| I wouldn't be at all surprised if by now you've | | | | through your fingers and noticing how the air |
| noticed that self-hypnosis is a key part of my | | | | seems to cool your fingers. |
| overall approach to golf mind improvement. In | | | | Step 4: With each subsequent breath in, imagine |
| fact, many of the golf psychology techniques that | | | | that cooling feeling slowly spreading up through |
| I talk about in my articles start off with the | | | | your hands to your wrists, forearms, upper arms, |
| words "If you're familiar with a quick technique for | | | | shoulders, neck and on up to the top of your |
| taking yourself into self-hypnosis, then use it now." | | | | head; relaxing all the muscles as it goes. And once |
| So today, I'm going to describe a simple technique | | | | it gets to the top of your head, let it continue |
| for taking yourself into a safe, light and relaxing | | | | down over your face and into your upper body |
| trance. Using it will help you in getting the most | | | | as you continue breathing in. |
| out of the golf psychology ideas included in my | | | | Step 5: Once the cooling sensation and relaxation |
| other articles, newsletters and posts. You can also | | | | spreads through to your upper body, start |
| use this technique to calm and relax yourself at | | | | noticing how the flow continues on each |
| times of stress and anxiety, like taking an exam, | | | | out-breath down through your lower body and on |
| meeting the boss, first-tee nerves or standing | | | | through your thighs, knees, lower legs and ankles |
| over an important shot on the golf course. | | | | into your feet with each subsequent breath. Learn |
| As you'll soon realise, this "Finger Breathing" | | | | how each out-breath cools and relaxes the |
| technique does need a bit of imagination, but you | | | | muscles until it finally seems to flow out of your |
| must already be pretty imaginative if you're | | | | toes leaving a slight tingling sensation there. |
| looking to use golf psychology to improve your | | | | Step 6: Now imagine that the cooling and relaxing |
| golf! | | | | air flowing out of your toes as you breathe out |
| Finger Breathing | | | | seems to flow back in through your fingers as |
| Step 1: Start by finding a peaceful location, it can | | | | you breathe in again. Notice how your breathing |
| be in the middle of a crowd or on the golf course, | | | | just seems to be a steady rotating cycle with the |
| just as long as you can quietly ignore what's going | | | | air simply flowing in through your fingers, |
| on around you. It doesn't matter if you're standing | | | | continuing through your body, exiting through your |
| up or sitting down and you can have you're eyes | | | | toes and then back in through your fingers again. |
| open or closed. What's important is to be as | | | | Step 7: Just continue with this cycle of breathing |
| comfortable as you can be wherever you are. | | | | until you're feeling calm and relaxed and ready to |
| Step 2: Quietly take a few slow deep breaths | | | | tackle whatever golf psychology technique or |
| while noticing how the air you're breathing in is | | | | challenging situation you're undertaking now. |
| cooling your body and calming your mind and the | | | | Wow, I'm feeling so relaxed just writing about |
| air you're breathing out is releasing all the tension | | | | that. I expect you are too, whether you're |
| from your body. | | | | reading it or simply running through it in your mind. |
| Step 3: Now, this is the bit where you need to | | | | It's much simpler to remember than it is to read |
| use that imagination of yours. As you're inhaling, | | | | or write down. |
| start imagining that you're breathing the air in | | | | |