In my yoga teacher's book, Breathe In Breathe Out, Dr. Jeffrey A. Migdow and his co author James E. Loehr share their research results examining peak athletic performances. The athletes in the study shared what their peak performance states were like from the "inside." The results were the same no matter what the activity. The first state being the ability to feel relaxed and loose-muscled which I referred to in the previous blog. The second state is a feeling of internal calm and quiet. The authors speak about the fact that most of us easily believe that in our fast-paced  society  that a speedy and accelerated mental state must accompany top performance. They explain how the opposite is true.They talk about the brain wave frequencies and how research repeatedly reveals that mental calm and quiet correlates with a low- range alpha brain-wave frequency which is associated with best performance, physical or mental. They share that slow deep breathing with focus on the breath can shift a person from hectic beta waves to clam focused alpha waves. When breathing is slowed, a calming psychological state is in control and one starts to concentrate well and feel confident. This is where I come in..... Attend my yoga classes where I will teach you proper breathing techniques. It will take my guidance to help you connect with the breathing pattern and the habit of paying attention to your breath. You will be amazed at the benefits and will not need to further your reading about research results....
You will discover yourself (mentally and physically) how deep breathing clears your mind and relaxes your muscles for optimal performance. Habits are hard to break but this is one worth paying attention to. Come and practice with me. You won't regret it!

Welcome to my blog. I am writing with the intent to reach out to my community about the benefits of yoga and conscious breathing. My focus audience for the next six weeks will be the student athletes attending my free yoga classes in our local park. So, if you are reading this, I am hoping that you attended yoga in the park and are wanting to learn more. Whether you are an athlete training for competition or just a student wanting to maximize your quality of life, I welcome you. If you are none of the above, no worries.....the info. that I share is for anyone to know. My Yoga teacher is Jeffrey A. Migdow, M.D. and he co authored a book, Breathe In Breathe Out, which I will be quoting from. In the book he writes, "Peak performance is energy in harmony with activity. When the harmony is missing, peak performance is impossible."  A tight individual consumes a tremendous amount of energy and is an inefficient performer. One can be tight and tense and not even be aware of it. Extraordinary individuals tune into their muscles and achieve a state of low resting tension. While walking or playing or working-or anything-only those muscles necessary for getting the job done should be employed. The other muscles should be left in a state of relative relaxation-ignored. Attend my sessions in the park and allow yourself to explore the practice of yoga. Learn breathing techniques and mental, physical and emotional body awareness that will guide you to experiencing relaxed muscles, a calm mental state, alertness, higher energy, positive feelings etc....all to assist you reach your peak performance level. Using yoga postures and stretches while breathing consciously you will begin a new pattern, habit or awareness of your body that will allow you to mindfully use the "right amount of effort," to harmonize your energy with your activity.