The
Online Monthly Newsletter from
Conquering Ring Nerves
The
Ultimate Ring Nerve Program for Dog Handlers and Equestrians!
Issue: September, 2005
Publisher & Editor: Diane Peters Mayer
A.
PeakSpeak
Welcome readers and new subscribers.
Dear PeakNews Reader,
To readers who were directly affected by hurricane
Katrina, know that my thoughts and best wishes go out
to you. All readers are welcome to send addresses of
websites and other information regarding donations
to help people and animals in the gulf region.
The Competing At Your Peak website has recent changes
in style, format and a slight name change to welcome
equestrians. Over the past few years more and more
equestrians have contacted me for help to conquer ring
nerves so I will be sending tips along for both horses
and dogs.
Contact
us at PeakNews and let us know what you are doing
to combat ring nerves, and feel free to bring brags
or problems to this forum.
Hope you are all staying cool. Let us hear from you
with stories about your experiences in the ring, and
what you are up to this summer.
The Training Tip of the month
takes a look at breathing
again, and how to send that calming breath right into
your dog or horse.
Second Chances highlights
organizations that are rescuing animals in the Gulf
region.
BookPicks features a book
that will help you stay calm though breathing techniques.
We’d like to remind you that along with your
submissions we now accept photos of you and your canine
companions . You can email them to: sheri@virtualhelpinghand.com or
snail mail them to: Sheri Huffman, 2701 Creek Valley
Dr., Garland, TX 75040.
PeakNews offers a unique format in which to engage
and connect with handlers from the US, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and South
Africa who, in some form, all experience ring
nerves.
Your questions, comments, and stories enrich PeakNews
immeasurably. Send us your submissions for the next
issue by October 15th.
Please join us to become the handler of your dreams.
Your dog or horse will thank you!
Enjoy.
Diane
B.
Training Tip Of The Month
Sending Your Calming Breath into
Your Dog or Horse
Since the breath is the key to relaxation, it is always
good to review your breathing techniques from time
to time. You also want to practice Yoga Breath on a
daily basis making it the center of your anti-ring
nerve training program. I’ll review Yoga Breath
and also give you tips on how to send the breath down
into your dog or horse to calm them too.
The benefits of Yoga Breath are: stops anxiety from
building and spiking pre-show and during competition;
signals your body that competition is not a "dangerous" situation
and averts the "fight or flight" response
from kicking in; grounds you "in the moment" and
keeps worry and the "what ifs" from bringing
you down; helps you to concentrate in a pressured situation;
signals to your dog or horse that competing is a good
thing, and helps them stay connected to you during
competition.
Yoga Breath
- Sit in a chair feet flat on the floor, hands are
cradled in your lap.
- Keep your eyes open or closed.
- Breathe only through your nose—or slightly
open your mouth if you have nasal congestion.
- Relax your head, neck and shoulders—keep
your back straight, but relaxed
- Keep your chest as still as possible
- Inhale slowly and take the breath down into your
belly which will fill like a balloon.
- Now, slowly exhale and without strain slightly
contract your belly.
- Again, inhale slowly and fill your belly—exhale
and relax your belly
- Keep inhaling and exhaling slowly and rhythmically
for 2-3 minutes.
- When you are finished stay seated and see how
you feel.
- Repeat 2-5 sets and extend practice time as you
become comfortable with Yoga Breath.
- Practice throughout the day while standing, walking,
running slowly, and in the prone position.
Tips for sending calming breath into your dog:
- When
you get to the show site and before you take your
dog out of your vehicle take a few Yoga Breaths to
calm yourself, then as you touch your dog exhale
slowly and visualize your breath going into your
dog.
- While warming your dog up before competing
or in the on-deck position keep Yoga Breath going
while visualizing the breath going down the leash
into your dog
- In the on deck position stroke your dog while
doing Yoga Breath
Tips for sending calming breath into your horse:
- During grooming and tacking up use Yoga Breath
whenever you touch your horse, put the halter on your
horse, while you comb and brush your horse (since one
hand is on your horse while grooming practice sending
your calming breath into your horse through your hand).
