subject: Transcendental Meditation and Sports [print this page] "Our athletes play in the zone' because they live there" says Lawrence Eyre, the award winning coach of the Pioneers tennis team of Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield Iowa. Mr. Eyre started the Pioneers team in 1988 and since then has led them to the Final Four in the Iowa team tourney 11 times. In his twenty-one seasons, his players have earned 16 state championships. "Our mottos are train without strain and invest in rest", says Eyre. He attributes his players' achievements to their group practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, which creates a foundation for their dynamic activity and gives them a competitive edge.
In 1999 and 2000, under Mr. Eyre's guidance, the Maharishi School boys' team achieved the unprecedented: they captured consecutive "triple crowns" by winning the singles, doubles and team tennis titles at the Iowa I-A state championships.
The Trinity College (Hartford, CT) Women's Squash Team is ranked #3 in the nation and boasts some to the top players from around the world. In October 2009, they introduced theTranscendental Meditation technique as part of the team's training program.
Now, seven months later, the players are calmer and more focused than in the past. "We've had just as many challenges this year as we've had any other year, but this year we've been able to handle them a lot better," says their coach.
Nour Bahgat from Egypt was the #1 Women's U.S. collegiate player in 2009. She says that the Transcendental Meditation technique helps her get into the zone'. "
Emily Lindon, a graduate student at Trinity College, conducted a research study for her senior thesis on the impact of the TM program on the squash team. In particular, she investigated the area of "perceived self-efficacy," which is a person's belief in his or her ability to accomplish a certain task. "Research has shown that if people think higher of their abilities, they tend to perform at a higher level," Ms. Lindon says. The study showed a significant increase in self-efficacy among the meditating athletes after meditating for just five months.
Other research shows that the TM technique improves performance by strengthening the skills of concentration, mind-body co-ordination, reaction time, speed and agility. TM also reduces anxiety and tension in the mind and body making an athlete more controlled and disciplined and therefore more likely to achieve peak performance. In addition many athletes experience the ill effects of sleep deprivation and jet lag when traveling to meets and competitions. The TM technique provides a level of metabolic rest that is deeper than sleep, allowing the athletes body to recover faster from travel and other stresses. And lastly, the TM technique dissolves stress that accumulates from intensive training, competition and injuries and reduces recovery time.
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a simple mental technique that is practiced sitting comfortably for 20 minutes twice a day. It is unique and different from other types of meditation in that it does not involve any concentration and contemplation. For this reason it is said to be easy and enjoyable, instead of difficult and tedious like other forms of meditation. However it must be learned by a certified TM teacher through a standardized one week course. There is a substantial fee but low interest financing and scholarships are available through the TM movement which is a non-profit, educational organization.
This article was written by Dr. Keith DeBoer http://adventuresintranscendentalmeditation.blogspot.com/
Transcendental Meditation and TM are registered trademarks of Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation.
