About Roger Gunn:

California born and raised, Roger has made a career of playing, instructing and designing for golf. Credits include PGA Teacher of the year in 2001, winner of more than 25 professional tournaments over a long and varied career, and designer of True Custom Golf Clubs. Roger’s website golflevels.com provides his own unique style of teaching: “ The generic nature of golf instruction has always bothered me. The beginning golfer certainly doesn’t need to hear the same information as the player trying to win the club championship. It’s for this reason that I created “Taking it to the Next Level” Hopefully you’ll enjoy this style of instruction, tailored right to your ability!”

- Roger Gunn

visit Roger's website: www.golflevels.com

• Rest for More Endurance Fitness Tip - K.R.
• Sleeplessness & Yoga by Dana Sullivan, guest contributor
• Golf Tip someone: guest contributor
• Recipe: Something with fish ?
• Upcoming Events

In a Nutshell:

Rest for More Endurance :
by Katherine Roberts

Restorative Yoga
 
In our fast paced world we become driven to do more, have more and be more. Run, run, go, go and grab some food along the way. Somehow in our society multi-tasking to the point of exhaustion seems to be a “badge of honor”. I disagree! Proper rest is equally if not more important than staying in a constant state of action.
 
I have a saying, “Get your body down on the floor at least once a day”. For those of you who have struggled with back pain you know the relief you feel from resting on the floor.
 
Research proves the body rebuilds torn down muscle faster with proper rest. Building strength is a process of breaking down muscles and allowing it to repair enabling you to gain more strength.
 
A style of yoga called Restorative yoga, is designed to bring your body into balance. Restorative yoga uses props such as yoga blocks, yoga straps, blankets and the wall to support the body. In the more physically active yoga practice we use the muscles to hold the body in various poses while restorative yoga uses gravity and your breath to deepen the posture. Take long, slow deep breaths in and out of the nose. Inhale for a count of four, exhale for a count of six.
 
Before we launch our new 8 week summer fitness shape-up program (which will be posted on YogaForGoflers.com home page under "What's New: Fitness Tip of the Week") I ask you to take some time to rejuvenate through restorative yoga. Note: When I do this type of static conditioning with my pros as well as baseball players they LOVE it! You will need a yoga mat, yoga blocks, towels and a wall.
 
Here we go!

Sleepless in Seattle? Yes, and just about every other city, country, town, and state in this country. Sixty million Americans lie awake at night, tossing and turning, praying for REM, accrding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - and most of them are women. One solution is to reach for a pill. In fact, the number of adults ages 20 to 44 using prescription sleeping medications doubled between 2000 and 2004, reports Medco Health Solutions, a large pharmaceutical benefits manager. But the drugs are generally not recommended for long-term use, and many people aren't comfortable taking them.

For those who can't sleep, a growing body of research suggests that an alternative treatment is surprisingly effective: yoga. From coast to coast, yoga classes devoted to combating insomnia with breathing, meditation, chanting, and basic asanas (poses) are springing up. "Drugs are a quick fix, but they don't treat the underlying issues that keep people up at night," says Sat Bir S. Khalsa, PhD, a neuroscientist and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who is leading a study funded by the National Institutes of Health on yoga as an insomnia therapy. " The rationale is based on good evidence that people who have trouble sleeping are chronically aroused,"he says, explaining that insomnia sufferers tend to have higher than average levels of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol. Other researchers have found that yoga coaxes down at least one of these hormones. "Practicing yoga at any time of day lowers evening cortisol levels," says Bradly Jacobs, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California at San Franciso who has studied yoga for back pain. "Less stress before bedtime makes it easier to relax and fall asleep." A German study published last December in the international journal Medical Scence Monitor tracked women whou described themselves as "emotionally distressed." After taking 90-minute Iyengar classes ( a style that emphasizes the precise alignment of the poses ) twice a week for three months, they had lower cortisol levels; they also reported less fatigue, stress, and back pain and fewer headaches.

A sneak preview of Khalsa's study is exciting: It's a "likely possibility," he says, that regularly practicing yoga may significantly shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and increase the total time one is out. It's also likely that, for some people who wake up in the wee hours, doing yoga on the spot may usher them more quickly back into slumber.

(more to this article... specific breathing and reverse platform... maybe not necessary...)

Golf Tip from Roger Gunn: Need a New tip

After that great drive... You've laced it off the tee on the hardest hole on the course, leaving you with just a seven iron. You've never hit less than four iron to this green! True, you've gotten past the hard part, but there's still plenty of work to be done. Many bad holes have been played with perfectly good drives.

Let that trophy be a reminder of how boldly you played to win it, and not a reminder of how scared you were on that back nine. Every time you see it, you’ll be reminded of what a fine, brave player you are under pressure. While the others wilted with the tournament on the line, you stood strong.

Now that’s what I call “Closing the deal!”

If you would like to receive Roger’s free 80 minute Golf Levels Selects DVD, just e-mail him a Roger@GolfLevels.com

tonyrobertsphotography.com

Recipe: Something Tasty

Using a pastry brush, baste peppers with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Char peppers directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, until blackened on all sides. Place peppers in a plastic sandwich bag or brown paper bag for 15 minutes. Peel, seed and cut peppers into slices. Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat: add shallots and saute until golden. Add walnuts, cumin, chile powder, garlic, honey and salt; mix well. Remover from heat and let cool. In a food processor, combine peppers, shallot mixture and feta cheese; process until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to use. Serve at room temperature. Serve with :

Recipes courtesy of Brandon Boone.

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