The Power of Now and Golf

[Swisstrader98]

Unsure if anyone else out there is into Ekhart Tolle’s The Power of Now but easily the most life changing book I’ve ever read.

 

All about being present in your life...no memory traces of the past and no thoughts about the future because your entire life is spent in the NOW. Any time spent not in the NOW is wasted time and over time you become more and more at peace and in touch with yourself and ultimately you become enlightened. It’s definitely a bit spiritual touchy feely stuff but I lead a crazy stressed life and this has changed a LOT of my outlook on life. Still very much a work in progress but very powerful stuff.

 

Always thought there must be a mental connection between The Power of Now and golf and sports in general and this article does a decent job of tying the two together.

 

https://www.stack.com/a/why-every-athlete-should-read-the-power-of-now

 

Wondering if there are others out there who follow Ekhart. If not, definitely worth a listen to his Audiobook or just read it.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I never believed in this stuff. Maybe it's just not for the one's with mental disorders like myself because if I could get every negative thought out of my mind during a round of golf it would be worth a lot of money to me. Not to mention the money I'd save on booze and xanax. Generally when I step on the tee I immediately focus on everywhere I don't want to hit it. That doesn't usually end well. So there's water right I'm going left. If there's water right and OB left I'm pulling out my driving iron.

[Swisstrader98]

I never believed in this stuff. Maybe it's just not for the one's with mental disorders like myself because if I could get every negative thought out of my mind during a round of golf it would be worth a lot of money to me. Not to mention the money I'd save on booze and xanax. Generally when I step on the tee I immediately focus on everywhere I don't want to hit it. That doesn't usually end well. So there's water right I'm going left. If there's water right and OB left I'm pulling out my driving iron.

 

Pooh man:

 

You won’t believe this but your thread on being burned out on tournament golf is what caused me to start this thread...I’m blown away by the fact that you’re the first guy who posted here. If that’s not the Power of Now, I don’t know what is.

 

Check out the sample audiobook below. It’s not for everyone but if you can keep an open mind, it will blow you away and literally changes your perspective on life and living.

 

https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B002V0PN36&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006

[rkodavey]

Haven't heard of that book, but what you said in your post is pretty much why I love golf. When I'm out on the course, nothing matters except getting the ball in the hole. I'm not thinking about my job, money, getting old, or anything else that might stress me out. I'm just strategizing about how to get the golf ball in the hole. I live more in the present when I'm on the golf course than at any other time in my life. Thanks for the tip about the book. I'm going to check it out.

[Swisstrader98]

Haven't heard of that book, but what you said in your post is pretty much why I love golf. When I'm out on the course, nothing matters except getting the ball in the hole. I'm not thinking about my job, money, getting old, or anything else that might stress me out. I'm just strategizing about how to get the golf ball in the hole. I live more in the present when I'm on the golf course than at any other time in my life. Thanks for the tip about the book. I'm going to check it out.

 

That’s it.

 

So many analogies between golf and life...life isn’t always fair, golf isn’t fair. And so many learnings between Power of Now and the game of golf with learning to be in the present moment with each shot and learning not to think about the consequence of each shot (the future) or letting the shot be influenced by prior failures (the past) and only living for the now (present shot). That’s what I find fascinating about the Power of Now.

 

 

 

 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

Having spent the last thirty years meditating, contemplating non-duality and experiencing periods without internal dialogue I feel slightly qualified to respond. I've played golf during those periods and they resulted in the best golf I ever played. Serene progress around the course with no tension or thought about anything but being in the flow.

 

Although...

