your body. Evenly balance the weight across your body while gently pressing downward on the perpendicular leg.

4. Twisted Chair Pose

Chair pose is another excellent restorative yoga pose that will help open up your hips. Start in chair pose, with your knees slightly bent, hands straight up above your head, and spine long. From there, bring your palms together and twist your upper body to one side.

Remember to start your twist from the torso, not from the neck or shoulders. Also, do not drop your hips to increase rotation length.

5. Bird Dog

The bird dog pose helps with core strength and overall balance. For this pose, you’ll want to be on your hands and knees on a yoga mat. Extend one arm straight forward while you extend the opposite leg straight backward.

Make sure you balance the rest of your body using the arm and leg against the floor. Hold one side for a few seconds before switching to your other leg and arm.

Yoga is Great for Golfers

It might not seem so, but restorative yoga poses can have a huge positive impact on your golf game. Yoga will improve flexibility, speed, and power on the links. To find out more about using yoga poses for your golf game, browse the rest of the articles on our blog.