Meditation 101 for CrossFitters
The WHAT, WHY, and HOW
We’ve all heard that meditation is good for us. The benefits are endless. It’s become about as popular as CrossFit, and just like CrossFitters, anyone who meditates, will extol its virtues endlessly. Also like CrossFit, there are those who are convinced it’s not for them. As a seasoned practitioner of both, I can tell you both meditation and CrossFit can actually be for anyone. And like CrossFit, once you start meditating, you will be immediately amazed by the results you get from doing it, and you will want to do it more.
What is meditation?
There are many forms of mediation and many ways to define it. Essentially, meditation is the practice of taking the time to be still without distraction, to quiet and focus the mind and redirect your thoughts. In doing so, an individual can eventually achieve a mentally clear and emotionally stable state. There is no right or wrong way to mediate. You can do it anywhere, any time, without any special equipment.
Why is Meditation especially good for CrossFitters?
There is a lot to gain from meditation , and the more you do it, the more you will benefit from it.
Science has proven that mediating:
Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
Increases mental focus and attention
Decreases aggression
Enhances compassion and self compassion
In my personal experience, I have found that when I meditate in the morning, I simply have a better day. Meditation helps me get in touch with myself. It allows me to focus on what is important, and let go of the stuff that distracts me and is out of my control.
If you want to be able to become calm and centered in high pressure situations —like important events or WODs— you have to practice in non-pressure situations first. Meditation is an extremely helpful practice for athletes. To be your best, you must be able to calm your mind and control your emotions. When you begin to feel pressure or stress, you have to come back to simple, positive thoughts and controlled breathing. Practicing mediation regularly can enable you to access this state when you really need it.
Exercise and meditation together can be a powerful combination for your brain too.
The combination of mental focus and exertion can have a bigger benefit than those two alone.
There has been more research in the past few years on meditation, mindfulness, and well-being and the conclusions are nothing short of amazing. Meditation & exercise together have been proven to reduce incidence and severity of acute respiratory Illness, help battle anxiety, improve neural function and more.
How do you meditate?
The simplest way to start meditation is to begin practicing for just a few minutes.
Think of it as a 3 minute AMRAP.
You can do it first thing in the morning, in the middle of the day, before bed, or any time really.
Follow these 7 steps:
Find a quiet place.
Put a timer on for 3 minutes.
Sit comfortably with your spine tall. You can sit in a chair, or with legs crossed on the floor. (Sitting on a folded blanket or pillow under your hips will decompress your spine and make it more comfortable). You can put your hands on your lap, or on your knees. Your eyes can be open or closed.
Pay attention to your breath. Just breathe regularly, in and out.
When your mind starts to wander, come back to your breath.
When a thought pops into your head, acknowledge it and let it go.
Repeat from step 4.
When you can sit for 3 minutes, try 5. When that is doable, try 7. Eventually you will be able to sit for 10 or more minutes.
There are many apps and programs available that provide guided meditations which some people like and find very helpful.
You can also focus on a particular word or mantra (phrase), or on a candle, and you can try meditating with a specific intention. When I was training for the CrossFit Games last year, I focused many of my daily meditation practices on “confidence” which was something I wanted to instill in myself so I was training my mind to see myself that way, and I began to feel it too.
Just like learning a new skill in CrossFit takes time and consistent practice, you can think of learning to mediate as putting in the reps to become proficient. Similar to when you learn that new CrossFit movement, you build on the progressions, starting with the scaled version until you get the full movement. When you become more comfortable with just sitting and breathing, you can begin to practice controlling your breathe which will be greatly beneficial to your endurance in WODS.
The sooner you start meditating, the sooner you’ll be able to feel the benefits. Give the 3 minute Meditation AMRAP a go and let us know how you do!