 

I play now with a guy who was known in his 20s as The Buddha of Camden because of his enlightened experiences and the satsangs he gave. He's getting back into the game after quitting as a kid (playing off 3) some 18 years later and he's a bit wild. We were on a tee where the fairway was skirted by a lake, and he said he was going to get into a Zen state for his tee shot. He viciously duck-hooked his drive into an adjacent house next to the lake, so it's not always gonna work... ;)

[airjammer]

I tried to read the book and I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe there was more to the book after the halfway part but I don’t need a few hundred pages of different ways to tell me the only thing that matters is right this very moment...OK I GET THE POINT! Lol

 

The only thing I liked was the question “what will I think of next?” When I practice going into alpha state, I use that question to start the process.

[MelloYello]

Big hitter, that Ekhart Tolle!

 

Haha, but seriously, he's pretty famous now AFAIK. When Oprah is pushing your stock you get a huge bump. I think he's big enough now that pretty much any 'seeker-type' will have read his stuff and it's pretty widely available everywhere, not that being popular undermines your credibility or anything. Personally, I first heard of Ekhart through Steve Vai of all people. Steve is a very spiritual guy.

 

I know Tolle talks a lot about quieting the mind and understanding your internal thought process(es) and essentially trying to keep control of those and not let them control you. I believe his sentiment was that behind your thoughts lies you actual conscious self and you're basically kind of "watching" your thoughts go by. Seems very reasonable, I guess. There are definitely moments where we can step back and rationalize what we're thinking.

 

That said, scientific research has a little different view. I was listening to Sean Carroll's Mindscape the other day with Paul Bloom who wrote a book criticizing empathy. Amongst other things they were discussing how we tend to have instinctual thought patterns which are very rapid as well as more drawn-out, rational patterns which are probably better but also too costly to implement all the time.

 

I suspect Tolle's message has something to do with being able to control your instinctual thought patterns, but IDK.

[Matt J]

I think there is something special and spiritual about golf. But, I don't subscribe to Tolle's philosophies nor do I think they are particularly effective for a round of golf.

 

I do think there is a particular Zen element to the game as it's ridiculous but easy to get focused on performance and harbour expectation.

 

Check out Shoemakers book, Extraordinary Golf, OP.

 

[TheDeanAbides]

I think there is something special and spiritual about golf. But, I don't subscribe to Tolle's philosophies nor do I think they are particularly effective for a round of golf.

 

I do think there is a particular Zen element to the game as it's ridiculous but easy to get focused on performance and harbour expectation.

 

Check out Shoemakers book, Extraordinary Golf, OP.

 

Extraordinary Golf is fantastic. It's much more accessible than Golf in the Kingdom. You can get a feel for what Fred is about here...

 

[wmblake2000]

Having spent the last thirty years meditating, contemplating non-duality and experiencing periods without internal dialogue I feel slightly qualified to respond. I've played golf during those periods and they resulted in the best golf I ever played. Serene progress around the course with no tension or thought about anything but being in the flow.

 

Although...

 

I play now with a guy who was known in his 20s as The Buddha of Camden because of his enlightened experiences and the satsangs he gave. He's getting back into the game after quitting as a kid (playing off 3) some 18 years later and he's a bit wild. We were on a tee where the fairway was skirted by a lake, and he said he was going to get into a Zen state for his tee shot. He viciously duck-hooked his drive into an adjacent house next to the lake, so it's not always gonna work... ;)

 

We have similar histories (40 yrs meditation practice)... you’re the first person I’ve read here talking about ‘non-dual’ perspectives! (PS: Ken Wilber’s Integral Meditation is excellent)

 

The thing I have been fooling around with, another way to think about ‘now’ is ‘witness’ - that sense of identity one has that has never changed over time, as the core of us. I am trying to practice and play from this perspective. What it does is a) I am as aware of each moment in the swing as seems possible and b) I also can have swing thoughts/intentions but feel pretty detached from them.

 

The key challenge is ... golf is challenging, especially if you’re trying new things. It takes a LOT of discipline for me not to get enmeshed in the struggle and lose the perspective I am describing.

 

So, bottom line, it seems to optimize my skill level but isn’t a magic cure that fixes fundamental swing flaws.

