Chapter 15
In sports, what gets people’s attention is this idea of being in the zone, or playing in the zone… That happens when we are in the moment, when we are mindful of what is going on… When we are in the moment and absorbed with the activity, we play our best.
sports psychologist George Mumford
It’s often said that sports are 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. The same is true for music, acting, art, and other creative activities. When your mind is wandering and you’re not truly present, you’re much more likely to miss that three-point shot, or forget your lines in the school play, or not solo as beautifully and passionately as you could. So, it’s no wonder that some of the world’s top athletes, actors, artists, and musicians—from Michael Jordan to Orlando Bloom to Katy Perry to Oprah Winfrey—practice meditation. What these people all have in common is that they know how important it is to be present and focused, in the here and now, when they perform.
John’s Story
John (a varsity soccer player) shared, “I was skeptical about meditating before my game. I thought I would miss something important. But then I remembered something my coach told me about Phil Jackson, who coached the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. My coach said that Phil Jackson taught Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant how to meditate, and that helped them play better.
“So, I decided to try it. I did a two-minute breathing meditation before the game. I didn’t miss anything, and I actually ended up playing really well that day! Meditating actually helped me not miss anything and pay attention better.”
Playing music, making art, or engaging in any sport can become a form of meditation, when you do it with your complete attention. Whenever you are fully present with each note you play, each line you draw, or each shot you take, you let go of distractions that would otherwise pull your attention away from your effort.
“Trying too hard” during any of these activities can actually be detrimental. You can’t perform at your best when you are distracted by needing to perform a certain way, worrying about what might happen next, feeling bad about your last performance, or being too afraid of making a mistake. Sports psychologist George Mumford (who worked with Phil Jackson in teaching basketball legend Michael Jordan how to meditate) described being “in the zone” as a sense of “effortlessness” or “relaxed concentration.” When you are fully in the moment, you don’t need to “try” too hard or “do” too much. You are simply fully engaged with what’s happening in the present moment, allowing your creativity and talent to flow through you.
George Mumford also said, “This moment is all we’ve got. It is only in the present moment that we can make changes. And you are not just making these changes for yourself; you are doing it for everyone. Everyone will benefit” (2011). He was referring to that sense of interconnectedness, that “we’re all in this together.” Your mindfulness helps everyone, and when you take good care of yourself, you are taking good care of others at the very same time. With mindfulness, self-compassion, and loving-kindness, you can let go of the need to win or to be the best. You can simply be fully in the moment—free from stress, pressure, and expectations.
Try This! Informal Meditations in Sports, Music, and the Arts
The next time you step onto the field or the court, or the next time you pick up your paintbrush or instrument, don’t jump right into things. Instead, practice mindfully STOPping. Notice whether your mind is wandering, notice where your attention is, and bring yourself 100 percent back to the here and now. Just stop and breathe mindfully until you have arrived in the present moment. Then, proceed with your activity while remembering to stay mindful. Transform the activity into an informal mindfulness practice, a “meditation in motion.” Here are some examples:
Stretching meditation. If you are an athlete, you probably stretch and warm up before practices or games. Can you turn this into a “stretching meditation,” just like the mindful movement practice that you learned in chapter 8? Can you breathe in and out mindfully with each stretch?
Warm-up meditation. If you are a musician, perhaps you warm up by playing scales. If you are a soccer player, perhaps you warm up by shooting balls into an empty net. Can you turn this activity into a meditation? Can you follow your breath, notice when your mind wanders, and invite yourself back to the here and now with every note, every shot?
Exercising meditation. If you run, bike, swim, or jog, can you transform that routine activity into a time of quiet solitude, peace, and relief from stress? Can you synchronize your movements with your breath, coordinating your body, mind, and heart in rhythm?
Watching and listening meditation. When you are listening to music, can you listen with your whole being? When you are resting on the bench watching your teammates play, can you watch with your whole being? Can you watch and listen without being pulled away into stress, into worries about the future, or into thoughts about the past?
These are just a few examples of meditation practices with sports and arts. Can you come up with your own?
Before a big performance or game, you might experience “butterflies” in your stomach. A little bit of stress during a performance can help focus your attention and give you energy. But, too much stress can paralyze you. If your fight, flight, or freeze response is cranked up, and your lizard brain has taken over, you can no longer think clearly or respond creatively. Your human brain shuts down—your body goes into pure survival mode. You might get a stomachache or even throw up. Or, your mind might go completely blank, unable to remember a thing.
In a moment of extreme stress like this, mindfulness can help you “get out of your own way.” You can practice a short formal meditation, such as the SOBER Breathing Space or the body scan, before your big performance or game. Handling pre-performance stress with mindfulness will help you be at your best and help those around you as well.
Teen Voices: Chloe
Chloe, a drama student, practiced mindfulness to help her with nerves before rehearsals and performances. For Chloe, the most useful practice was the body scan.
Chloe shared how while preparing for the big school play, she had noticed how nervous everyone was, including herself. The night of the show, the air had been buzzing with stress. So instead of keeping her mindfulness practice to herself, Chloe had decided to share it with her classmates. She said, “I led a body scan meditation with the cast before the show, to calm our nerves. Everyone really liked it, and the show went a lot better!”
Try This! The SOBER Breathing Space or Short Body Scan for Sports, Music, and the Arts
Before your next game or performance, take just a few minutes for yourself. Find a place to sit or lie down. If you have a portable music player and headphones or earbuds, listen to track 4, for the body scan, or track 6, for the SOBER Breathing Space (both available at http://www.newharbinger.com/30802), or close your eyes and guide yourself through one of the practices as described below. Or, you can play the track out loud and see whether your coach, instructor, or teammates are interested in trying the practice with you, just to see whether it might help you all perform at your best, with less stress.
The SOBER Breathing Space
Five-Minute Body Scan
This is a nice practice to do if you have a place to lie down—for example, backstage or on a bench. Breathe deeply in and out, and focus your attention on each part of your body for about three breaths. You might want to proceed as follows: feet—legs—hips—belly—chest and back—arms—head. Continue to follow your breath, and try to notice any signs of stress in your body, like butterflies in your stomach. Without needing to change or “fix” anything, simply experience those sensations, just as they are. Notice whether anything is different in your mind and body by the time you get up and start your performance.During either of these short mindful practices, be sure to check in with your thinking. Notice whether your mind is pulled into worries about the future or regrets about the past, such as What if we lose this game? or What if I don’t play well? or I should have practiced more. Then, make a mindful choice to get off of that train of thought and come back to the next breath, back to the present moment.
Sports and exercise can be a great way of staying healthy and building positive connections with people. Arts and music can be a powerful source of joy and stress relief. Mindfulness will help you be open to the joys of these activities and also let go of the stress that sometimes comes along with them. Bring mindfulness into your sports, music, and creative hobbies, and transform every action into a meditation. Try it for yourself and allow mindfulness to help you have more fun, perform better, and stress less!