You perform the "shavasana (the corpse pose), as you have done the night before. You go through "yogasanas (yogic postures), and "pranayama (breathing exercises); months and years of meditation and training now distilled into 20 minutes. Finally, you focus on the moment and your performance in it. This is how you prepare to shoot, yoga professional Chirayu Thakkar tells Daily News Egypt. Yoga - literally "union - aims to achieve congruence between one's purpose, awareness, and action. Working with the physical fitness and the psychological and mental training of Egyptian military's sports shooting team, Thakkar employs yoga to enhance the performance of the sportspersons. Trained in yoga, therapy and alternative medicine, Thakkar holds a bachelor's degree in naturopathy and yogic sciences from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bangalore. Focus and concentration are essential in the sport of shooting, says Thakkar. To perform well, the sportsperson must also remove stressful and competitive thoughts at that moment. "This is where yoga helps, says Thakkar, "You are in control of the situation, and the situation is not overpowering you. The instructor consults on practices and offers one-to-one counseling to players, and also has group sessions for general fitness through yoga. Of all the "asanas (postures), the most important is the shavasana, says Thakkar. In the corpse pose, the body is relaxed consciously. This can be done through progressive muscle relaxation, where the body is relaxed starting from the toes upwards to the head, and back to the toes again. Fifteen minutes of such exercise equals one hour of sleep. Rest and relaxation are different, says Thakkar. Rest, acquired through sleep, is not a conscious process. Relaxation, on the other hand is achieved consciously through an activity - mediation, running, listening to music. "You are awake, and you're conscious, says Thakkar about being in shavasana, "but the body is completely relaxed, and the mind is completely clear. Breathing is also of the utmost importance. "You have to breathe; you have to breathe; you have to breathe, said Thakkar, "The more oxygen you have, the more energy can be derived from muscles. Improving breathing through yoga not only increases lung capacity, but also has a calming effect essential for concentration. It is something the athlete uses at every single point, but soon it becomes second nature, said Thakkar. Pranayama - where "prana refers to "life-force or "breath, and "ayama to "control - involves a set of breathing exercises, again aimed at bringing awareness and control to one of the most natural activities. It calms and allows the person to focus on the present. Yogic psychology also counsels living in the present moment. Karma yoga - union through action - "tells you to give your 100 percent to the present moment, to what you are doing. Thus, when Thakkar counsels the sportsperson, he asks them to self-actualize. For the prized professionals that he works with, he says, "it's the time to reach the center of the bull's eye. Yet the aim is consistency. Among inspirational stories that Thakkar provides his team is one of renowned golfer Tiger Woods. In one match, another player was performing much better than Woods - yet only while the weather was fair. Once the weather turned foul, however, Woods' performance remained consistent, while the other's began to suffer. "It is not that he's an exceptionally great player, says Thakkar about Woods, "but he's consistent. Also, the competition is not between the players, he added, but with yourself. "Performing is purpose, says Thakkar, and all thoughts of winning or losing are unimportant to the present condition of performance. According to karma yoga, one can only control one's actions; the results must follow of their own accord. "You don't make it happen, you let it happen. Gyana yoga (union through knowledge) is also employed to counsel sportspeople, said Thakkar, by creating awareness; the awareness of self, and the awareness of the moment. Aiming for the ball is karma yoga; says Thakkar. Knowing which way is right is gyana yoga. Yoga increases awareness of one's body, which allows the mind to better control it. Meditation is also an essential practice, and again like breathing, one that ideally becomes second nature. Ranging from exercises that intensely focus concentration to those that let the mind roam freely, the aim of meditation remains the same - "reaching a point where nothing else exists except you and your mind. The essence of meditation is to reach nothingness, said Thakkar. Much like breathing, in this state of awareness, "you're in control, but letting it happen. Essentially, yoga is alignment. It aligns your body with your mind, your purpose with your action, and your awareness to this moment. When you pick your instrument - your rifle, your pen, your guitar - you are not thinking "I will win, nor "I will hit bull's eye, and not even "I'll play my heart. You're just being your self. "You're witnessing.
