A Bonus Note for "Mindful March" |
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Play Like a Champion Today has dedicated the month of March to the awareness and practice of mindfulness, which includes the practice of meditation. Many of today’s superstars in sports, entertainment and other fields have adopted the basics of mindfulness to improve their performance as well as overall well-being. For more information on the basics of Mindfulness, check out this previous Coach Note.
Mindfulness, the practice of purposely bringing one's attention in the present moment without judgment, is a skill one develops through meditation or other training. Mindfulness and meditation have a proven record of success in contributing to both physical and mental health and performance. Though the roots of mindfulness go back thousands of years, it wasn’t until the early 1970’s when Dr. John Kabat-Zinn introduced it as an adjunct treatment for heart attack patients, that mindfulness slowly became accepted as something more than hokus-pokus or touchy-feely indulgence. Today, well-respected institutions such as UCLA, UCSD-San Diego, University of Wisconsin, and University of Massachusetts Medical School have centers for the study and advancement of mindfulness and meditation in a variety of applications including stress reduction and athletics.
Essentially, mindfulness has been shown to help maximize sports performance while minimizing sports anxiety for the entire sports community. Research into the benefits of mindfulness for athletes has found the following:
- It enhances sensory focus on a particular area of the body.
- It helps an athlete overcome persistent competing stimuli such as negative thoughts or pain.
- It contributes to the recovery process after an injury
- Mindfulness relieves anxiety before a competition
- It helps manage frustration
- Mindfulness boosts intrinsic motivation
- It optimizes attention resources
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Rather than just talking about mindfulness, readers can experience a meditative practice through a meditation prepared specifically for the Play Like a Champion Today community. The meditation is titled, Eye of a Hurricane. You can find the Eye of the Hurricane meditation script by clicking here.
When you read the script, you may notice that one of the suggestions is to close your eyes for the remainder of the exercise. Unless you possess x-ray vision, closing your eyes could make it challenging to read the remainder of the script. So, we have also included an audio version. Most meditation experts recommend listening with headphones or ear buds, to screen out ambient sounds, but the choice is yours. You can find the audio version by clicking here.
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We hope you have found the notes for "Mindful March" both enjoyable and useful. To learn more about mindfulness, click the link above for more resources or check out the Books on Mindfulness for Athletes below:
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Mindfulness for Student Athletes: A Workbook to Help Teens Reduce Stress and Enhance Performance, Gina M. Biegel, MA, Todd H. Corbin, CPC
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Mindfulness for the Ultimate Athlete, Prince Daniels, Jr.
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Mindfulness and Sports Psychology for Athletes, Kristine M. Eiring, Colleen M. Hathaway, DC
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The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance, George Mumford
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A Still Quiet Place for Athletes: Mindfulness Skills for Achieving Peak Performance and Finding Flow in Sports and Life, Amy Saltzman, MD
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Special thanks to Bill Matthews MA, LPC, PDDEd for today's note. Bill is a Licensed Professional Counselor from Michigan and a Trained Mindfulness Practicioner through the University of California - San Diego's mPEAK program. |
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You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. ~ Isaiah 26:3-4
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Sports Stations of the Cross Video |
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During this Holy Week, a great way to recall Christ's loving sacrifice is to participate in the Stations of the Cross. This exercise involves following the path Jesus took to the cross by meditating on 14 "stations" along his way. Play Like a Champion is excited to introduce a new opportunity to pray the Stations of the Cross with your teams. The video above offers meditations on the Stations designed for athletes and teams of all ages. Each station features student-athletes from across the country providing a scripture passage and reflection for your consideration, as well a response for all those participating. In addition, each station provides a suggested physical activity that individuals and teams can use to meditate further while contemplating the impact Christ's love has on our athletic journeys. Click here to watch the video and participate with your favorite athlete or team.
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Play Like a Champion's "Daily Prayers for Champions" page has been updated! Visit www.playlikeachampion.org/prayer for more than 200 prayers plus resources that can help you and your team grow closer to God while participating in sports.
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Play Like a Champion Today Educational Series
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