Golf Yoga: The Secret Weapon One Darwin Golfer Kept From His Mates

By Chris Lalor, Certified Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher and Certified Yoga Therapist, and Dr Stuart McGill, Yoga Teacher, Flametree Yoga Darwin

Can one yoga class a week change a golfer’s game? One Darwin golfer thinks so. He came to just one Gentle Yoga class a week. A few months in, he came up to Chris after class. His upper body moved more freely and his legs were stronger, he said, so he could turn further. He was hitting the ball further too.

Then he asked her not to tell his playing mates. Yoga was his secret weapon.

Golf yoga, meaning regular yoga classes for golfers, builds what a swing turns on: a freer upper body, strong steady legs, a strong core and a calm mind over the ball. It matters, because golfers’ backs take the strain. In a survey of 1,170 male golfers, more than one in three had low back pain in the past week.

This page shows how: what a golf swing needs, what our kind of yoga is and what it involves, what other golfers say, what the research shows, and the easiest way to start.

Golf yoga in short: free on top, strong underneath, calm over the ball

Golf yoga is yoga for golfers: regular classes that build a freer upper body on a strong, steady lower body, with a strong core in the middle. That is what a good swing turns on. Yoga for golf also builds balance, back health and a calm mind over the ball, and you can do golf yoga in Darwin, in our studios, or live online from anywhere in Australia.

The whole page, in short:

• A held pose builds strength, flexibility and bone together.
• A morning pranayama class leaves you calmer and more focused for the round.
• Golfers say it helped their game: their stories are below.
• Golfers’ backs take the strain: 37.3% of 1,170 golfers had low back pain in a week.
• Iyengar yoga trials eased back and neck pain.
• Everything from one class a week up works; more works better, up to five or six.
• Start with 2 free classes, then 10 at half price.

Golf yoga in one picture: free on top, strong underneath, steady in the middle.

What does a golf swing need from your body?

A swing needs a freer upper body turning on a strong, stable lower body, driven by the core. Flexibility matters. So does strength. You need both.

Think of a coiled spring. The shoulders and upper back wind up. The legs and hips stay strong and steady underneath, so the turn has something to wind against. The core links the two and powers the unwinding.

If the upper body is stiff, the turn is short. If the legs are weak, the hips slide and the power leaks away. If the core is weak, the lower back ends up doing work it was never built for.

Our secret-weapon golfer found exactly this. More movement through his upper body, and more strength in his legs, let him turn further, and he was hitting the ball further. That is his own experience, from one Gentle Yoga class a week, and it is what we see in class again and again.

Yoga for golf: strong legs underneath, open shoulders on top

Want to try it? Start with 2 free classes, then 10 half price classes plus 2 free, $59.50, in our Darwin studios or live online. Every option is in how to start, further down.

What is Iyengar yoga, the yoga we teach golfers?

Who was Mr BKS Iyengar? Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. He even wrote a book called Yoga for Sports. His style is sometimes called modern classical yoga. It’s the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online. More in Why Yoga Works For Sport.

Is yoga just stretching?

No. Iyengar yoga builds strength and flexibility together, and bone strength too.

Held for 30 seconds, a standing pose such as Warrior II makes the front thigh burn, then shake. That is muscle doing real work. In a held pose your own body is the weight, and the muscles hold it there (this is called isometric work: a muscle working without changing length).

That work does more than build muscle. When a muscle pulls hard on a bone, the bone feels the load, and bone strengthens where it is loaded. So a standing pose works muscle and bone at the same time.

Your muscles get stronger, not bigger. That suits a golfer. You want strength you can use through a full turn, not bulk that gets in the way.

Golf yoga is muscle work, held

A pose looks still. Inside it, a lot is working.

What does Iyengar yoga involve?

Regular classes, plus yogic breathing. Classes are what build the strength and flexibility, week after week. How many a week is further down. Alongside the poses sits pranayama.

Pranayama (yogic breathing) slows and steadies the breath. A steady breath steadies attention. Over a short putt, that is exactly what you want.

Looking for mindfulness? Yoga and yogic breathing create it. Holding a pose and following the breath is mindfulness, practised in the body. You don’t need a separate course. Read Yoga And Mindfulness.

Which golfers credit yoga for their game?

Plenty of golfers say yoga helped their game. Here are six of their stories, retold in our own words and credited. Each is that golfer’s own account, not proof.