[wmblake2000]

Unsure if anyone else out there is into Ekhart Tolles The Power of Now but easily the most life changing book Ive ever read.

 

All about being present in your life...no memory traces of the past and no thoughts about the future because your entire life is spent in the NOW. Any time spent not in the NOW is wasted time and over time you become more and more at peace and in touch with yourself and ultimately you become enlightened. Its definitely a bit spiritual touchy feely stuff but I lead a crazy stressed life and this has changed a LOT of my outlook on life. Still very much a work in progress but very powerful stuff.

 

Always thought there must be a mental connection between The Power of Now and golf and sports in general and this article does a decent job of tying the two together.

 

https://www.stack.com/a/why-every-athlete-should-read-the-power-of-now

 

Wondering if there are others out there who follow Ekhart. If not, definitely worth a listen to his Audiobook or just read it.

 

I like Tolle. In fact I am about to reread this book in the next few weeks... glad you started this thread.

[TheDeanAbides]

Having spent the last thirty years meditating, contemplating non-duality and experiencing periods without internal dialogue I feel slightly qualified to respond. I've played golf during those periods and they resulted in the best golf I ever played. Serene progress around the course with no tension or thought about anything but being in the flow.

 

Although...

 

I play now with a guy who was known in his 20s as The Buddha of Camden because of his enlightened experiences and the satsangs he gave. He's getting back into the game after quitting as a kid (playing off 3) some 18 years later and he's a bit wild. We were on a tee where the fairway was skirted by a lake, and he said he was going to get into a Zen state for his tee shot. He viciously duck-hooked his drive into an adjacent house next to the lake, so it's not always gonna work... ;)

 

We have similar histories (40 yrs meditation practice)... you’re the first person I’ve read here talking about ‘non-dual’ perspectives! (PS: Ken Wilber’s Integral Meditation is excellent)

 

The thing I have been fooling around with, another way to think about ‘now’ is ‘witness’ - that sense of identity one has that has never changed over time, as the core of us. I am trying to practice and play from this perspective. What it does is a) I am as aware of each moment in the swing as seems possible and b) I also can have swing thoughts/intentions but feel pretty detached from them.

 

The key challenge is ... golf is challenging, especially if you’re trying new things. It takes a LOT of discipline for me not to get enmeshed in the struggle and lose the perspective I am describing.

 

So, bottom line, it seems to optimize my skill level but isn’t a magic cure that fixes fundamental swing flaws.

 

Yes, absolutely. Non-attachment to the outcome seems like a pretty decent place to start a round of golf, and I often recommend some Mindfulness training to golfers who invest so much of their identity in their golf game. I know that accessing the witness state changes my game completely because it allows me to focus on what's actually happening instead of that blank space where fear kicks in.

 

Have you tried the exercise in Extraordinary Golf where you put your focus on a part of the body during the swing to see where your blind spots are? It's incredibly revealing.

 

(I've never really gelled with Ken Wilber. No particular reason - I just prefer the way Nisargadatta taught)

[TheDeanAbides]

Big hitter, that Ekhart Tolle!

 

Haha, but seriously, he's pretty famous now AFAIK. When Oprah is pushing your stock you get a huge bump. I think he's big enough now that pretty much any 'seeker-type' will have read his stuff and it's pretty widely available everywhere, not that being popular undermines your credibility or anything. Personally, I first heard of Ekhart through Steve Vai of all people. Steve is a very spiritual guy.

 

I know Tolle talks a lot about quieting the mind and understanding your internal thought process(es) and essentially trying to keep control of those and not let them control you. I believe his sentiment was that behind your thoughts lies you actual conscious self and you're basically kind of "watching" your thoughts go by. Seems very reasonable, I guess. There are definitely moments where we can step back and rationalize what we're thinking.

