Powerful Meditation for Performance and Faster Recovery
You’re no stranger to pushing your body to its limits. But, if you’re familiar with feeling worn down after intense training, or like you’re hitting a mental wall mid-season too, meditation can be a game-changer.
Read my featured article, “Meditation: A Powerful Tool for Athletic Recovery“ in the September 2024 edition of Natural Awakenings magazine.
Meditation is a fundamental part of training for athletes of all levels, especially at the professional tier, because it can improve your recovery, boost your game-day focus, and even help prevent injuries.
Today, I want to share a bit about why meditation is so effective for athletes, along with practical tips for incorporating it into your training. We’ll also explore my approach that will help you stay present when you’re competing!
The Scientific Connection Between Meditation and Boosted Athletic Recovery & Performance
Reducing Cortisol and Promoting Recovery
Cortisol is a hormone that is produced when we encounter stress. In small amounts, it helps with recovery but, when levels are consistently high—due to things like intense training—it can slow down muscle repair and recovery. Studies have shown that meditation can lower cortisol levels which reduces stress and inflammation and aids in faster recovery.
Improving Neural Efficiency
Research suggests that meditation can strengthen parts of your brain that deal with attention and processing sensory input. These areas are also associated with focus, memory, resilience, and complex decision-making—all of which are crucial for peak performance on the field! This means that meditation isn’t just about quieting the mind; it’s about training the brain to work more efficiently.
“Meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being.” – Sara Lazar, Harvard Medical School.
Boosting Sleep Quality for Full-Body Recovery
Sleep is the most fundamental part of recovery and ensuring you perform at your peak on game day. It allows your muscles to repair, your brain to refresh, and your body to recharge. Meditating after your training sessions or before bed can shift your body into a relaxed, parasympathetic state that is optimal for a good night’s sleep.
Open-Eye Meditation: A Unique Approach for Athletes
When you imagine meditating, you typically think of someone sitting on the floor with their eyes closed, right? My approach is slightly different because I don’t want you to learn to tune out the world when you settle into your meditation practice.
I teach open-eye meditation because in sports, you need to be constantly aware of, and connected to, your surroundings—whether on the field, the court, or the track.
By meditating with your eyes open, you train yourself to maintain a calm, focused mind even in the presence of external stimuli. Learning this way helps you to develop the key skills to stay grounded without disconnecting from the present, the actions of your teammates, opponents, and the environment. In high-stakes moments when people are counting on you, you’ll be glad you don’t have to close your eyes to find your calm, collected focus.
How to Start a Meditation Practice for Sports Recovery
Meditation doesn’t need to cost a cent. You don’t need an app or a subscription—just a quiet space, a few minutes, and a little guidance. Here’s how to get started:
Find a Quiet Space
Choose the most peaceful environment available to you; somewhere you can focus without distractions for now. Meditating near a window or outside in nature can be extra relaxing!
Get Comfortable
Sit on the edge of a chair or cross-legged on the floor, keeping your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
Soften Your Gaze
Instead of closing your eyes, keep them open but unfocused, letting them gently rest on the space in front of you. This mirrors the soft focus athletes often use to observe their surroundings without tunnel vision, training you to hold awareness of the big picture while still being present.
Focus on the Breath
Breathe through your nose with the tongue resting on the roof of your mouth just behind your front teeth to support steady breath control. This ‘nasal breathing’ also engages the diaphragm and stimulates the vagus nerve, which promotes relaxation and balance in the nervous system.
Embrace Nonjudgmental Awareness
When thoughts wander, gently bring your attention back to your breath without self-criticism. This builds mental resilience by training you to redirect your focus calmly—a skill that translates directly into sport when it’s crucial to reset your mind after a mistake or tough play.
Prioritize Consistency You don’t need me to tell you that routine is the foundation of any successful training regimen. Meditation is no different. The more frequently you practice, the more you reinforce mental clarity, stability, and balance. Think of it like another muscle you’re training to give you the power to perform under pressure and make time for it every day—even if it’s only five minutes!
Meditation Day One Starts Now
Starting a meditation routine doesn’t require equipment or extensive research to begin—just time and motivation. Begin with a few minutes and build up to longer sessions, just remember that every practice session reinforces your mental and physical resilience. And, with open-eye meditation, you’re not just learning to stay calm but also training to stay present and alert in the middle of action.
With each session, you’re developing an edge that sets you up for success on the field and cares for your body in recovery too.
Will you be taking 5 to meditate today?