Dino started at 52, unable to reach his toes

Dino, an Australian golfer, took up yoga at 52, when he could not reach his toes. In time his palms reached the floor, and he says his back and shoulder pain became almost non-existent. He believes he gained at least 20 metres on his drive. That is his own estimate. (Told in Mary Flaherty’s book Does Yoga Work?, 2020.)

A tour winner who did one thing at a time

In 1985 the American tour golfer Muffin Spencer-Devlin was reported to credit a yoga book, and Mr Iyengar’s advice to do one thing at a time, for her first tour win. (A press clipping from that year, reprinted in B.K.S. Iyengar’s book Yoga for Sports, 2015.)

The teacher behind the bunker story

The yoga teacher for golfers we quote further down took up yoga after playing with a friend on a five handicap who credited yoga for her game. With that friend as her teacher, she says she went from a 24 handicap to a 16 over six years. Six years, not six weeks. (Retold from her 2004 book for golfers.)

A TV golf reporter whose hands shook on the first tee

Invited to play Oakmont, CBS Sports golf reporter Amanda Balionis says her hands shook on the first tee and her breathing got hard. She went to her locker, took a few deep breaths, and told herself it was simply a round of golf at an incredible course. She credits her yoga practice, a different style from ours, with steadying her. (Amanda Balionis, in her own article on golf.com, 26 January 2020.)

A retired executive who started with a 50-cent DVD

A retired manufacturing executive thought yoga was mainly for young women, until his daughters won him over. He quietly bought a used beginner DVD at a yard sale for 50 cents and started at home. He now says his body is more flexible, a steady breath makes his swing smoother, he stays calmer after a bad shot, and his scores have come down by more than ten strokes a round. Those are his own figures. (His own article, “Yoga and Golf Are Both Four-Letter Words”, Wanderlust, no date shown.)

Fire after the exhale

Years ago, an army instructor on a rifle range taught yoga teacher Joshua Blair to fire after the out-breath, when the body is still. Much later he saw that the same rule works over a putt: breathe out, let the body go quiet, then make the stroke. (Told by Joshua Blair in The Golfer’s Prana, Balasubramanian and Blair, Notion Press, 2026.)

Yoga for golfers: a quiet breath before the stroke

And closer to home there is the Darwin golfer from the top of this page, who kept his one class a week a secret from his mates. More stories of athletes who use yoga are in our Yoga For Sport section.

Research shows yoga builds what golf depends on

What The Research Shows

No trial has yet tested yoga in golfers. But there is significant evidence that yoga builds the strength, balance, calm and back health that golf depends on. Here are the trials we lean on. The first three tested Iyengar yoga.

• Iyengar yoga eased back pain and disability. 90 adults with long-term low back pain. Iyengar yoga twice a week for 24 weeks did better than standard medical care on disability, pain and low mood, and the gains were still there 6 months later. Williams and colleagues, Spine, 2009. Read the study
• Iyengar yoga eased neck pain. 77 adults with long-term neck pain. After nine weekly 90-minute classes, pain at rest fell from 44 to 13 (out of 100) with Iyengar yoga, against 42 to 34 with a home exercise programme. Michalsen and colleagues, Journal of Pain, 2012. Read the study
• Iyengar yoga improved balance and leg strength. 54 people with an average age of 68. Twice-weekly Iyengar classes for 12 weeks, mostly standing poses, improved standing balance, one-leg balance with eyes closed, walking speed and getting up from a chair. Tiedemann and colleagues, 2013. Read the study
• First-class cricketers gained core stability, flexibility and balance. 82 first-class male cricketers. Yoga five days a week for six weeks improved these, with gains still there six months later. Rao and colleagues, 2021. Read the study
• Mindfulness training lowered anxiety and lifted performance in athletes. A review of 11 studies, 582 athletes. Si and colleagues, 2024. Read the study
• Short mindfulness sessions improved golf putting. A review of 10 randomised trials found brief mindfulness sessions of 30 minutes or less improved precision skills, including golf putting. Cao and colleagues, 2026. Read the study

The last two tested mindfulness training, not yoga. That still counts for our classes, because yoga and yogic breathing create mindfulness. Mindfulness is steady, present attention, and yoga poses and pranayama (yogic breathing) are old routes to that same state. More in Yoga And Mindfulness. The cricket trial tested yoga in general, not Iyengar yoga. Why the difference matters: Yoga Or Iyengar Yoga?

