Precision Practice: Yoga for Golf Strength & Mobility

June 13, 2025 Updated: June 13, 2025

For yoga teacher and avid golfer Christel Thimont, the connection between golf and yoga has always felt natural. With nearly two decades of experience in both disciplines, she quickly discovered how a consistent yoga practice could enhance performance on the course—bringing flexibility, strength, and mental clarity to every swing. What began as a personal discovery soon turned into a passion to share, starting with classes for fellow golfers at her local club. Today, Christel shares how yoga and golf complement each other—and invites you to experience it firsthand with a 45-minute vinyasa practice designed specifically for golfers.

How did you start with golf and yoga? What drew you to each?

I have been a golfer and a yogi for about 20 years. When I became a yoga instructor it was very clear to me that Yoga was the perfect complementary physical activity for a golfers and that was probably why I became a good player pretty quickly so I decided to start giving classes to the lady golfers of Royal Ascot Golf Club, my golf club at the time so they could also see the benefits of practicing yoga on the golf course.

I started golf at about the same time I became a yogi which was quite unusual at the time. I used to play a huge amount of golf as my partner was a very keen golfer too.

I started playing golf in my early thirties. It can seem quite young, but actually, it is late in life if you want to play at a very good level. Now, parents take their kids to the driving range at a very early age as they know that to play at a very good level, you need to learn at a very young age.

When I was in the UK, I played about twice a week. I basically spent all my weekends on the golf course, not mentioning the numerous golf holidays around the world and also volunteering at big golf events like the BMW PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. Since my move back to France, I haven’t found a nice course to play on yet, so the search goes on.

How do golf and yoga complement each other?

Yoga is just the perfect complement to golf: In order to play well you need to be able to control your shot and there are two aspects to getting good control. The first and most important aspect is fitness: you need flexibility, agility and strength. Yoga gives you all of these. The second is technique, which you can only attain with coaching and golf practice. And let’s not forget the significant role that the mind plays in being successful on the course hence a mind-body practice like yoga is perfect for golfers on that level too.

Which specific yoga poses are beneficial for golfers, and why?

Most yoga poses will help a golfer with their swing. But what a golfer needs mostly is spine and hip flexibility, so all spinal extension and twisting postures (spinal twists) as well as legs strengthening poses (warriors poses) are great for a golfer.

Yoga not only helps prevent injuries, it also helps them heal: for example, I used to have golfers elbow every season but as soon as I started practicing yoga daily, I did not suffer from this any longer. My arms muscles are stronger and stretched every day thus preventing any other onset of the dreaded condition.

I would recommend practicing yoga in between rounds so the body has time to integrate the practice as playing 18 holes can be quite tiring already. Also I highly recommend doing a warm-up before heading out on the course as well as a short meditation on competition days. There a few key yoga poses that will greatly help for that like shoulder stretches standing up and twisting standing up whilst holding your club in both hands.

Practice on.

Join yoga teacher Christel Thimont for a 45-minute vinyasa flow is designed specifically for golfers looking to enhance control, mobility, and mental clarity both on and off the course. You’ll move through a steady sequence that targets key areas for golf performance—hips, spine, shoulders, and core—while building strength, balance, and flexibility.

Expect intentional transitions, breath-led movement, and mindful pauses to sharpen focus and increase body awareness. Whether you’re warming up before a round or supporting recovery afterward, this class will help you move with more ease, swing with more power, and stay mentally composed throughout your game.