MANTRA:
"When done systematically, mantra has a powerful effect on the brain. It gathers and focuses the energy of the mind. It teaches the mind to focus on one point and it cultivates the steadiness that over time becomes an unshakable evenness of temper. When the mind is steadied it is not shaken by fear". (Stephen Cope ). The mind grabs hold of the Mantra and it becomes focused,calm, and centered and over time it becomes a more constant state of being and focused state of being. In today's neuroscience they refer to concepts like this as neuroplasticity .
As I stated earlier inner awareness and knowing yourself are key to dominating the mental game and reaching your MAP (maximum athletic potential). Also stated were some of the key principles in overcoming fears, resetting, establishing focus, and directing your focus.
One of the key ways of doing this is through breath and self talk or a cue statement or work. These actionable events that take place within seconds on the court and their sole purpose is to thrust you into the NOW with the intent of directing and narrowing your focus and attention on the specific goal or task at hand.
If we were to take this concept a step further in order to set the tone and establish a more permeable concrete state of mind we would train ourselves off the court mentally. This would involve the practice of dedicated focused breathing sessions. Once we have established our breath we can now direct our mind and attention to how we want to be when we perform (on and off the court).
To take a deeper looks at this let's take the example of Mohandas Gandhi. As a young boy Gandhi grew up scrawny, timid and extremely fearful. He was constantly attacked, picked on and bullied by his peers. He was characterized as a little boy with big eyes and gigantic ears. He was relentlessly haunted by fears of ghosts, serpents and thiefs. He could not bare to even be in a room alone and later in life he even ackowledged himself as a "coward". Yet what do we know as Gandhi the man? A fearless leader who fought for peace and was undeniable in his pursuits for peace through nonviolence, the prerequiste being "non violence". So how did this shift occur??
The story goes that as a boy Gandhi was under the care of a family servant named Rambha. Rambha felt compassion for this timid fearful boy. Gandhi would come running to Rambha everyday after school after being bullied and pummeled by his peers from school. Rambha explained to the young Gandhi that "there is no shame in being fearful, but try this, whenever your threatened instead of running away, stand firm and repeat these words, Rama, Rama, Rama, this will turn your fear into courage. (Rama is one of the hindu words for God). So young Gandhi tried this and found it helpful. He began practicing this mantra over and over and he would walk for miles repeating this mantra. It calmed his mind and his body and eventually systematicaly took on a whole mind body connection of it's own that stayed with him for the rest of his life and was the mover that became his fearlessness in protesting violence.
Sports competition bring out everything in a person, fear, confidence, anxiety, joy, pain and so. A full range of emotions and thoughts. To be dominant and successful in the moment we MUST be "IN THE MOMENT". All sorts of variables during competition are trying to knock us off or out of our MOMENT and it is those that are unshakable that dominate, recover, and are not stirred by the moment. Having YOUR mantra your unshakable being or voice will help you Be in the Moment and stand strong and firm despite any outcomes. Finding your inner voice your inner matra is up to you and takes a strong hard looks at yourself. I have found it most help to get to my own inner voice through the help of a mentor, therapist, trainer, or trusted person. Play with what speaks to you the most. Sit with yourself and be your mantra give it a voice, nourish it and let it cultivate as it did with Mohandas Gandhi. It is with confidence that I say your inner voice and mantra will take you to exactly the place you want to go and need to be. Some peoples mantra is a vision. "since the age of 8 years old I dream of playing in the super bowl" This vision became a visual mantra for one individual and so it was true.
No comments:
Post a Comment