Strength: yoga raised knee strength 14.6% in six months

In one trial, 80 inactive middle-aged women did yoga three times a week for six months. Knee strength rose 14.6% and elbow strength 13.1%, with no change in the comparison group. More in Can Yoga Build Muscle?

Balance: Iyengar classes improved one-leg balance

In the trial of 54 people in the box above, twice-weekly Iyengar classes, mostly standing poses, improved standing balance, one-leg balance with eyes closed, walking speed and getting up from a chair.

Yoga for golf: balance, with a chair to help

Why do golfers get sore backs, necks and shoulders?

Because the swing is a fast twist to one side, repeated hundreds of times a round, on a body that mostly sits all week.

• The lower back. In a 2023 survey of 1,170 male golfers, mostly in their fifties, 37.3% had low back pain in the past week. The shoulder and knee came next (Murray and colleagues, 2023).
• The hips. In a 2009 English study of 64 amateur golfers, those with low back pain had less inward turn in the lead hip (the front hip in the swing) than those without (Murray and colleagues, 2009). It shows a link, not a cause. It fits what we see: when a hip will not turn, the back turns for it.
• The neck and shoulders. They wind up on every backswing, and they carry the desk week too.

The good news: in trials, Iyengar yoga eased back pain and neck pain (see the research box above). Our Yoga for Backs class looks after the whole back, including the neck and shoulders, not just the lower back. More in our guides to back pain and neck pain.

The back is where a golfer’s yoga time pays off first.

Yoga for golfers, Darwin: a long back, not a hunched one

So there are three kinds of knowing on this page, and we keep them apart. What the trials found is in the box above. What a teacher who specialised in golfers advises is next. What we see in our own classes runs through the whole page.

Ready to give it a try? Start with 2 free classes, then the half price beginner 10-pass with 2 free ($59.50, about $4.96 a class). Golf clubs can book a group class too.

What does a yoga teacher for golfers advise?

A yoga teacher who specialised in golfers worked with them for years at golf resorts and wrote a whole book of advice for them. Her advice lines up closely with what Chris would tell a golfer. In our words, she says:

• Practise regularly. The lasting change comes from the ongoing practice, week after week, not from a quick warm-up.
• Work both sides. Golf is one-sided, so yoga evens it out.
• Build strength, balance and core as well as range. She warns that very flexible joints need strength work, not more range.
• Turn, don’t force. Free up the upper back and shoulders so the turn comes easily, rather than forcing the spine past where it wants to go.
• Breathe. First-tee nerves and bad lies make breathing short and jerky. A slow, steady breath, practised in yoga, becomes a tool on the course.
• Rest after the round. A few supported, lying-down poses help tired legs and a tired back.

She tells a story about letting go. She was in a bunker so deep she could not see the flag. A shot like that normally set her heart racing. This time she decided the shot did not define her, took a slow breath, and stepped in calm. The ball came out clean and stopped about four feet from the hole. Letting go, she says, is not giving up. It is doing your best, breathing, and releasing what you cannot control. (Retold in our words from her 2004 book for golfers.)

Golf yoga: strength and range in one shape

How much yoga does a golfer need?

Everything from one class a week upwards works. This is Flametree’s view as teachers, from many years of classes. Less works less, a middle amount works better, and more works better again, up to five or six classes a week:

• One class a week works. It was enough for our secret-weapon golfer, in Gentle Yoga.
• Two or three a week work better.
• Five or six a week work better again.

The same holds for pranayama (yogic breathing) classes: one a week works, and more works better, up to five or six.

Does Stuart practise what we preach? Yes. He does at least an hour of yoga and an hour of pranayama every day. In his experience, the more he does, the better he feels, the more focused he is, and the better he teaches and works.

Regular classes are the key. You choose how far to go. Start with one a week, or go as far as you want.

Pick your number. Then keep coming back.

Yoga for golfers, Darwin: legs that work in every class

Which classes should a golfer start with?

