Approaching Your Sport Mindfully
By Elizabeth EwanchukI remember with painful clarity the first time I climbed at Lion’s Head near Tobermory. Bursting with excitement, I couldn’t wait to ascend the limestone cliffs nestled on the shores of Georgian Bay. My gleeful anticipation was quickly dashed to pieces, though.
Through a combination of naiveté and lack of mental preparation, I experienced a degree of terror I hadn’t imagined possible. Unfortunately (for both me and my companions), I remained panicked and anxious days after the climb—my nerves didn’t settle until I landed safely in my bed in Toronto three days later.
Flash forward a year when I again headed up Highway 6 to tackle Lion’s Head. Did I still feel afraid? You bet. But fear didn’t paralyze me and my monkey brain took a back seat this time. What accounted for the difference?
Certainly, another year of climbing outdoors helped, as did having realistic goals, but at the heart of it, what made this trip enjoyable was that I had come to embody a more mindful approach to my sport.
Akin to being in the zone or experiencing flow, mindfulness allows us to focus our awareness on the present moment, observe without judging and fully occupy our body and our breath. In doing so, we lessen the likelihood of knee-jerk reactivity, while simultaneously quieting our mental chatter.
Research conducted in 2009 at the University of California highlights the important role that mindfulness can play in building brain resilience. Specifically, researchers wanted to explore how we can train our brains to anticipate, though not overact to, unexpected stress.
In the study, subjects followed an eight-week program of mindfulness meditation, including simple breathing exercises, sitting and walking meditation, yoga and body scans. Results of the study showed that participants acquired some of the same brain patterns as highly trained Marines and adventure racers. These changes significantly moderated reflexive responses to external stimuli and persisted for a year following the mindfulness training.
While nothing can replace the hours of physical training that go into mastering our sport, mental conditioning such as mindfulness can enhance and enrich the process tremendously.
Elizabeth’s recommended reads on mindfulness meditation:
• A Path With Heart, Jack Kornfield
• Fully Present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness, Diane Winston, Susan L. Smalley
• Indie Spiritualist, Chris Grosso
• When Things Fall Apart, Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chodron
• You Are Here, Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment, Thich Nhat Hanh
• Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
About Elizabeth Ewanchuk:
As a Sports Injury Specialist, Elizabeth brings together traditional healing methods with modern science to help athletes reach peak performance. In her spare time, Elizabeth loves climbing rocks and trees, feeling the sun’s warmth on her face and squishing soil between her toes. When she’s not climbing, cycling or getting bendy on her yoga mat, you’ll likely find her in the kitchen concocting something yummy. To learn more about Elizabeth’s programs, please visit www.instillness.ca.
