How the power of mindfulness helps you train like a pro

Anyone who exercises regularly knows that increasing their physical stamina is first and foremost a mind game. If your thinking does not want to cooperate, everything is difficult for you and you just cannot perform well. Despite this, many men still believe that mindfulness is only for the floating types of yoga and has no place in the gym. For the mindfulness expert Marisa Garau is it a thought that should be disposed of in bulky waste.

Living in New Zealand, she has seen firsthand how the power of mindfulness has taken the All Blacks national rugby team to the absolute top of the world. If you also want to get the most out of your sports training, follow Marisa’s practical step-by-step plan and take your performance to the next level.

Mindfulness lessons to get the most out of your training

1. Boss in your own brain

The pressure during a Rugby World Cup is many times the pressure you are under while training with your PT. Yet the inability to cope with the pressure on performance is disastrous for the results in either case. The All Blacks were a physically strong team, but they lost steadily thanks to Mindfrick when the pressure got too high.

Acceptance, one of the tenets of the mindfulness philosophy, means accepting the stress of the pressure of performance rather than resisting it. There is nothing wrong with tension if you can handle it well, because it keeps you on your toes. By accepting and allowing tension, you are letting it work for you instead of letting it beat you.

Applying mindfulness in practice

Be aware of the tension just before doing a heavy deadlift, for example, and then say to yourself, “I allow the tension, because without that tension I wouldn’t be pushing my limits.” It is thanks to this tension that I become stronger and more lively. If I get over this, I will have grown up again. The energy you normally put in stress and resistance, can be released in this way, guaranteeing you better performance.

2. Stay in the moment

The difference between amateurs and professionals is that amateurs lose their minds with the pressure, while the pros keep their cool. Imagine: during box jumps, you are completely destroyed when you are only halfway there, or: your team loses fat during a match. Your brain starts the moment performance anxiety strikes to produce all kinds of ineffective thoughts: I’ve always been a wimp; you see, my father was right; what would happen to a loser like me?

You may now think that you are not thinking this, but rest assured: every ego creates these thoughts, only you are not aware of them. The undermining thoughts are always (yes, always) about the past you failed in and the future you will no doubt be wrong in. It’s not really a useful state of mind when you have to take everything out of yourself.

Applying mindfulness in practice

Once you notice your brain Negative thoughts start to produce, realize that these thoughts are not telling the truth. It’s just basic brain activity and we all experience it. But since you don’t have to expect positive input from your overheated thought, you begin to consciously focus on your body. You just focus on your feet on the ground or on the court. Feel your toes, your heel, the sole of your foot and the side. Appreciate the complexity and strength of your body.

By shifting your focus from your head to your body, you place yourself directly in the present moment without getting lost in negative judgments. It gives your cramped brain a break. It creates space to let go of the panic and fear of failure and to be able to think and react clearly again.

3. Cultivate integrity

There is nothing more detrimental to your performance than unclean behavior. It may seem difficult to get stuck in a nightclub after a workout and play a game at night, but at a deeper level of your brain, this behavior is destroying more emotionally than you would like – it just takes to look at athletes with questionable backgrounds as a Tiger. Woods, Lance Armstrong and Mike Tyson.

My personal heroes McCaw and Ronaldo, meanwhile, are committed to their cause and, both privately and professionally, are genuine, trustworthy and generous. It is the combination of talent, persistence and integrity that has made them successful. Wouldn’t we all like to be like this?

Applying mindfulness in practice

Be honest and see if you occasionally engage in unclean behavior. Have you ever cheated? Do you offer a silly excuse if you made a mistake during a game? Do you have a knack for subjecting your teammates to demeaning “jokes”? Know it’s human, but it can’t be an excuse to cut corners morally. You might tell yourself you’re smart, but in fact, a lack of integrity gives your personality a nasty drawback.

Plus, it leaves you with a bad feeling. Once you cultivate integrity, you will find that everything in your life becomes much easier. Speaking the truth takes less energy than lying and cheating, standing up for your own morals is much easier than staggering around in the crowd, and encouraging others energizes… while dominating actually sucks energy.

If you notice that you regularly ride on a crooked skate, consciously clean the house and promise yourself well. You will notice that a lot of energy is released which will not only give your athletic performance but also your whole life a positive boost.

About Marisa Garau

Marisa Garau runs Growing Mindfulness, an online platform for mindfulness without harassing Zen. Because she has always been an entrepreneur, her approach is down to earth and results oriented: something that mainly appeals to men. She has lived in New Zealand since 2007, produces her own olive oil, loves The Bravery but reads Dickens without embarrassment at the same time and sweats three times a week with a personal trainer. If you want to know more, read how mindfulness can help you overcome stress and dissatisfaction.