- As you pick up your horse’s hoof to
clean it and run your hand down the back of the
leg visualize your calming breath going into your
horse.
- Practice Yoga Breath while tacking up, and
as you mount exhale your calming breath into your
horse.
Yoga Breath (diaphragmatic breathing) may be tough
to learn and use while you are working with your dog
or horse so you’ll need to practice, practice,
practice, first without your teammate, then add them
when you feel more comfortable with the breath. The
benefits are a calm you, enjoying competing, achieving
success and a happy and thankful dog or horse.
Readers if you have questions about this exercise,
please contact me. I’ll be glad to help out.
C. Second
Chances
 Listed below are the links for donating to reliable
organizations helping people and animals devastated
by Katrina’s wake:
Noahs
Wish
American
Red Cross
American
Veterinary Medical Foundation
Please give generously.
Readers please send us information
about other worthy organizations or your own Second
Chances story.
D. BookPicks
How
to Calm Down: Three Deep
Breaths to Peace of Mind
by Fred L Miller
Warner Book, 2003
Miller tells the reader what chronic stress does to
the body, for example, increases blood pressure and
decreases the immune system. He offers the reader information
on why breathing through the diaphragm will help them
not only cope with stress, but how to stay calm when
the pressures of life feel overwhelming.
Buy it on Amazon today by clicking on the link above - and be sure to
check out our recommended reading list.
Have a book you loved? Write a review, and send it
to us at CAYPNews@aol.com
E. Announcements
Ring Nerves Seminars
Have your club host my popular all day seminar for
handlers and dogs and learn the following:
- understanding performance anxiety
- stopping panic
- getting and staying relaxed
- concentrating under pressure
- staying connected to your dog
- turning off negative self-talk
- being centered in the ring
- building confidence
- using guided imagery to reach peak performance
See Web site for list
of seminars. Contact me at CAYPNews@aol.com
See the Difference a Day Makes!
Can't make a Seminar? Want
to Beat RING NERVES? Buy the book or audio:
 |
Conquering
Ring Nerves, A Step-by-Step Program for all
Dog Sports
By Diane Peters Mayer, M.S.W.
Conquering Ring Nerves is designed for competitive
dog handlers, from novices to seasoned veterans
who experience mild to severe performance anxiety.
Featuring mind-body exercises and techniques
from the Competing At
Your Peak Ring Nerve Seminars, plus chapters
on Self-Esteem, Making Mistakes and Creating
a Safe Mental Space, and more. Illustrated with
real-life handlers’ stories and packed
with training tips, Conquering Ring Nerves will
help you to ease your anxiety and compete at
your peak under pressure. Published by Wiley/Howell
Book House
|
To order from Amazon.com click
here!
Join the hundreds of handlers who have STOPPED
RING NERVES FROM HOME with our Audio
Ring Nerve Program for All Dog Sports, with Training
Manual.
- Great Exercises & Techniques.
- A Super Quickie Stress-Buster.
- Guided Imagery to
mentally rehearse your perfect performance.
- Terrific Training
Tips.
This program will help you do it!
The Audio Program & Manual is $29.95 plus $6.00
S&H in US. (PA residents add $1.80 sales tax).
International add $10.00 S&H.
To read more about it or purchase by check or secure
credit card online, please click
here.
or call Diane at 215-348-8836.
JOIN our Yahoo Ring Nerve Group
Join our Yahoo Ring Nerve Group. We discuss all aspects
of performance anxiety, including: the Ring
Nerve Audio Program, ring nerve seminars, and Conquering
Ring Nerves: A Step-By-Step Program for All Dog Sports.
We have Q&As and share ring nerve experiences and
successes. We also feature chats with dog writers,
competitors and others. This is a wonderful forum for
talking about ring nerves.
Click
to JOIN!
If you enjoyed PeakNews we invite you to share this
link with other handlers who you think might benefit
from it.
Thank
you! See you next month.
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