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More professional athletes are using meditation to sharpen their mental edge.
Why?
Our understanding of top performance is transforming. What used to be all about lifting and nutrition is now adopting a mental health approach. As science discovers more about how the body works better when the mind is at its peak, then the shift in sports is a no-brainer.
The bottom line is major league games are 99% mental.
Any pro player who meditates will have the mental skills to take their game to the next level. Here are four key reasons why every athlete should live the high vibe lifestyle I teach in Bling.
1. Meditation Gets Athletes in the Zone
When you study tape of how you played in a game, your awareness is hyper-focused on the details so you can identify what worked and what needs improvement. The meditation in Bling does the same thing but on a deeper level. Meditation teaches you how to observe yourself. When you can get a bird’s eye view, it’s almost like being in the coach’s box, seeing yourself on the field. Not only do you study yourself like you would a film, you mentally train to focus your energy. So when it comes down to the last minute, you can release explosive power and focus on what matters most. In Ryan Harris’ book Mindset for Mastery, he explains how meditation helped him the year he and the Broncos won Super Bowl 50:
“I dedicated myself just as hard to self-care as I did to the rest of my life. I started a yoga practice. I learned to breathe better. I meditated. As soon as I started taking care of my body, my injuries went away. I felt better each and every game. Not only did it help me on the field, I became a better friend, husband, and father, all because I felt better.”
Related: Listen to Ryan Harris and Andy Seth Talk On Air About “Bling”
2. Athletes Beat Their Real Rival — The Ego
Your ego is the hardest and biggest rival you’re going to face because it wants to look good rather than do what’s needed to win. To win, you have to overcome your ego and get its voice to quiet down by replacing it with the voice of your soul. Your ego gets caught up in the drama of feeling like a victim, villian, or hero and leaks away precious energy needed for the field. Meditation is the strategy to beat your ego. Once you master your ego and get it to stfu, you’ll find that you’re able to see things in a different, more objective way, allowing you to perform better.
Related: How To Quit Trippin and Live a Drama Free Life
3. Breath Work in Meditation Improves Athletes’ Endurance
Your breath stokes the fire for you to train hard and play even harder. Endurance is all about learning how to breathe right during movement and stillness. While you’re catching your breath, you have to mentally engage, reload, and prepare for the next play. In meditation, you practice life force breathing or controlled breathing. Look at them like drills that help you bring more oxygen to your brain for clearer thinking. Imagine it’s the last quarter when the opposition is winded, but you’re not. Your endurance will be the difference between winning or losing.
4. The “Five Fingers of Life” Takes the Game to a New Level
Anybody that’s a fan of Sway in the Morning knows “The Five Fingers of Death.” MC’s have to freestyle over five different beats, each beat getting progressively harder. Whoever gets through it is crowned “a real MC.” I came up with the “The Five Fingers of Life” because these five steps, which get progressively harder, help you handle situations in a way that maximizes your potential:
- Be present in the game: Don’t be in the past or the future. Be on the field.
- Accept what is: You can’t control how plays unfold. Let that shit go and move on.
- Make a choice: You accepted, now you can counter with the right offense or defense.
- Play the game: You’re not a bench warmer in the game or in life. Get out there and make shit happen.
- Surrender the outcome: Life is about the training, not the win. Show up and do the best you can do.
Related: High Vibes 101: A Practical Guide For Emerging Leaders
When you meditate and live by The Five Fingers — you live the lifestyle of a champion. Your lifestyle is how you achieve your potential. Live every day like you’re wearing a championship ring, and you’re sure to realize your vision.
I’m sure people get what I’m preaching, but I’m here to say it’s time to start living it. Grab your copy of Bling, ditch the struggle, and start living in the flow.
