The secret weapons I'll be using to reduce my golf handicap: Hot Yoga and Farid Herrera!

By CK Patel

With golf season fast approaching, it is time for me to get 'golf fit' and do what it takes to be at my best on the course. I have always loved playing ball sports, particularly cricket and golf. I have good hand-eye coordination and a degree of natural ability when it comes to movement. To date, I have never taken lessons in any sport, but instead have used my eye to pick up skills, figuring it out as I go along. I'm an opthalmic surgeon by day (yoga teacher by night) and I’ve always applied the same techniques to sport as to surgery - visual precision combined with an in-depth understanding of anatomy. That being said, the last five years of practising yoga at YogaVenue combined with one year of teaching yoga have completely changed my perspective on receiving movement instruction. It has shown me the importance of taking time to dissect what goes behind every movement, not just what it looks like - but what it feels like in the body.

Recently, I've found my golf skills have stopped improving and have even begun to deteriorate. My old learning techniques weren’t working. Conventional golf coaching wasn’t helping. I was getting frustrated and feeling stuck. How could I translate what my brain wanted to achieve into my body? Caroline suggested I try Farid’s Movement and Mobility class. I’d never heard of this type of class before and wasn’t sure what to expect, but I decided to give it a go.

Something clicked after my first class. Here was a novel approach to moving effectively, and it’s been a real ‘Eureka!’ moment for me. I signed up for a series of one-to-one sessions with Farid. I've already been able to assimilate his teachings on when to relax and when to engage muscles for the most efficient movement into my golfing technique. I’m seeing improvements on the course, and I'm confident that the combination of these sessions with my regular Hot 26 practice will lower my handicap for the 2022 season.

If you're feeling stuck in your body - whether it be in yoga, sport or just daily life - have a chat with Caroline and Alessandro. YogaVenue can offer support and guidance on how to move beyond limitations and finally get 'unstuck'. Don't just take my word for it, feel it yourself: book in for a one-to-one session with one of the team and let it change your perspective.

CK teaches Hot 26 Hour on Wednesdays at 8pm and the full Hot 26 on Sundays at 5.30pm.