PGTAA Mind Minute #1 — “Breathe Through Your Eyes”
One Breath. One Swing. One Focus.
Message
Every great round begins with a single breath. Before every shot, pause — feel the ground beneath your feet. Breathe deeply, and let your gaze soften.
When you breathe through your eyes, you’re not just taking in air — you’re taking in awareness. See the shot. Feel the moment. Let your breath lead your focus.
Then, give your mind one clear instruction — not two, not three — just one. Golf rewards rhythm, not rush. Patience, like the breath, is invisible — yet it shapes everything.
Let patience guide your pace today.
Reflection Prompt
How many times did I pause with purpose before swinging?
Patience is built one breath at a time. Medications can’t correct shallow, chest-driven breathing — only awareness and consistent practice can. With time and attention, your breathing deepens, your body relaxes, and your swing aligns naturally with your rhythm.
Chest Breathing vs. Belly Breathing
Relaxed breathing should originate primarily from the diaphragm, with little movement of the chest and shoulders. Chest breathing activates accessory respiratory muscles that tighten the neck, chest, and vocal cords — often triggering the body’s fight-or-flight stress reflex.
A chest-breathing pattern is useful in short bursts — for instance, when running from danger. However, prolonged chest breathing can lead to coughing, hoarseness, tension headaches, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and anxiety.
Belly breathing, on the other hand, promotes calm and relaxation. That’s why it’s central to yoga, meditation, and mindfulness — and why it’s equally powerful on the golf course.
When you breathe from your belly, you access the parasympathetic nervous system — your natural calm zone. You reduce tension, steady your tempo, and open space for focus and patience to flourish.
Test Your Breathing Awareness
Try this quick test to reconnect breath and body:
1. Stand tall or lie comfortably on a flat surface.
2. Place one hand on your chest, the other on your abdomen.
3. Inhale slowly and observe which hand rises.
If your chest rises first, you’re breathing shallowly — a stress pattern. If your belly moves first, you’re engaging your diaphragm — the body’s internal metronome.
Frequent sighing or yawning signals shallow breathing and under-oxygenation — your body asking to slow down.
Retraining the Breath
Relearning belly breathing takes intention and repetition. If you’ve ever practiced yoga, mindfulness, or meditation, this foundation will feel familiar.
Start small:
• Repeat the test throughout your day — lying down, standing, or sitting upright.
• As it becomes natural, breathe consciously while walking or swinging.
• Eventually, let the breath guide your transitions on the course — from tee box to green, from tension to trust.
Practice Reaps Results
If you slip back into chest breathing, don’t correct — reset. Think of it like learning to walk again: clumsy at first, fluid with practice. Chest breathing may get you through; belly breathing helps you arrive.
Diaphragmatic breathing is efficient, powerful, and free — the best training aid you’ll ever own.
Breathe through your eyes. See with calm. Swing with trust.
PGTAA Insight
“Breathing through your eyes” is the art of merging vision and calm — the essence of The Right Mind for Golf.
When your breath leads, your mind follows.
When your eyes soften, your body releases tension.
And when patience anchors your process, confidence takes over.