 

That said, scientific research has a little different view. I was listening to Sean Carroll's Mindscape the other day with Paul Bloom who wrote a book criticizing empathy. Amongst other things they were discussing how we tend to have instinctual thought patterns which are very rapid as well as more drawn-out, rational patterns which are probably better but also too costly to implement all the time.

 

I suspect Tolle's message has something to do with being able to control your instinctual thought patterns, but IDK.

 

Ironically, it's exactly the opposite.

[Swisstrader98]

I have started to combine my meditation using the Calm app with some of what Tolle puts out there and it’s a pretty powerful combination.

 

Since I’ve started doing both practices, my sleep has improved immensely which is a game changer for me and when I do wake up and start having ruminations and the “monkey mind” starts to take over, I now know precisely what to do to put my mind at ease.

 

The tricky part for me is putting The Power of Now stuff into practice when things are particularly stressful because my tendency is to simply go back to letting my mind race, making up stories and conversations in my head about what may or may not happen in the future and not being fully present. I’m good now at blocking out memory traces of the past, just need more practice around worrying less about the future.

 

Also just starting to incorporate all this into my golf but too early to see if there’s some transference there as well. Hey, if it changes my life the way it already has and only improves my game by one or two strokes, I will take it?

 

All that being said, if more people practiced and understood what Tolle has put out there, it would definitely be a better world.

 

[wmblake2000]

 

I know that accessing the witness state changes my game completely because it allows me to focus on what's actually happening instead of that blank space where fear kicks in.

 

Have you tried the exercise in Extraordinary Golf where you put your focus on a part of the body during the swing to see where your blind spots are? It's incredibly revealing.

 

(I've never really gelled with Ken Wilber. No particular reason - I just prefer the way Nisargadatta taught)

 

Ha! I was just gonna add that the core benefit from a golf performance view is when a person is aware deeply enough of ‘witness’ this perspective is incapable of fear. That itself is worth the effort.

 

I haven’t tried this Shoemaker exercise. Been a while since I read extraordinary golf. I keep trying to stay aware through the whole swing but that’s pretty hard. Transition gets me!

 

Yep a lot of people don’t take to Wilber. I was a psychologist before going into business and this book Integral Meditation is the best I have seen in putting psych/spiritual/behavior together. The gist of it is mindfulness at the core.

[wmblake2000]

I have started to combine my meditation using the Calm app with some of what Tolle puts out there and its a pretty powerful combination.

 

Since Ive started doing both practices, my sleep has improved immensely which is a game changer for me and when I do wake up and start having ruminations and the monkey mind starts to take over, I now know precisely what to do to put my mind at ease.

 

The tricky part for me is putting The Power of Now stuff into practice when things are particularly stressful because my tendency is to simply go back to letting my mind race, making up stories and conversations in my head about what may or may not happen in the future and not being fully present. Im good now at blocking out memory traces of the past, just need more practice around worrying less about the future.

 

Also just starting to incorporate all this into my golf but too early to see if theres some transference there as well. Hey, if it changes my life the way it already has and only improves my game by one or two strokes, I will take it

 

All that being said, if more people practiced and understood what Tolle has put out there, it would definitely be a better world.

 

Just keep at it. This is a process that takes real time, real investment of your best and most honest self. In the process you have to truly learn how ‘you/life/consciousness’ works.

[wmblake2000]

Big hitter, that Ekhart Tolle!

 

Haha, but seriously, he's pretty famous now AFAIK. When Oprah is pushing your stock you get a huge bump. I think he's big enough now that pretty much any 'seeker-type' will have read his stuff and it's pretty widely available everywhere, not that being popular undermines your credibility or anything. Personally, I first heard of Ekhart through Steve Vai of all people. Steve is a very spiritual guy.

 

I know Tolle talks a lot about quieting the mind and understanding your internal thought process(es) and essentially trying to keep control of those and not let them control you. I believe his sentiment was that behind your thoughts lies you actual conscious self and you're basically kind of "watching" your thoughts go by. Seems very reasonable, I guess. There are definitely moments where we can step back and rationalize what we're thinking.

