Exercise Your Mind

Ten minutes a day
To see the benefits, you must be willing to consistently exercise your mind. It may require only 8 to 10 minutes daily, but you must do so with the same enthusiasm and commitment you devote to your physical development. If you do, you will unleash energy that will enable you to feel your personal greatness. Your body, mind, and spirit will emerge in all arenas of performance throughout life.

These skills will add a new dimension to your athletic endeavors. I have trained thousands of athletes, from weekend warriors to world-class competitors, with tremendous success. I know these skills will help you, too.

The first step is developing what I call the pre-performance ritual. Every athlete I’ve worked with prepares for a competition or workout with 8 to 10 minutes of meditation and visualization. The goal is to clear the mind of distraction (meditation) and then introduce positive images (visualization) of how you want to perform.

Breathe it in
To meditate, try this breath-watching technique. Sit comfortably in a chair, keep your back upright, plant your feet in front of you with legs open naturally from your hips, and close your eyes to reduce external stimulation.

Imagine that your breath is a white cloud
Inhale slowly through your nostrils and watch, with eyes closed, the white cloud fill your lungs completely
Hold the breath for 4 to 5 seconds and watch the clean air travel to all extremities of your body
Exhale and watch the smoky, de-oxygenated cloud exit your nostrils as carbon dioxide; see it dissolve and disappear, taking with it all tension, anxiety, and negativity
Suspend breath again for 3 to 4 seconds and imagine the emptiness of your lungs
Repeat this breath-watching process eight or more times and notice how calm and relaxed you feel

It Does a Body Good

Some physiological benefits of meditation and visualization for a high-level of performance:

Increased respiratory efficiency
Reduced blood-lactate concentrations associated with anxiety
Heightened visual sensitivity
Improved reaction time
Improved concentration
Increased energy and excitement

This may seem awkward at first, but you will grow more adept and it will become natural the more you practice it. You will begin to empty the mind in a state of quiet meditation, and achieve inner stillness. Ultimately, you will carry this over to your physical activity and create stillness in motion, in which body, mind, and spirit are in sync.

When your mind is quiet and your body relaxed, use visualization as a tool to improve performance. Visualization is a planned, conscious use of the mind’s eye during a relaxed state to create desirable, fulfilling, and successful images. When you are about to work out or compete, imagine all the wonderful possibilities. Such positive thoughts will mitigate tension and anxiety, and improve the chances of desirable outcomes.

Dress rehearsal
This process works by cueing the body to synchronize millions of neural and muscular activities in a dress rehearsal of future events, much like actors getting ready for a stage production. During this process, you call into play as many of your five senses as possible to help you formulate vivid images. By doing this, you develop pictures that are interpreted by the central nervous system as if they were real.

Picture This

Try this fun visualization exercise: To experience the effect of imagination on muscle response, lie face-up with your legs out straight and uncrossed; go to a deep level of relaxation. When totally relaxed, imagine your lower legs covered with concrete. See the concrete being poured; feel the coolness and texture. As it dries, notice how it solidifies and encases your legs. Take another deep breath and, as you exhale, gently try to lift your feet. Don’t strain. Be aware of the heaviness of the concrete and how difficult it is to budge that part of your body. Then visualize the concrete crumbling, and feel your legs lifting out from under it, light as air.

Visualization is not magic or hocus-pocus. It is a learned skill that, when practiced regularly following a meditative state, can enable you to focus on what you have rather than what you lack. When you see limits, they are yours. The idea is to see positive possibilities by selecting images that complement what you want to achieve. Visualization will not always provide something you don’t have or are not capable of having. But it will enable you to demonstrate, more consistently, the physical skills and talents you possess. Use these tools just before every workout for greater impact. Consider the ritual as part of your training. If your schedule prevents you from working out body-mind-spirit together, find another time of the day to work the muscles of mind and spirit.

Here’s an example of what you could visualize before a workout. Imagine your legs relaxed and loose with the tension flowing away. Imagine your body like a fine-tuned machine, in the best shape of your life. See yourself at the start of the workout and feel yourself light on your feet. Then affirm to yourself, “This is the best I’ve ever felt. I feel so vibrant, strong, and relaxed. I could go on forever.” This affirmation will keep you on a positive track.

Like any other skill, meditation and visualization require practice. You may master them immediately or over time. With patience and practice, you’ll be able to create a deep, relaxed state and perform more consistently with positive focus for optimal pleasure, performance, and growth.