The Mental Edge: How meditation can help athletes be fully in the moment

When I attend events, conduct workshops or meet baseball players who are interested in learning more about mental performance, one of the first questions I get is, “So where do I start? What should I be doing to train my mind?”

This is by no means an easy question to answer, but based on my experience, I have one suggestion that I believe has the greatest potential to have an impact: meditation.

While you most likely have heard of meditation and mindfulness connected to spirituality, relaxation and happiness, what many of the athletes I meet don’t know is that meditation also is a tool that can help you on the baseball field. While mindfulness research has demonstrated benefits in increasing well-being and life satisfaction, along with decreases in anxiety and stress, and much more, it also has been shown to improve sports performance and is becoming a mainstay in professional sports with such organizations as the Golden State Warriors, the Seattle Seahawks, the Miami Dolphins and the Chicago Cubs. In baseball, both Barry Zito and Derek Jeter have been open about their regular use of meditation. Jeter was known to practice meditation for up to an hour on his days off.