MENTAL HEALTH FOR ATHLETES YOGA AND MEDITATION CLASS SERIES
The video above is a part of a series of six yoga and meditation classes that are designed for athletes with a special focus on mental health.
The six classes have three different focuses:
- Self-compassion
- Self-judgement
- Self-acceptance
One yoga class and one meditation class will be centred around each of these concepts.
All of these classes have been created to assist athletes improve their mental wellness and to support the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative
Click her to find out how you can support the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative
Self-Judgement
Athletes are conditioned at an early age to judge just about everything in terms of winning and losing. In fact, judging and comparison is at the very root of athletic competition and performance, i.e. we judge a team as “better” when they win the tournament. This is a necessity in sport and is an innate part of the competitive nature of athletes. However bringing this constant judgment and comparing mentality into your day to day life outside of athletics can be harmful to one’s mental health.
When is comes to meditation and mental health, we must strive for non-judgement. In meditation, there is no such thing as better or worse, or even good or bad. Each sitting meditation practice is different and we can learn from each practice as it occurs. As an athlete, it is important to allow yourself the time and space to get away from the competitive nature of comparing and judging so that you can just “be.”
The goal for this meditation is to bring awareness to our senses in a non-judgmental way. Allow yourself to just “be” with whatever comes up and notice when your mind wanders into a more comparing or judgmental tone. Instead of letting the competitive nature control the mind, see if you can approach these thoughts in a non-judgmental or even self-compassionate way. And remember, always stay curious!
Instructors
The yoga classes in this series are taught by Jeff Grace who is a registered yoga therapist.
Jeff holds diplomas in Coaching (Douglas College-New Westminster, BC) and High Performance Coaching (National Coaching Institute – Calgary, Alberta). He has a background of over 20 years coaching both swimmers and triathletes.
At the age of 26 Jeff was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder you can read more about his story here.
You can find out more about Jeff at www.excelwithgrace.ca and www.swimmingspecificyoga.com
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The meditation classes in this series are taught by Eliza Jane who received her Masters in Integrative Health from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Growing up, she played hockey on the national and collegiate level and is passionate about bringing mindfulness and self-compassion practices to athletes of all levels.
She lives in Vancouver, BC where she works as a wellness coach, meditation teacher, and group fitness instructor. To learn more about Eliza, visit her website at www.livewhereyourfeetare.com