Golf for Enlightenment
Deepak Chopra first came to my attention in Who's Your Caddy?, an entertaining book about caddying for golfers of various ability levels. Since then I've tried to learn more about Dr. Chopra because many of his ideas match long-held beliefs of my own. He is an avid student of golf and believes, as I do, that the lessons of golf are the lessons of life. If we can learn Dr. Chopra's lessons, we will play better golf with more enjoyment and we will live better lives.
I've recently read Golf for Enlightenment: The Seven Lessons for the Game of Life by Dr. Chopra. In it he teaches us that mindfulness, awareness, are the tools of golf and life. Dr. Chopra is so profound in his writings that I worry I misunderstand his lessons. I plan, at some time, to attend one of his seminars and seek enlightenment directly but in the meantime I'm working through this wonderful book. In each chapter, he writes of a fictional golfer's lesson from a mystical teacher and then explains the lesson and how it applies to our lives.
I'm presently focusing on the notion that we must live, and play golf, in "the now". That is, as I think about it, we must play one shot at a time, We can't be burdened by regrets, thoughts of the past, nor can we focus on the future, the next shot, the next day, and worry about how what we do now will affect the future. Anything that takes us away from the now, from living in the present, interferes with our performance, with our very lives.
Dr. Chopra believes that anxiety is a common emotion that prevents us from doing our best. Anxiety, the mental distress caused by apprehension of misfortune, cripples us, prevents us from using our energy in an effective way. It paralyzes us, causes us to miss our opportunities, induces desperation and defeat. By definition, anxiety arises from experiences in the past and it prevents us from living in the now. Like all of us, I've lived with anxiety during much of my life and I now see the truth of Chopra's teaching.
Chopra recommends a breathing technique outlined in his book and I'm only beginning to attempt the technique. But when I think back to the earliest times I experienced anxiety on the golf course, I remember a high school coach who tried to help me. He had been an outstanding college athlete, a man of great knowledge of sport and athletic skills. When I asked his advice, he recommended a breathing exercise. At the time, I failed to understand so I hadn't thought about this exercise until Chopra brought me back to it. I'm beginning to understand that wisdom lives in many places and that we have to learn to accept it when we find it.
Somehow, find a way to overcome anxiety. But more importantly, listen to the lessons people try to teach you. Don't wait 45 years to remember.
6-14-04
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