A professional athlete requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and mental preparedness for dealing with all the high-tense moments in the competition. There is a direct link between physical and mental health in athletes and the only way to succeed is to be calm and composed in tough moments.
Athletes are considering different methods for stress relief that will help them mentally in the competition. From reading books and participating in new hobbies to meditation, the goal is to clear their mind and stay mentally fit just to keep up their performance on the highest level.
In today’s article, we will take a look at athletes from the NFL that use meditation just to stay in shape.
Ricky Williams
We start with a former running back in the NFL that has played for many successful teams in his career like the Saints, Dolphins, and Ravens. He also had a successful college career winning the Heisman Trophy which is why he is included in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Williams devotes a large part of his success to the power of meditation. He used to meditate every day, as well as before every game. This helped him to sharpen his skills and stay mentally prepared for overcoming obstacles. Meditation became his passion to that point that he went on to offer a meditation class at Nova Southeastern University.
Russell Wilson
Russel Wilson is a real superstar in the NFL and currently plays as a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. His biggest achievement is winning the Super Bowl back in 2014 by defeating Denver Broncos. And he has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times.
Being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL requires a lot of dedication, hard work, and calmness. The ability to launch the ball 500 yards to your teammate requires steady hands which is where meditation comes in handy.
Wilson and his entire Seahawks squad used meditation every day in their 2014 season when they run to the Super Bowl glory.
Pete Carroll the head coach stated that meditation has helped the team win the Super Bowl, and since then the team has developed many different ways from hiring a psychologist to meditation training just to keep athletes mentally prepared.
Tom Brady
Here we have another world-class quarterback that is currently on the road to getting two back-to-back wins on the Super Bowl with his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady has the most touchdown passes of all time, according to TwinSpires Edge.
He is also an athlete that prioritizes mental over physical health and has developed a set of rules that will help him improve his performance.
For instance, he follows a strict nighttime routine just because sleep plays an important role in an NFL athlete’s career. He also practices meditation and likes to keep his head clear at all times just because being calm is the best way to overcome obstacles in the big league.
Jon McGraw
Jon McGraw is another successful NFL veteran that spent his final career days playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. He devotes a large part of his success to his mental preparation, and all of the meditation practices unlocked a new passion for him which led to co-founding a mindfulness and performance company called Vision Pursue.
He said that he didn’t enjoy a large part of his career in the NFL, even on his best days, just because he was dealing with depression and performance anxiety. This is common, especially for professional athletes that compete in the big leagues.
After reading books from philosophers and authors like Eckhard Tolle, he was inspired to take lessons and completely change his life by improving his mental health situation through meditation. He is now very passionate about mindfulness and has taken his knowledge and power to help other athletes that struggle with such issues as him.
