On this occasion I want to talk to you about how we can apply a philosophy of life to our sports practice that allows us to be in a state of “Flow” during training and competitions: Mindfulness.
Mindfulness complements Third Generation Therapies and consists of a set of meditation techniques with more than 2,500 history that have proven to be widely effective outside of the sports world. These techniques are essential when it comes to improving concentration and mood, reducing stress and anxiety, promoting quality of life and many other benefits.
Many elite athletes such as Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant, have joined the use of Mindfulness techniques to improve their sports performance.
And not only athletes, but also many coaches work with this philosophy to try to get the most out of their players. Remember the famous "go game by game" of Cholo Simeone, who popularized it upon his arrival at Atlético de Madrid.
The fundamental principle of Mindfulness consists of mindfulness to the present moment, namely, focus on the here and now maintaining full consciousness in the activity we are doing.
The past no longer exists and the future has not yet arrived, we can only live in the present, so let's try flow with the present totally focused and absorbed in it.
At the sporting level we talk about the use of a series of techniques, which we will comment on below. These techniques will teach us to improve in our sport discipline.
While it is true that learning is simple, to be an expert in the practice of Mindfulness is daily training necessary. We will only really feel the benefits of these techniques through the continued use of them and their inclusion in daily training routines, that is, turning this skill into another habit within our lifestyle..
Some of these benefits of mindfulness translate into:
Mindfulness consists of openly and consciously attending to what is happening in this moment, here and now. We should not judge, no matter if it is something positive, negative or neutral. The important is be open to current experience with curiosity and interest.
Although there are many different techniques to practice this "philosophy of life" or habit, they are all based on 4 basic aspects:
Watch: your body sensations (from head to toe), your emotions, your thoughts and something fundamental: Your breathing. Breathing helps us anchor ourselves to the present moment and thus avoid thinking about what I have to do tomorrow or what I did not do yesterday. In addition, when practicing Mindfulness in sport you connect with your body and the sensations or "clues" that it gives you, when hitting the ball, throwing, stepping on the ground, etc..
Not judge: it does not matter if what is happening is good, bad, regular, great ... we do not assess what is happening. Just focus on what is happening. When I appreciate that I have made a bad shot on goal, and I say to myself "how bad I am", or I make 3 baskets in a row and I think that "I am a machine", I am generalizing a specific situation and I stop concentrating on the next activity.
Do not compare: every moment, every activity, every training, happens at a different moment, with specific characteristics that require our attention. If we compare the training I did last Monday with today, I will not be putting my full attention on the present, but on something from the past.
To accept: It is essential to be aware of what comes to us, able to adapt to different situations and accept that there are things that are inevitable, such as making a mistake, missing a basket, a point, or a pass, and this will help us to have a better attitude to face the next challenge. Pain, mistakes and uncertainty are natural, if we accept them we will learn to manage them better and use them to our benefit. On the contrary, if we resist them they will cause us suffering.
To start practicing this habit there are 4 simple steps that will help us train mindfulness during sports:
In order to: Pause your attention on the activity you are going to do, take 1-2 minutes to focus on what you are going to try (taking free throws, practicing shots on goal, swimming turns, starting a race, etc.)
Observe: While standing pay attention to your feelings, thoughts, emotions, how you are breathing (for example: I feel energy in my tired legs and arms, I feel like doing this new exercise, I think I will be able to do it, and I am breathing fast)
Breathe: Once we have checked ourselves physically and mentally in the present moment we begin to breathe in a controlled way. In this step the breathing exercises are essential, especially the practice of abdominal breathing, take 1-2 minutes to breathe. During this time you can connect with the activity, look at the ball, the next step, or the playing field, feel the breath and forget about the fears and thoughts that keep you from achieving your goal.
Keep going: Accept and adapt to the present moment, concentrate to the maximum in the activity you are doing and continue towards your goal.
Once we control these basic steps, we can train more complex techniques, such as meditations, visualizations, complete body scans, techniques to work with thoughts, etc..
We must always be supervised by a specialist, a sports psychologist or a coach with a lot of experience in the technique.
References
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2009). Mindfulness in everyday life. Wherever you go there you are. Paidós.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2012). Mindfulness for beginners. Kairos.
Siegel, R. D. (2011). The Mindfulness solution. Practical solutions for everyday problems. Desclée de brouwer.
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