Pau Gasol, LeBron James, Novak Djokovic, Derek Jeter, Misty Mai-Treanor, Kerri Walsh … are just some examples of successful athletes who owe part of their triumphs and achievements on the courts, on the courts, to meditation. Tennis, baseball fields or the sand of beach volleyball. It is one of the great supports of many athletes, whether at an ultra-demanding level such as elite athletes or a more amateur level. And to take advantage of its advantages, it is enough to know how to meditate at home.
Advantages of meditation in athletes
One of the keys to meditation for athletes is that it helps us focus on our goal, which is vital to achieving optimal performance. It is one more way to train the mind to focus all the energy and concentration on that single objective, avoiding distractions both in our head and external. This is very interesting, for example when we are under pressure, since by setting ourselves on that goal we reduce stress levels. You have to live with it, but meditating helps reduce it.
Meditation also helps to strengthen the athlete’s mindset, especially when the desired results are not achieved. It is one more tool to leave behind sports failures and try to find the origin or solution to the problem. In fact, meditating is an excellent way to find our weak points, something that should always be improved. And linked to this, it offers us a necessary emotional stability both in success and in the routine to act in a cold and thoughtful way.
This emotional stability or the reduction of stress levels allows us to sleep much better, one of the keys for athletes to obtain the best performance. Rest is basic for any athlete, and meditation is one more help to rest better. Another aspect of meditation to take into account is that it allows us to better resist pain, those heavy annoyances that always appear at the most unexpected moment and that are quite a handicap.
Finally, it should be noted that meditating helps us overcome our fears, something that in the world of sports is always present, even if you want to hide it. Fear of failure, not to meet the goals not bring enough to the team, a drop in the worst time to stay blank and forget the moves to be made, to injure us, to fall back from injury … the Fear is just another form of pressure, and in the same way that it combats stress, meditating to face a fear that weighs on the performance of athletes.
How to meditate at home
Attending meditation retreats is always a good option to reinforce our technique when meditating and improve its efficiency, but we can also do it from home. First of all, you have to find a quiet and cozy space, an environment that you can create with relaxing music and a soft light that creates the ideal environment to meditate. Once we have this space, we sit on the floor with our back straight – but without tensing it – and breathe deeply, with our shoulders and arms always relaxed.
Fix your gaze on a certain point, and let the distractions disappear. Watch your thoughts go by, but don’t judge or hold them back. Let them pass and then create new positive thoughts and images of yourself. Visualize them for a few minutes, and finally close your eyes for a few minutes, in complete silence before ending the session. Meditating for about 30 minutes a day, you will see how the first results appear after 3 weeks and your performance improves.
