In the run-up to the Rio Games, there were many occasions when an athletic, young man kept a watchful eye from the far corner of a practice field as archer Deepika Kumari took a deep breath, her bowstring hand resting against the cheek. Rakesh Kumar, who conducted yoga sessions with the Indian archers from January this year, was forever mindful of what brought him aboard the Indian teams preparations, seven months ahead of the Olympics.Pressure can kill the best of preparation, he says now, his hands tucked into his trouser pockets. Thats where yoga comes in.Rakesh travelled with the team to Rio on July 9 and continued his sessions with the archers till about a fortnight ago. He is now back in India and keen to see how his efforts eventually pay off during the competition, which gets under way on Thursday. India will field a four-member team -- Deepika, Laxmirani Majhi, Bombayla Devi and Atanu Das -- at the Rio Games. Four years ago in London, pressure wrecked then world No. 1 Deepika Kumari and she fizzled out in the first round. The womens team did no better.What is crucial in tense situations is to be able to control your heart rate, Rakesh says. It can make all the difference.Bhastrika pranayama, which literally means breathing like a pair of bellows, is one of the more powerful breathing exercises in yoga. It is also one that Rakesh used liberally in his hour-long daily sessions with the archers. It will help them keep their mind fresh and focus better. Most importantly, it will help relieve tension and keep negative thoughts away, he says, before demonstrating the inhaling and exhaling exercise. The pranayama, or controlled breathing, is an exercise the archers can even do right at the venue, during their competition, standing 70m away from the target.In London, we couldnt handle the pressure, Deepika says. With the help of yoga sessions, we can now control our breathing and in turn our heart rate while shooting. We feel a lot more confident now to handle tense situations.Rakesh also included yog nidra -- an exercise that cools down the body and helps in relaxation, it is considered an essential end to any yoga pose sequence -- in his sessions. Most of the yoga poses the archers have been asked to work on factor in strengthening the back, shoulder and knee muscles, which are the most injury-prone areas for those playing the sport.Apart from steady arms and a good aim, archers need to be mentally robust too. Meditation, Rakesh says, is also one of the areas he has worked on. When we reached Rio a month ago, it was a little cold, he says. So we focused on the asans which would keep the body warm. Since their practice sessions, both for individual and team events, take up almost the whole day, I did not want to burden them with long sessions. More than anything else, it was crucial that they enjoy yoga.His job done, Rakesh now awaits the results from Rio.China Jerseys . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Stitched Jerseys .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Nike Jerseys .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Offcial Jerseys .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. ' ' '