Start with a beginner class. These are the ones most golfers come to first (Darwin time, from the beginner timetable updated 12 November 2026):

• Gentle Yoga: Fridays 10.15 to 11.15am, Woolner and live online. Especially easy and slow, with plenty of props, for stiff bodies and tired days. It is the class our secret-weapon golfer came to.
• Yoga For Backs: Wednesdays 7.15 to 8.15pm, Woolner, open level. The whole back, from the lower back up through the neck and shoulders.
• Restorative Yoga: Saturdays 4 to 5.15pm, Woolner and live online, open level, for beginners and non-beginners. Supported poses that rest and restore.
• Restorative Yoga and Immune System Yoga: Thursdays 5.45 to 7.15pm, Woolner and live online, open level.
• Beginner 1 classes: every day of the week, at Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) and Coolalinga (Shop T31, Coolalinga Central), and some live online. Standing poses, twists and more, set for your body. Every Coolalinga class is studio only.
• Pranayama (yogic breathing): for calm, focus and a steadier breath. Once you have some beginner classes behind you, your teacher will tell you when to add one.

We suggest coming to both a yoga class and a pranayama class in time. Mr Iyengar taught that asana (poses), pranayama and meditation are not divided, and in our experience the two together do more than either alone. See every class time.

What does a golfer’s class look like?

A class evens out a one-sided game, builds the legs and core, frees the upper body, and uses props so a stiff body can reach each shape. Every pose is done on both sides. Detail is taught in class and adjusted to you.

In class you learn the standard beginner poses, with props such as a chair, a wall and blocks, so a stiff body can do them well. Standing poses build strong, steady legs and a strong core. Twists free the upper body. Mr Iyengar taught that a one-sided sport needs the other side worked, so we spend a little longer on the side the swing rarely uses. Restorative poses finish the class and let the body settle.

Your teacher shows you each pose, adjusts it to your body, and teaches you what Iyengar yoga is and how to do it. That is where the strength and flexibility are built: regular classes, week after week. Once you know the poses, your teacher can show you how to use them at home, at the clubhouse before a round, or even on the course.

Golf yoga: Half Moon, for strong legs and balance

Golf yoga: the chair twist, to both sides

The twist is the heart of it: work both sides, so the swing’s side does not run away with you.

Can I do yoga poses before a round?

Yes, but the real change comes from regular classes. Classes are what build the strength and flexibility. A few poses at the course, with no classes behind them, make very little difference to your game.

What a few poses before a round can do is put into practice what you learned in class. The easy option is at home before you leave, or in the clubhouse. A chair, a wall or a bench does the job.

Some golfers use the buggy, or a tree. That works too: they are just mobile props, doing the job a chair, a wall or a block does in the studio. But plenty of people would feel a bit self-conscious doing poses out on the course, and that’s fine. Home or the clubhouse is easier.

In class you learn standard beginner poses with props, in Gentle Yoga, beginner classes and Yoga for Backs. You also learn how to use the same poses before a round, with the golf buggy or a tree doing the job a chair or wall does in the studio. Learn them properly in class first, so you know how they should feel.

Yoga for golfers: a standing pose with a hand on a chair

Can breathing help my golf?

Yes. A morning pranayama class before you head to the club leaves you calmer and more focused for the round. That is what we see in our students.

Mr Iyengar’s book suggests about 15 minutes of pranayama on the morning of a match. A review of 10 trials found brief mindfulness sessions improved golf putting (see the research box above).

Golf yoga breathing: a steady breath for a steady putt

What helps tired legs after a hot round?

Restorative classes ease tired legs and feet after a round. We teach restorative poses every week in Restorative Yoga (Saturdays 4pm) and Restorative Yoga and Immune System Yoga (Thursdays 5.45pm), where props support the body and it is given time to settle.

The teacher who specialised in golfers suggests the same kind of rest after a round: supported, restful poses that let the body settle.

A word on Darwin heat. Pace yourself on hot days. Find shade, drink water, slow down, and stop if you feel unwell.

After 18 holes: Legs Up The Wall

Ten quiet minutes on the floor after 18 holes.

Golf yoga Darwin: the supported Bridge

Can I do golf yoga online?

Yes. You can join our live interactive online classes from anywhere, with a teacher who can see you and guide you. Golf clubs can book a live online group class that comes straight into the clubhouse on a big screen.

Yoga for golf clubs: a group class at your club, at our Woolner studio or live online, is a simple way for members to try it together. Details are in the offers below.

