Success in sports is not only a question of physical fitness, but also a question of mental performance. According to sports psychologists, our mental health even accounts for half of our overall performance!
Meditation means to explore your own soul world. It helps us to discover joy and peace within ourselves and strengthens our mental balance. It helps us to further develop our character - and this is exactly where sport and meditation have a lot in common.
More focus, more endurance, resilience, relaxation, self-confidence, a better handling of pressure and of course a higher performance. The list of reasons why more and more athletes are turning to meditation and mindfulness techniques is long. Top athletes like NBA player Michael Jordan or tennis player Novak Djokovic strengthen their mental state with mindfulness exercises and have managed to build a better relationship with their bodies.
"No matter how much we train our bodies... If we don't take care of our mind, we only make use of our potential to some extent, we may only partially reach our goals," says Hanna Tempelhagen, who is not only the current German marathon champion in her age group (w35), but also offers mindfulness training and mindfulness workshops. "Not only in sports, but in life in general we benefit from a calm, clear and balanced mind. We are less affected by the emotional ups and downs of life and can better deal with successes and setbacks".
A serious athlete not only trains the body, but always trains the character. Because every training requires discipline and self-conquest. A regular practice of mindfulness and meditation strengthens our will and self-control. Thus our physical endurance is decisively influenced by our inner stamina. So we throw in the towel less often.
... Are important psychological characteristics that an athlete must develop on his way to success. Because the higher the set goal, the longer the preparation time. Large athletic goals must be subordinated to many small partial goals. This way we develop an inner determination, which we train for example in a regular morning practice.
Even athletes are not safe from negative thoughts. However, with a mindful look at their thoughts, they can get out of motivational lows faster and can cope better with "defeats" and disappointments. If their performance diminishes, for example after an injury, they can cope better with frustration. Meditation is also a great exercise that we can do well during breaks from sport. Meditation apps like BamBu, which we can use to practice anytime and anywhere, are great for training breaks and for in-between.
Meditation also helps us to save valuable energy when "negative" thoughts like "I'm so tired. If I keep running at this pace, I have to stop"... We recognize them faster for what they are, namely nothing but thoughts. These may come and go. In this way we do not burden ourselves with something that is still far away and can concentrate more quickly on the essential: the present moment.
So top athletes have to train not only their body, but also their mind in the best possible way in order to be at the top. Autogenic training (a preliminary stage of meditation) and psychological support have always played an important role in competitions.
And of course, meditation improves our athletic performance by helping us to achieve optimal coordination between mind and body. Our ability to concentrate increases and we reach a flow state more easily if we learn to be less influenced by excessive expectations or bad experiences.
Furthermore, with the help of meditation we can counteract exhaustion and experience relaxation phases more consciously and thus use them more effectively. So we "perform" best when our mind is calm.
For a start, guided meditations such as the "Sport and Spirit" Program from BamBu, which is specially designed for sports breaks, is particularly suitable. In 25 sessions, athletes learn mindfulness and visualizations that help them to let go of their thoughts better. They practice preparing themselves mentally for the sport and learn how to concentrate better during the workout. They also meditate after a workout to "cool down" and prepare for the return to everyday life.
Maybe it is not yet the right time for you to get involved in meditation - and that is perfectly understandable. Most of us, whether we are athletes or not, need several attempts before we manage to make a new habit a routine. In addition, it takes at least two months to establish a new habit.
However, athletes put a lot of time and energy into their physical performance. And if we are not prepared to put some work into our minds, we will never know what huge potential we have.
"Pursuing ambitious goals is extremely challenging. But if you take care of your mind, it will help you to take care of everything else," says Hanna Tempelhagen. So if you've reached a point where you want to give your training and your life an extra edge, this could be the last missing piece of the puzzle you're looking for.
Paula is a teacher for yoga and mindfulness, a former athlete in heptathlon, communication consultant and works together with BamBu, the meditation app for more mindfulness, relaxation and sleep.
