{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2Fe5ed687d-e823-4ff8-abbc-61b83c223b00","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"180 (18STRONG): Mark Williamson | The Golf Yogi","description":"Former professional golfer, Mark Williamson, is now better known as The Golf Yogi. After overcoming his initial resistance to his wife\u2019s request to join her in at a yoga class, once he experienced it, he was hooked.\nMark Soon began studying and teaching yoga, but realized that he wanted to do more that simply teach classes. He started working on his own style of golf fitness, combining yoga with golf specific exercises, and \u201cThe Golf Yogi,\u201d was born.\nWhen the word \u201cYoga\u201d is even stated to some golfers, they immediately tune out or write it off as not for them, but Mark would say otherwise. With his experience as a pro golfer and certified yoga instructor, Mark joins us today to talk about how he tailors yoga to be beneficial to every golfer.\nThe Golf Yogi\u2019s Background\n\n* Mark played professionally from 2002 through 2009. In that time, Mark played the Gateway, Tight Lies, Hooters, Pepsi, Golden State, and U.S. Pro Golf Tours, to name a few. Mark racked up four wins in his time as a professional, and also held three course records in that time.\n* While playing the Gateway Tour in 2008, Mark was a member of the Tour\u2019s Player Advisory Board. Mark worked with some of the great teachers in the game during his career including Jim Flick, Jim Dieters, and the creators of the \u201cStack and Tilt\u201d method, Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer.\n* Mark first started practicing yoga in 2004. After five years of consistently practicing yoga, Mark earned his Registered Yoga Teacher Certification from At One Yoga in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mark furthered his yoga knowledge by becoming certified to teach Katherine Roberts\u2019 Yoga For Golfers classes.\n* Mark is also a registered member of Yoga Alliance, yoga\u2019s governing body.\n\nHighlights from this Episode\n\n* Mark kicks off this episode talking about his reluctant introduction to yoga, how it became such an integral part of his life and fitness regiment, and his preconceived notions that kept him away from yoga.\n* How Mark keeps golf first when it comes to the combination of yoga into the golf fitness realm. Mark\u2019s approach is \u201ca whole lot of little bottles make a big bottle.\u201d If you can pick up a little bit of improvement from different fitness and wellness regiments, you will be better rounded in the long run.\n* We talk about bringing it back to the basics. When it comes to fitness training, it\u2019s not magic: it\u2019s awareness. Mark talks about how when first introducing his clients to yoga, he is just showing them a different way of being aware of their body and how it moves.\n* We talk the difference between flexibility and mobility: The important distinction between the two, and how yoga isn\u2019t just a practice to make you more flexible.\n* Mark also touches on aspects of traditional yoga that could be detrimental to golfers in general and things to look out for when planning on what you want to work on.\n\nCaddy Shack or Happy Gilmore?\nCaddy Shack\nWhat would be your walk up song?\nLose Yourself by Eminem\nIf you could play 18 holes with anyone, who would it be and where would you play?\nMy dad at Augusta (or Royal County Down in Ireland)\nAny parting advice for the 18 Strong Audience?\nThe more active we become, the more we become athletes. No matter if it\u2019s stretching or going for a walk, just move more.\nMark can be found at the following links:\nhttp://www.thegolfyogi.com/index.html (Thegolfyogi.com)\nhttps://www.golferstoolbox.com/ (Golferstoolbox.com)\nhttps://twitter.com/thegolfyogi?lang=en (Twitter)\nhttps://www.instagram.com/thegolfyogi/ (Instagram)\nEpisode Sponsors\nhttp://golfbodyblueprint.com/ (The Golf Body Blueprint)\nhttps://superspeedgolf.com/ (SuperSpeed Golf)","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/b6153cf2-e27d-445e-9de1-1cd4a3ea7a0b/New-Podcast-Logo-3000x3000.png"}