Using yoga philosophy to train mental performance
For a long time, yoga and sport psychology ran on two distinct, but parallel, tracks in my life. Yoga was a personal practice and had been since the time I was a little girl, starting with meditation and evolving to include asana in college. My mental performance work was largely centered on the more traditional mental skills of techniques, such as goal setting, pre-competition anxiety management, and cultivating the coach/athlete relationship. Interestingly, my late mentor, Ken Ravizza, rooted much of his practice in Eastern philosophy, incorporating mindfulness and Buddhist principles into his work. He planted that seed with me and gave me permission to do the same, but it took several years for me to find my unique voice in that space.
Fast forward to present day and yoga philosophy and sport psychology go hand-in-hand within my practice. Every one-on-one with an athlete or high performer begins with a short, guided meditation. And that’s just the beginning. I weave in yogic principles just as easily as the neuroscience stuff and, what do you know, it works.
So, why does it make sense to merge the disciplines of yoga and mental performance? Well, yoga is a practice of self-improvement. It’s a way of harnessing the mind to realize your potential; the truth of who you really are. And that’s why, as a high performer, you do what you do? You move your body or hone your craft to better yourself - both in and out of your performance arena.
Let’s take a step back for a moment. What do I even mean by yoga philosophy? It’s really just yoga. But, I feel the need to add “philosophy” because in our Western culture, yoga is more commonly defined (incorrectly) as an asana/posture practice, maybe with some meditation mixed in. Of course, yoga, and yoga philosophy, refers to the scientific and practical method of quieting the mind, tapping into inner peace, and ultimately achieving self-realization. Oof that’s a mouthful. It’s no wonder this is a lifelong journey!
The authoritative text on yoga is Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Sutra translates as “thread” in Sanskrit, and these 196 one-liners are woven together to create a guiding tapestry for leading a meaningful, and ultimately enlightened, life. The sutras are a scholastic text that can be studied by anyone curious about moving beyond the limitations and disturbances of the mind. In my opinion, anyone who is truly seeking higher levels of performance, whether in sport, work, or life, is wanting to master their mind and explore the realm beyond it.
OK, let’s take this one level deeper. Within the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali lays out the different facets of cultivating unity of mind, body, and spirit. Collectively, he calls these facets “the 8 limbs of yoga”. Instead of a stepwise approach where one focus must be mastered before continuing to the next, the idea of limbs reminds us that we can work on each one simultaneously. The eight limbs are practical techniques that we can employ in our daily lives. They are grouped as follows:
Yamas (how we engage with the world around us)
Niyamas (self-discipline practices
Asana (postures)
Pranayama (breath control)
Pratyahara (sense withdrawal)
Dharana (concentration)
Dhyana (meditation)
Samadhi (enlightenment)
Now, here’s where it gets really cool because this is where yoga and mental performance intersect. I’ve found, through years of experience with athletes and other high performers, that the mental skills we teach through sport psychology or mental performance consulting are really getting at the core of one (or several) of these limbs. So if you’re conscious of how you’re incorporating mental skills, then you are already walking the path of yoga.
The remainder of this blog series will tap into parts of the 8-limb path and mental skills that align with them. Enjoy!