But this method is not or all players

Florida marlins pitcher Carl pavano puts up with the guff he gets from his base ball temmates. He figures his yoga worth it.

Pavano and title among little are among a growing number of athletes who have turned to the ancient India meditative technique’s twists, stretches and poses. Yoga it self shuns competitiveness, but athletes say the activity improves their play. ``it helps your focus and concentration, and that goes hand in hand with pitching’’, said pavano, who has been doing regular 90minits sessions for two months. ``It has helped my flexibility I get lower back spasms, and it helps stretch out my hamstring and my lower back, which is huge in pitching’’.

The balance and flexibility that yoga teaches can pay off in better rebounding, dunks and jump shots ``every physical component of the game ‘’said Stanford strength coach john murry. Even though he is no master yogi, he has been teaching the team, some times with help from illustrations in books. Besides the stretches, the basket ball players also learn to find their inner yogi- the calmness that yoga fosters.

The same techniques that star athletes use also work for the non-athlete, said sarabess Forster, a part time yoga teacher at the University of Maryland. Her class, which carries a physical education course credit, includes varsity members as well as students who just wanted to try yoga. She said `` it’s the same no matter what their physical condition is, ‘’ Forster said. People who are not in good shape have to work harder when they start yoga, but do fine if they stick with it, she said. Despite the interest that athletes have taken in yoga, the image of yoga is more of incense and silence than gym locker and crowd roar. Six-foot-5 inch, 250-pound pitches and 6-foot-10-inch, 275-pound centers don’t fit the picture.