Greater Good Yoga

Beat the Curve – Reversing the Effects of C-posture in your Golf Swing

Many of us spend hours a day hunched over a computer or behind the wheel of a car. Over time this posture can become a habit, creeping its way into the way we stand and eventually into our golf posture. This hunched posture, or C posture, is one of the twelve swing characteristics identified by the Titleist Performance Institute that causes limitations in the golf swing, affecting about 1/3 of all players.

While we may try to find a quick fix for this posture by telling ourselves to straighten our spines or stop rounding our shoulders so much, there are often deeply ingrained muscle imbalances at work that will take some time and effort to reverse.

In the C posture, imbalances are created with shortened upper trapezius, neck, and pectoral muscles, while our lower and mid traps, deep neck flexors, and serratus anterior muscles become weak.

The most significant restriction of this posture is a limitation in thoracic spine extension. Lack of thoracic spine extension can cause a severe loss of spinal rotation, which can limit our ability to create a good backswing turn, causing a loss in power and distance.

Try these yoga postures to help correct these muscle imbalances, giving you freedom to find a more efficient and powerful backswing and overall posture. While practicing these postures, try to take deep breaths in and out of the nose if you can.

1. Cat Cow - Start with a few cat-cow moves to warm up the spine. Come onto a position on your hands and knees, with the shoulders stacked over the wrists, and the hips stacked over the knees. As you inhale, arch your back, lifting your gaze and your tailbone up to the sky. As you exhale, round your spine and draw the belly-button up and in. Repeat this movement for 10 breaths.

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2. Locust Pose - Lie down on your belly with your arms along your sides, palms faced down, and tops of the feet on the ground. As you inhale, lift your chest and legs off the ground, reaching your fingers back towards your heels. Hold for 30 seconds, then release and rest with one cheek on the ground.

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   Repeat locust pose, but this time interlace your hands behind your back, and reach your knuckles towards the back wall. Hold for 30 seconds, then release and rest with your other cheek on the ground.

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   Repeat locust pose one last time. This time, draw your arms out like a 'capital T' with your fingers curled into fists, thumbs turned up to face the ceiling. As you inhale, lift your chest, legs, and arms, stretching the thumbs towards the sky. Keep the shoulders down away from the ears. Hold for 30 seconds, then release and rest with one cheek on the ground (whichever one felt more difficult the first time around).

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3. Chest Stretch – Staying in the 'capital T' position on your belly (palms down), start to roll onto your right hip, keeping the right arm outstretched. Lift the left leg and plant it behind you for stability. For an extra stretch, the left arm can lift up to the ceiling. Hold for 30 seconds, then roll back to center and repeat on the other side.

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4. Upward Plank - Come to a seated position with your feet planted on the floor, knees pointing up. Bring your hands several inches behind your hips, fingers pointed forward. Press your hands and feet into the floor and lift your hips to the sky, bringing your torso and thighs parallel with the floor. Without compressing the neck, drop the head back. Hold for 30 seconds, then lower down and rest. Roll your wrists in a few circles to release any tension.

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5. Spinal Twist Variation – Lie down on your back with your arms out like a capital T, palms faced up. Bend the knees and draw them into the chest. Take a deep inhale, and as you exhale lower your knees to the right side. Take a few deep breaths here. Start to become aware of your left arm. Then as lazily as you can, start to slide the left arm along the floor until it's alongside your left ear. Continuing this lazy effortless feeling, let the left arm glide across your face until it meets your right arm. Then slowly slide the left fingertips down the length of the right arm past your right fingertips. Pause for a breath, then lazily slide the left hand back across the right arm, across the chest, and open back up to the twist. Exert as little effort as possible when doing this.

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   Repeat two more times on this same side, then draw the knees back to center and repeat three times on the opposite side. Remember to breathe deeply.

   To finish your practice, take a moment to do any other stretch your body feels like it needs. Then lie on the ground and rest several minutes with the legs and arms outstretched, eyes closed. Resting at the end of your practice gives your body and mind time to integrate the effects of your practice.

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Unwinding Tension At the Office

Feeling tense and tight at work with no time for yoga? In just a few minutes, these simple stretches work the 6 major movements of the spine and help open the shoulders and hips.

While doing these stretches, try to take long deep breaths in and out of the nose. Send the air into your belly, ribs and chest.

1. Side Bend - Sit on the edge of your chair. Place your left hand on the left side of the chair. Reach the right arm out to the side, up and over to the left. Reach through your fingertips, palm facing down, feeling a stretch down the whole right side. Take a few deep breaths, then release and switch sides.
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2. Twist – Sit in the middle of the chair with your knees together and your left hand on your right knee. Inhale and grow tall, and as you exhale twist to the right, placing your right hand on the back of the chair as you twist open. Hold for several deep breaths, then exhale back to center and switch sides.
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3. Eagle Shoulder Stretch – Drawing the forearms in front of you, cross the right elbow on top of the left elbow. Draw the backs of the hands towards each other, crossing the wrists and pressing the palms together if you can. Lift your elbows, drawing the fingers away from the face, and relax the shoulders. Take a few deep breaths, then repeat with the opposite elbow on top.
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4. Chest Opener – Sit on the edge of the chair and interlace your fingers behind your back, palms facing towards each other. Stretch the arms back, placing the hands on the upper part of the chair if you can. Take a few deep breaths here, then on your last exhale bend forward, taking the knuckles towards the sky. Hold for a few breaths, rise up and release.
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5. Figure 4 Stretch – Sit on the edge of the chair. Cross your right ankle on top of your left knee, creating a figure 4/triangle shape between the legs. Grasp the right knee with your right hand, and the crossed foot with your left hand. Take a deep inhale and draw the chest forward, and as you exhale hinge from the hips, coming into a forward bend. Hold for several breaths, then rise up and repeat on the other side.
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Close your eyes and take three deep breaths to close your practice. At the end of your third breath, as you exhale, let out a big sigh through your mouth. Thank yourself for taking a few minutes out of your day to practice.

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