The power of meditation and mindfulness in sport
The art of living consciously.
Previous articles have discussed the benefits of doing Mindfulness and meditation exercises in controlling anxiety and stress or emotional management, among many other uses. mindfulness, attention full , full awareness or full presence, is on everyone's lips, because who hasn't heard of mindfulness? We are bombarded by the need to carry out this activity and the multitude of benefits it has. But do we really know what it is? And more importantly, do we know how it is practiced?
Mindfulness means consciously paying attention to the experience of the present moment without playing games, with interest, curiosity and acceptance. It is defined as a moment of full presence and full awareness of oneself and the situation. But, now let's think, how many things throughout the day do we do paying full attention? Not even eating, how many times do you eat while watching television, on a call, answering WhatsApp, checking social networks or thinking about what we have to do next?
This excess of stimuli and load mental generates psychological saturation and fatigue that can distort the filter with which we see things and how we analyze them. What affects how we feel, how we behave and finally how others perceive us.
Mindfulness is not a novelty within the sports field, Phil Jacksons, former player and basketball coach, with the record of winning 11 NBA titles. As a coach he had a philosophy “one breath, one mind” “one breath, one mind”. He used mindfulness in training and later in competitions, based on the main idea that just as NBA players lift weights, run, train their physique, they also need to train and enhance their mental strength.
When we are aware of what is happening around us, but especially when we are aware of ourselves, we pay attention to ourselves, it makes us have thoughts and behaviors focused on taking better care of ourselves, respecting ourselves more and getting to know ourselves better , which affects our physical and psychological health.
Performing mindfulness and meditation exercises habitually has a series of benefits for us:
- We pay more attention to our health
- Reduces stress levels
- Increases our self-esteem
- Favors self-care
- Helps sleep better
- Develops emotional intelligence skills
- Improves concentration and memory
- Encourages creativity
- Improves interpersonal relationships
- Decreases aggressiveness and hostility
- Reduces the feeling of fatigue, both physical and mental
In general, it clears the mind and frees it, allowing us to connect with the present and focus on ourselves, with a full acceptance of our sensations, emotions and thoughts "without judging them", all of which directly influences our well-being. In this case, in our sports well-being. And when an athlete is comfortable, with optimum levels of self-esteem, activation, motivation and concentration, they are able to enjoy what they are training for and do it fully, therefore they do it better, their execution is more precise. Therefore, practicing Mindfulness also favors sports performance.
Now I encourage you to do a small exercise, to better understand what Mindfulness is, and how you can do it.
- The first thing is to find a quiet place, with little noise and not too excessive lighting. Sit in a comfortable position, I recommend placing your feet flat on the floor, your back against the wall, your shoulders down, and your hands either on your knees or on your belly. Keep your back straight, for this you can slightly lower your chin to your chest. Close your eyes.
- Begin by focusing your attention on where you are, the focused place where you are, the present moment.
- Later, he spends a few seconds thinking about how you are right now.
- Focus on your physical sensations, take a mental tour of all the parts of your body, analyzing one by one how they are, relaxed, tense, fatigued.
- Smile a small smile and assess the effect it has on your body and mind.
Now start by focusing your attention on your breath, concentrating on how the air goes in and out. Notice how the air travels through your body and brings energy and satisfaction wherever it goes. If at any moment you perceive that your mind is escaping to the future or the past, observe it, accept that it is there and in a kind and non-playful way, return to focusing on your breathing.
When you want, gradually open your eyes and analyze what sensations you have had throughout the exercise and what you have now.
Ideally, you should do Mindfulness exercises several times a week, spend a few minutes focusing on yourself and eliminating ruminative thoughts. When one takes the habit, it generates a source of inner well-being and personal satisfaction. What is extrapolated, as Phil Jacksons did with his players, to our sports performance.
As a final conclusion, I would like to share that little poem by the philosopher Michel de Montaigne, where he emphasizes the idea of enjoying the specific activity that is being carried out, finding oneself fully in it.
When I dance, I dance.
When I sleep, I sleep.
And when I walk through a forest, if my mind wanders to distant matters, I lead it back to the path, to the beauty of my solitude.