Live in a regional or remote area? Many country clubs have no good yoga nearby. Online, Iyengar-trained teachers can come to you. See our live online classes.

Golf yoga, Darwin or online: core work with a belt

Is golf yoga expensive?

No. Yoga is very cheap to start. Our beginner deal works out at $4.96 a class. That is less than a sleeve of balls.

How do I start golf yoga in Darwin or online?

1. 2 free classes, plus 2 free ebooks. New to Flametree, or back after 3 months or more? Choose 2 free ebooks (the sport and men’s book is Stay In The Game) and get 2 free classes, live online or in our Darwin studios. Claim them here
2. Then the half price beginner 10-pass with 2 free. 10 half price classes plus 2 free, $59.50. That is 12 classes, $4.96 a class, in our Darwin studios or live online.
3. Then the unlimited beginner weekly pass, to come as often as you like: studio, $17.95 a week; studio and online, $21.95 a week; online only, $10.95 a week.
4. A private lesson: private class pass, $109, or 5 private lessons at 10% off. Talk to us to set a time.
5. For golf clubs: group class, $149 a session, at your club, at our Woolner studio or live online. Book 10 sessions together for 10% off: contact us.

See the timetable and book here

Start free, then pick the option that suits you.

Golf yoga questions, answered

Is yoga good for golfers?

Yes. Golf needs a freer upper body on strong, steady legs, with a strong core, and Iyengar yoga builds all three together. In trials, Iyengar yoga eased back and neck pain and improved balance, which is where many golfers struggle. No trial has tested yoga in golfers yet.

Will yoga help my golf swing?

Our secret-weapon golfer, who came to one Gentle Yoga class a week, found that more movement through his upper body and more strength in his legs let him turn further and hit further. That is his own experience, and it is what we see in class.

Does golf yoga build strength as well as flexibility?

Yes. A held yoga pose is muscle work: your body is the weight. Iyengar yoga builds strength and flexibility together, and muscle pulling on bone builds bone. Muscles get stronger, not bigger.

How often should a golfer do yoga?

Everything from one class a week upwards works. Two or three a week work better, and five or six a week work better again. The same goes for pranayama classes. That is our view as teachers at Flametree.

Which yoga class should a golfer start with?

Start with a beginner class: Gentle Yoga (Fridays 10.15am), Yoga For Backs (Wednesdays 7.15pm, the whole back including the neck and shoulders), Restorative Yoga (Saturdays 4pm) or a Beginner 1 class. Add a pranayama class for calm and focus when your teacher says you are ready.

Can I do yoga poses at the golf course?

You can, but regular classes are what build strength and flexibility. A few poses at the course, with no classes behind them, make very little difference. In class you learn standard beginner poses with props, and how to use them before a round: at home or in the clubhouse with a chair or wall as your prop, or out on the course with the buggy or a tree.

Where can I do golf yoga in Darwin, or online?

In our Darwin studios at Woolner (19B Bishop St, near Parap) and Coolalinga (Shop T31, Coolalinga Central), or in our live interactive online classes from anywhere. Golf clubs can also book a live online group class, shown on a big screen in the clubhouse.

Can our golf club do yoga with Flametree?

Yes. We run group sessions at your club, at our Woolner studio or live online, at $149 a session, with 10% off when you book 10 sessions together.

---

More for golfers: our earlier post Stiff Golf Swing? Why Golfers’ Hips And Backs Tighten, And What Yoga Gives Back, and the whole Yoga For Sport section.

Sources: Murray and colleagues, BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine, 2023; Murray and colleagues, Physical Therapy in Sport, 2009; Williams and colleagues, Spine, 2009; Michalsen and colleagues, Journal of Pain, 2012; Tiedemann and colleagues, Journals of Gerontology, 2013; Rao and colleagues, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2021; Boraczynski and colleagues, Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 2020; Si and colleagues, Frontiers in Psychology, 2024; Cao and colleagues, Frontiers in Public Health, 2026; B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga for Sports (2015); Mary Flaherty, Does Yoga Work? (2020); Amanda Balionis, golf.com, 26 January 2020; “Yoga and Golf Are Both Four-Letter Words”, Wanderlust (undated); Balasubramanian and Blair, The Golfer’s Prana (Notion Press, 2026). Research via PubMed. Golfers’ stories are their own accounts, not proof. This page is general information.