Meditation for the athlete nation

Message to the athletes out there:

Meditation is one of the most heavily used advantages that athletes use to get ahead. Massive names like Messi, Kobe, LeBron, Agassi, Bolt, and many more, swear by the process of "seeing it" before doing it.

Practice before bed, just after you awake, before practicing, before training and/or before your athletic events. This behavior is excellent for athletes, average persons, seniors, children, all humans who can understand the instructions.

"Free your mind and the rest will follow."

Meditation can help an athlete in several ways:

• Develops and deepens the mind-body awareness that is responsible for understanding and comprehending positive, negative and informative physiological messages that the body performs,

• Offers the muscular system imagery that prepares it's proprioceptive and vestibular mechanisms for the upcoming activity, reducing potential for injury and anxiety,

• Calms adrenal glands, reducing stress hormones and inflammatory responses,

• Supports and promotes a healthy autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system unconsciously regulates bodily functions such as the heart rate, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, digestion and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response.

• Helps balance hormones, blood pressure, improves quality of sleep, improves resting eye movement sleep, reduces stress responses and helps calm the anxious expectations of daily life.

Here's a 10-step method that is often applied:

1. Sit comfortably in a space that has little to no sound.

2. Turn off all local electrical devices.

3. Close your eyes.

4. Inhale slowly for approximately 8 seconds, and pause your breath for 2 seconds, and exhale calmly.

5. Repeat the breathing exercise 20 consecutive times, keep the body still and eyes closed.

6. The heart rate should have slowed significantly at this point. Now breathe calmly without controlling your breath.

7. In your mind, see, feel, and wiggle your fingers. Look at your body and the team uniform/equipment you wear for your sport: feel them. Hear the sounds of where you will perform your athletic activity. Remember to use your senses by seeing the environment, smelling the smells, listening to the sounds, feeling the shoes you wear, how hard you must push your muscles to succeed, etc.

9. Now in your mind, picture yourself getting up and performing your athletic activity (boxing, basketball, softball, rugby, cheer, wrestling, football, tennis, futbol, etc.) and succeeding at it.

10. Allow your vision to play itself all the way through and be sure to feel the sweat pouring down your back under your jersey.

FEEL FREE TO LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES!

🙂 #iamkalmesewell