Distractions, lack of confidence, fear…
Joseph, a teenage baseball player, wanted to learn meditation. But when he walked into the training facility, his eyes were moving all over the room—he was looking at all the other players, responding to conversations and music. I could see that Joseph was easily distracted and wouldn’t be able to sit still for an extended time—which is required for meditation practice. Instead, I had him practice focusing for a few minutes at a time while in he was moving. Here is what his mom said after the first session:
I think the meditation is working because last night at practice my son hit all the balls pitched to him and hit a home run over the center field fence. Additionally, he did his meditation on the way to the game today and during the game and he was very light on his feet moving from place to place on the field making all the right defensive moves at second base. He was like a butterfly gliding while mentally sharp. He continued the meditation at bat, and he hit a double. I could see through the fence he was using his breathing technique.
A free diver who held the US record wanted to beat his personal best. He was experiencing intense fear because of the depth and duration of his dives, and to overcome this, he needed to slow his heart rate. He used a technique described in my book Working IN: The Elite Guide to Working Out from the Inside, which involves breathing in a specific pattern. He overcame his fear and slowed his heart rate—and he did beat his own best and set a new US record.
A high school cheerleader, Kim, was plagued by a memory of falling during the previous year’s competition. By practicing on her focus and her breath, Kim was able to regain her confidence and avoid the distractions that had led to her fall. After she used this yogic technique, Kim gave a perfect performance!
A college baseball player, his team’s MVP, was hoping to sign a professional contract at the end of this, his senior year. He had a number of personal issues that were affecting his breathing, his mood, and, of course, his performance in baseball. The breathing technique I taught him got him back on track, and it worked—he was drafted by a professional team!
A professional baseball player’s contract was in jeopardy. He was unfocused, and his performance on the field was falling off. I did coaching sessions with him, we got to the heart of his problems, and, through focusing techniques, he was able to increase his batting percentages. He kept his contract.
