Remembering back, Djokovic is probably the player who did the most initially to raise awareness of mindfulness meditation. Djokovic talked about how mindfulness meditation, as much as his extraordinary physical fitness, helped him in his rise to rating dominance several years ago.
Back then, his approach to the mental side of tennis through Mindfulness meditation was innovative. Since then, mindfulness meditation has started to pop up everywhere – even at my kid’s school residential camp! For kids whose minds are racing and jumping about – particularly after playing video games – mindfulness meditation can help with kid’s focus and concentration.
No-one in the i2c office is trained in meditation techniques, but we’ve used our knowledge of Mindfulness meditation to get you started with a short 10-minute meditation.
You’ll see big improvements in your ability to complete the mediation if you practise the 10 minutes of meditation twice a day. You’ll notice how you get better at observing your thoughts and re-focusing.
10 minute Mindfulness meditation
- Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Find a comfortable, quiet spot to sit where you won’t be disturbed for 10 minutes. Sit so that your feet are resting on the floor and your hands are by your sides or resting comfortably, but not crossed. Close your eyes to reduce distractions.
- Settle your mind by thinking about the physical sensation of where your body is touching whatever you are sitting on. Is it soft, hard, spongy, rough? Think about these sensations for a minute or two. If you find that tough, then a great alternative is to put a small piece of chocolate in your mouth and think about the flavour and texture of the chocolate in your mouth. This is a great way to help children settle their minds!
- When you are ready, bring your awareness to your breath. Breathing normally, begin to focus on the process of breathing in… and breathing out. Observe the rise and fall of your rib cage as you take each breath in.
- During the remainder of the 10 minutes continue to keep your attention on your breathing. You will probably find that your mind will wander; that’s normal. When you realise that has happened, observe where your thoughts went to, but don’t criticise, and gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
- When the timer stops you at 10 minutes, open your eyes and re-focus on your surroundings.
Disclaimer: i2c are not trained in meditation techniques. This meditation is based on our own knowledge of Mindfulness meditation. We cannot guarantee any benefit or improvement in your game or health by undertaking this meditation. You undertake this meditation entirely at your own risk.
Originally published on: Nov 11, 2016