Gulmast Khan (pictured here with his father Hashim) is a warrior, descended from a clan of warriors that included the mighty Ghenghis Khan. Gulmast, however, carries a racquet instead of a sword, has exchanged the horse for court shoes, and wears a sweatband instead of battle armor. Three generations of Khans have dominated international squash competition. Although Gulmast is usually soft spoken and smiling, once on the court one is reminded of his fierce warrior heritage.

Gulmast is a certified coach, referee and rules instructor/verifier, and was ranked among the Top-8 W.P.S.A. touring pros and #2 in the teaching pros. His numerous squash championships include five U.S. Nationals in singles and doubles, U.S. Masters, Nike World Masters, Mexico Masters.

Here are some excerpts from Gulmast, gathered from an interview we did with him.

On oxygen
"After your shot you must take in as much air as you possibly can and be ready to expel it with the shot. Bigger players carry more weight and require more oxygen. They quickly find themselves taking faster, shorter breaths and are unable to restore their reserves and their timing. The more depleted the body becomes, the more the mind begins to wander and prevents you from focusing on the one thing that you must focus on, which in my case is the ball."

On the power of the mind
"The mind controls the breathing and all of the functions of the body," says Khan. "Your oxygen capacity may be great but once you convince yourself that you are tired, you are finished. You have to overcome that thought, and it is overcome through focus. When you start to wear down you have to focus on your breathing. You must become efficient. You must have the lung capacity. Running and lunging will deplete your capacity. You must be able to recover quickly and stabilize your breathing. That way when your shot comes, all of your energy and force can be transmitted to the ball."

There's promising news out of England for asthma sufferers. The Papworth Method, which has been around since the 1960s, has undergone its first controlled trials, and the results are a breath of fresh air for those with breathing problems. Here's what we know so far:

The new study, conducted by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, states that there are currently an estimated 5.2 million people with asthma in the UK and 300 million worldwide. "Management is primarily through medication, although it is recognised that non-pharmacological approaches to reducing symptoms and improving health-related quality of life merit attention."

The Papworth Method is a sequence of integrated breathing and relaxation exercises that focuses on problems of dysfunctional breathing including hyperventilation and hyperinflation that are often found in asthma sufferers.

For the first time, we're making our Perfect Breathing workbook available. This is the same workbook that Al uses in his Perfect Breathing seminars (see below). It's full of pure science, anecdotal evidence, exercises and a method for tracking your breathing progress. It's a great resource to have on hand. Click here to get yours today.

And visit our our online store which offers everything from apparel and messenger bags, all kinds of comfortable apparel, ball caps, mugs, clocks, notepads and even extremely stylish BARBECUE APRONS , all appropriately adorned with our Kanji logo.

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In between Perfect Breath ezines, visit us at the The Perfect Breath Blog . Get answers to your questions, share your experience and expertise with others, and stay abreast of the latest science, research, and technology. Be part of the Perfect Breath community -- everyday. Stop by and drop us a note at blog.perfectbreath.com. We'd love to hear from you!

• Feeling Hostile? Check Your Breathing (Fox News)

• Family Anger Management (Tucson Citizen

• How to Combat Exam Stress (Athlone Advertiser)

• In the Classroom, A New Focus On Quieting the Mind (New York Times)

• Breathing Easy With the Buteyko Method (Daily Mail/UK)

• Breath of Life (Boston Globe/Boston.com)

• Humming for Health (Business Standard/New Delhi)

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