Week 37: Meditate to improve your shot-by-shot focus

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Rival Marketing

Meditation can help improve your golf game.

If you want to improve your shot-by-shot focus, the answer may be simpler than you think. Researchers have begun to identify how meditation, even in the very short term, can improve your focus and increase your attention span. Specifically, daily meditation is believed to thicken the part of the brain responsible for your decision-making. Here are a few simple ways to meditate daily that will allow you to be the most-focused player on the course.

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The right location -- Find a quiet place where you can sit comfortably. You can even do this in your office if you have a door you can close. The most important thing is that you choose a place where you feel you will not be disturbed. Turn off the phone ringer and allow yourself to have a few minutes of quality time with yourself.

The right posture -- If you want to take a more traditional posture, you may sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Place your right hand on top of your left hand with your thumbs gently touching. Place your hands a few inches below your belly button. Keep your back straight and try to release any tension you may have in your face. If your tongue is gently touching the back of your teeth, it should help prevent your mouth from getting too dry. Keep your eyes open slightly. If you close them fully, you may become too drowsy.

The meditation -- Once you have settled in to a comfortable position, begin concentrating on your breathing. Specifically focus on the points when your inhalation becomes an exhalation. Your mind will immediately begin to wander about the things you have to do or have just done. Do not punish yourself if this happens. Just keep bringing yourself back to focusing on your breathing. The more you can eliminate your mind wandering, the better your focus will become.

The final result -- After you have practiced meditation for a while, you will find it has an immediate impact on your game. You will be able to slow your thoughts down, particularly after a bad shot. You will have a higher level of concentration during your swing. And most importantly, you will be able to play in the moment, without having the previous hole or the next hole affect your game.

Debilitating knee pain can cause any golfer to lose their focus. If knee pain is preventing you from performing at your best, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Various treatments for OA do exist, such as ORTHOVISC®, which provides up to six months of knee pain relief. Made from ultra-pure natural hyaluronan, which is found in healthy joints, ORTHOVISC® is injected into the knee joint where it acts to replace your natural joint fluid, to help cushion, protect, and lubricate your knee.

ORTHOVISC® is a proud sponsor of PGATOUR.com. Talk to your doctor to see if ORTHOVISC® is right for you. Or visit our Web site at www.orthovisc.com for more information on how to maintain your knee health to help you keep playing the game you love.

Follow us on Twitter for up-to-date information on maintaining joint health and the prevention/treatment of knee pain due to sports-related injuries or the early symptoms of osteoarthritis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

ORTHOVISC® is for patients who do not get adequate pain relief from simple pain relievers like acetaminophen or from exercise and physical therapy. ORTHOVISC® is not for use in people with known allergy to hyaluronate preparations, to gram bacterial proteins, with infections or skin diseases in the area of the injection site or joint. Common side effects include joint pain, back pain, headaches and pain or redness at the injection site.

This is a paid placement by DePuy Mitek, Inc. The opinions expressed above are those of DePuy Mitek, Inc. and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the PGA TOUR.