In this blog, I am sharing with you one of my favourite breakfast recipes. Easy to digest, it is packed with healthy nutrients and helps me stay satiated until lunch.

This is my go to when I teach back to back yoga classes in the morning or before a round of golf. It is quickly put together and taste so good!

​Hope you enjoy it!

We all know that sleep plays an important role in our overall health. Poor sleep can make us feel sluggish on the course, and can hinder our ability to focus.

​The good news is that there are a few simple steps we can take, on a daily basis, to improve the quality of our sleep so we can perform at a higher level on and off the golf course.

I trust that this post finds you well, rested and ready to tackle 2023! 

This year, my personal intention is to trust that I am where I need to be, and to continue nurturing my body and soul so I can continue to learn, and guide you on your yoga journey.

Part of this nurturing process includes eating nutrient packed foods, moving my body everyday, and meditating daily. As I plan my year, I complete the following sentence, which I find quite helpful:

​If I had a penny for every person who asked me if yoga can fix their back pain, well, my piggy bank would be delightfully full!
 
This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I have suffered from back pain most of my life. I am certain that without yoga, my life, and the state of my back, would be extremely different today. Can yoga fix all back pain? Probably not. It is however effective in managing the pain and preventing further injuries.

Have you ever experienced elbow pain? If so, the video featured in this blog may be of interest to you. I personally have experienced discomfort in my lead arm, specifically around the elbow, which brought me to explore ways to restore the area.

​From our wrists to our shoulders, we are looking at mobilizing, stretching and strengthening the muscles that may be tight, weak, and potentially causing disfunction and pain. 

Photo by Dex Ezekiel on Unsplash

That you are a golfer or not, lower body strength has a direct impact on our longevity as well as on the health of our knees and lower back.  A typical yoga class (that it is focused on golf or not) incorporates standing postures which improve lower body strength and stability. 

For golfers, lower body strength has a direct impact as to how efficiently we can connect to ground reaction force and increase our club head speed.

In this blog, since our winter Yoga for Golfers™ program focuses mainly on building strength and stability, I am proposing a short leg strength assessment, which includes a video.

Nuts and seeds are packed with protein, fibres and vitamins. They are also a great source of healthy fat which we all need to function optimally. For example, on the golf course, a handful of nuts can provide you with sustained energy, and help you keep hunger and fatigue at bay.

Although I am not a vegetarian, I do prefer eating meals that are plant based and try to add nuts and seeds to my diet as often as possible. 

​Are you hydrating enough on the golf course? If not, you may find yourself having difficulty finishing the round strong and focused. Sipping a little bit of water before teeing off, at every hole, is a good practice to have.
 
On extremely hot days however, plain water may not be sufficient to maintain proper electrolytes level in the blood stream. In other words, we need to replace the sodium we lose as we sweat. 

Instead of grabbing your favorite sports drink (which most likely contains tons of sugar and other ingredients not necessarily good for our health), try the following recipe.
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I have the pleasure of playing golf weekly with a client of mine (who has now become a friend and regular golf mate!) This person plays with consistency and from what I gather, has been having a great year so far on the course. During our last round, which was not so positive for me, she happened to mention that the breathing techniques she learned from our Yoga for Golfers™ sessions together over the years contributed to her playing well . "As I am waiting and preparing for my next shot, I breathe deeply, as you taught us. It keeps me focused, relaxed."  In a cheeky way, she added "Perhaps you could practice what you preach?" 

Before you head out to the course, join me in my garden as we prepare body and mind for a great round of golf! We will pay special attention to the thoracic spine, allowing us to reduce tension and play with more ease. During this 30-minute video, we will warm-up our ankles, hips, hamstrings, gluts, shoulders, wrists and neck. All you need is a pillow or a yoga block to support your head. As always, breathe deeply, move slowly, and enjoy! ​ Happy golfing!  /  Watch video

​Today, I am offering you a quick tutorial video describing three ways to perform side planks safely. Side planks, when done properly, help strengthen the obliques. Like any other muscle in the body, the obliques, located on both sides of the abdomen, have many functions, one of them being to help with torso rotation. For my fellow golfers, you can only imagine how important that function is for an efficient golf swing. 

​Our lats muscles (short for Latissimus dorsi) play an important role during the entire golf swing. Lengthened lats allow you to have an efficient shoulder turn and to finish your swing completely (with a tight right lat for example, the right handed golfer will be limited in finishing the swing comfortably.) Strong lats also have the potential to generate a lot of power as you initiate your downswing. 

​When it comes to golf performance, one important aspect that is too often overlooked is the foot function. It may not be a sexy topic, but one that I hope will resonate with some of you. For example, if you have flat feet, or have simply never really paid attention to how your feet can affect your golf performance, I encourage you to continue reading and watch the video listed at the end of this article.

Tension in the upper back (thoracic spine) can significantly limit your movements and eventually affect other areas of your body. Remember, everything is connected! Over time, the body adapts and if not addressed, a tension we may consider trivial at first, can develop into a chronic one. Today, I am sharing with you a sequence that is part of my personal daily maintenance program, the key to keeping accumulated tensions at bay. 

Stress is part of life! We can’t get away from it. However, learning to reduce its undesirable effects is accessible, and essential to our overall well-being. By consciously controlling the rhythm of our breath, we alter our state of mind and become more focused, calm, and coherent. The most important aspect of yoga, in my opinion, is the conscious control of our breathing which we do when we perform specific yogic breaths, also known as Pranayamas. By taking smooth, rhythmic breaths, we can transform a chaotic mind into a peaceful one.

​Time for confession. I am a fundamentally shy and private person. I am most comfortable behind the scenes. And yet, when I look at my life, there have been numerous times where I found myself on small stages, figuratively and literally speaking.

​A friend asked me recently what I would be doing if I had no fears. “Broadway!” I spontaneously exclaimed, with jazz hands. A surprising statement based on my confession of the day.