Awareness

I recently read an interesting book, The Way of Miracles by Mark D. Mincolla, PhD. It’s a book about consciousness and awareness. It’s a book about potential – physical, spiritual, mental and emotional. It’s much about health and healing by a world-renowned natural healthcare practitioner, but the information about consciousness is applicable to all facets of life, including our golf game!  Early in the book, Mincolla states, “I prefer to simply think of consciousness as the energy of awareness.”  He then asks, “Are you in a state of “neurobiological retention”?” He explains that it is a resistant stress state where the body, mind and spirit lose their ability to interconnect and flow.

Mincolla explores states of consciousness and the mind/body connection for physical, spiritual and mental health and how to manifest intentions, and even miracles, into our lives. He reviews the four states of awareness, “Conscious Mind, Subconscious Mind, Unconscious Mind and Superconscious Mind.” Here are a few definitions he uses which may apply to our golf game as we’ll  discuss:

Psychosoma: “The mental and physical organism as it functions as a cohesive unit.”

Trance manifest: “The act of manifesting through trance states.”

Undivided presence: “The act of being completely undistracted and aware.”

Wuxi: “A powerful meditation.”

Mincolla states, “Superconsciousness is the alliance of our personal mind with the universal mind.”  Can you believe, or just entertain the thought, that increased awareness is the doorway to expanded consciousness? Can you believe that your thoughts and awareness can provide a doorway to the extraordinary? Can you believe that the superconscious mind can connect you with limitless potential?

Now, as these principles may apply to our golf game:

Do you, can you, believe that a regular practice of the instinct-awakening golf exercises in Awaken Your Inner Golfer can reduce any “resistant stress states where the body, mind and spirit lose their ability to interconnect and flow?” Can you entertain the thought that the exercises could produce in you a meditative or trance state through non-judgment, undistracted awareness, and undivided presence……a state of Wuxi?

Have you ever wondered how some of the tour pros produce such extraordinary results under “pressure?” What comes to mind are all the crucial putts Tiger Woods has made – the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the clutch 18^th hole putts at Bay Hill, and the crucial putts he made to win three U. S. Amateurs. I have read that Tiger Woods has practiced meditation and hypnosis. We might say he was connected to the universal mind and to flow in manifesting his intentions to make those crucial putts. Do you believe that he has been able to get into a “para-normal” state?

(See the January 2019 Instinctive Golf Blog Rhythm and Flow and the January 2020 Blog Flow on this site). 

Do you believe, or can you just entertain the thought, that you can enter that “trance-like” state? It requires no effort. As a matter of fact it abhors effort. Your openness, willingness and subtle intention open the doorway to enter flow or the trance state. (See Chapter 2 in Awaken Your Inner Golfer – “Discovering Unconscious Competency, Releasing Fear, and Letting Go”). 

Mincolla also states, “Superconsciousness cannot be generated or fabricated by human will. It can only be acquired by reaching the highest state of awareness.”

Can you entertain the idea that the instinct-awakening exercises can help lead you to a higher state of awareness? A one-time attempt at exploring the exercises doesn’t automatically produce flow in your golf game, but a regular practice can help you invite flow, just as the regular practice of meditation or mindfulness invites flow in your life. Can you give the exercises a chance……without preliminary judgment? That preliminary judgment is where we limit our potential. It’s understandable because we’re often trained to limit our potential – for many psycho-social reasons.

The instinct-awakening golf exercises are designed to produce expanded awareness by implementing the use of non-standard grips, swings and focuses. They require attention. Attention and awareness help produce flow. 

Mincolla states, “Mindful awareness of the thoughts that enter our brain and heart help you enter a state of waking meditation.” When we are aware of our thoughts and beliefs we have an opportunity to expand our consciousness and our reality. It’s when we invite flow to show up in our life and our golf game. (See the September 2020 Instinctive Golf Blog Awareness on this site).

Mincolla also states, “Evolution of reality starts in the mind with words, visions, and imagination.”  Many of the forty instinct-awakening exercises in Awaken Your Inner Golfer invite you to visualize and imagine. For example, exercise #7 asks you to “Make the only focus for your swing be to close your eyes as your head comes up on your follow-through and keep your eyes closed until you anticipate the ball would be landing on the ground.” 

Exercise #35 asks you to “Imagine the shaft of the golf club is one-quarter filled with water and there is a hole at the bottom of the shaft with a very soft membrane holding the water in. Make the only focus for your forward swing be to feel like you are “releasing” the water through the membrane toward a spot on the ground just forward of the golf ball.”

Again, these exercises are designed to enhance your attention and awareness in order to invite flow into your golf swing and your golf game. Could you enter a Tiger-like “para-normal” state? You will only know if you integrate undistracted attention and awareness into your golf practice – which could develop into a waking meditation, superconsciousness……and possibly a para-normal state! The exercises provide a tool to access your potential; it’s your choice whether to use the tool.