What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness has become a buzzword lately, but don’t let that put you off seeing what all the fuss is about. We are big supporters of the idea, this is what the Oxford Dictionary has to say about it:

Mindfulness: a state of mind that is achieved by focusing one’s consciousness in the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

Okay, does that sound like meditation? More or less, but not quite. While meditation aims to empty your mind of all thoughts for a period of time in order to feel completely relaxed, mindfulness is more about allowing your mind to do whatever it wants while really concentrating on your current physiological state, be it. whatever at the time. . While it is undoubtedly relaxing, it also increases concentration and self-awareness. Ideally, you should take time to practice mindfulness every day – even just 10 short minutes can go a long way.

What does mindfulness have to do with Squash?

Used in the right way at the right times, mindfulness practice can bring great benefits to all of your performance levels and mental state, which can certainly be applied to your game of squash or indeed anybody. sport. Here are some of the benefits you can expect to enjoy:

• Focus: Perhaps the greatest athletic benefit comes from an increased sense of focus, as distracting thoughts are left behind during the mindfulness process. This may take a few sessions to feel stronger, but trust us when we say it works.

• Stress Relief: Taking a short break each day, allowing your mind to pause and “wander” a bit while concentrating on how you feel, has been shown to reduce stress levels. Less stress means your performance can reach its potential more successfully and hopefully break a few less racquets.

• Positive Thinking – Quite related to the benefit of stress relief, through mindfulness you will naturally have a more positive outlook on situations, probably due to the fact that you have taken the time to process them and calm your body. A positive approach is crucial to success on the squash court.

• Body Awareness – Sometimes little aches and pains can become so familiar that we almost forget they’re there, but if you have them, they are certainly hampering your squash performance. Through mindfulness you learn to “scan” your body and notice everything you are feeling, just make sure you deal with the nagging pains.

• Post-match mental relaxation: Mindfulness can also be used as a post-match relaxation technique, to help process what happened and reflect on your performance, while also giving your body time to pause for a few minutes.

Sounds great! Where do I start?

One great thing about mindfulness is that you don’t really need any equipment or anything to get started, just you, yourself, and a quiet space. To get used to the basics, sit in a comfortable place in a quiet space without discomfort, close your eyes, breathe slowly and deeply, and imagine scanning your body inside from head to toe. Really see how each part of your body feels and allow any sound to be what it is. Take 10 minutes for this at first and try every day for 1 week. Then see how you feel and see if you feel a difference in the rest of your daily life, as well as on the squash court.

We also highly recommend getting your hands on an app called “Headspace”. Headspace is a great app that explains the mindfulness process in a simple way with daily reminders and topics to focus on. There is a lot of free content, plus premium content that is worth the money if you enjoy the free stuff. They have included a program focused on improving athletic performance that we highly recommend.