 

That said, scientific research has a little different view. I was listening to Sean Carroll's Mindscape the other day with Paul Bloom who wrote a book criticizing empathy. Amongst other things they were discussing how we tend to have instinctual thought patterns which are very rapid as well as more drawn-out, rational patterns which are probably better but also too costly to implement all the time.

 

I suspect Tolle's message has something to do with being able to control your instinctual thought patterns, but IDK.

 

I don’t really get the instinctual thought patterns idea...? I tend not to fight or try to suppress anything (eg, I am not at war with monkey mind) and am more guided by trust than by discipline. That seems to get me moving in the right direction.

 

[wmblake2000]

']

 

(I've never really gelled with Ken Wilber. No particular reason - I just prefer the way Nisargadatta taught)

 

I don’t know Nisargadatta. Who/what? I am in a learning mode these days.

[zzyzxx33]

Thanks for sharing the books.

[TheDeanAbides]

I know that accessing the witness state changes my game completely because it allows me to focus on what's actually happening instead of that blank space where fear kicks in.

 

Have you tried the exercise in Extraordinary Golf where you put your focus on a part of the body during the swing to see where your blind spots are? It's incredibly revealing.

 

(I've never really gelled with Ken Wilber. No particular reason - I just prefer the way Nisargadatta taught)

 

Ha! I was just gonna add that the core benefit from a golf performance view is when a person is aware deeply enough of ‘witness’ this perspective is incapable of fear. That itself is worth the effort.

 

I haven’t tried this Shoemaker exercise. Been a while since I read extraordinary golf. I keep trying to stay aware through the whole swing but that’s pretty hard. Transition gets me!

 

Yep a lot of people don’t take to Wilber. I was a psychologist before going into business and this book Integral Meditation is the best I have seen in putting psych/spiritual/behavior together. The gist of it is mindfulness at the core.

 

Awareness during the transition is basically golfing enlightenment! :D

 

I think it was a case of timing with Wilber. I was deeply into Advaita at the time, but, perhaps, if I'd started with him it might have been different. Not, of course, that it matters - the truth is the truth however it's framed.

[BB28403]

I know Sonovis is the bank of Eeeeerrreeee cuz Eeeeerrreee is where you are.

[Matt J]

I know that accessing the witness state changes my game completely because it allows me to focus on what's actually happening instead of that blank space where fear kicks in.

 

Have you tried the exercise in Extraordinary Golf where you put your focus on a part of the body during the swing to see where your blind spots are? It's incredibly revealing.

 

(I've never really gelled with Ken Wilber. No particular reason - I just prefer the way Nisargadatta taught)

 

Ha! I was just gonna add that the core benefit from a golf performance view is when a person is aware deeply enough of ‘witness’ this perspective is incapable of fear. That itself is worth the effort.

 

I haven’t tried this Shoemaker exercise. Been a while since I read extraordinary golf. I keep trying to stay aware through the whole swing but that’s pretty hard. Transition gets me!

 

Yep a lot of people don’t take to Wilber. I was a psychologist before going into business and this book Integral Meditation is the best I have seen in putting psych/spiritual/behavior together. The gist of it is mindfulness at the core.

 

Awareness during the transition is basically golfing enlightenment! :D

 

I think it was a case of timing with Wilber. I was deeply into Advaita at the time, but, perhaps, if I'd started with him it might have been different. Not, of course, that it matters - the truth is the truth however it's framed.

 

I'll have to read Wilbur.

 

Transition is ever so important, hence the block in consciousness. We get so preoccupied with trying to correct so many things in transition, that we cannot "be" and "see" what it is we are doing. Golf has always had a very metaphysical element. I love tapping into without a conspicuous word. I had been accused of having a weak mental game. I think ultimately it was due to the fact that it's just a game. Lately I look at it as an opportunity really be the essence of myself. More fun.