IS STRESS DESTROYING OUR ATHLETES?

Relentless pressure for peak performance is driving some professional athletes to destroy their bodies through steroid use or by disregarding brain damage from head trauma. To help athletes avoid this dangerous path, it's important to learn how to manage stress.

It was this potent combination of meditation and mindfulness that powered the meditating Seattle Seahawks to the NFC Championship over the Green Bay Packerse, and it has been a significant factor in the success of sports greats such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Derek Jeter, which is why businesswoman, philanthropist and spiritual mentor Barb Schmidt, founded Zen Sports.

Managing stress – good and bad – is a never-ending challenge for players constantly in the public eye," Says Barb Schimidt, author of The Practice, "It doesn’t have to be like this; there is a better, healthier way to capture peak performance—via meditation and mindfulness."

Schmidt launched Zen Sports to cultivate leadership and provide stress relief for athletes. With these resources, athletes, coaches and trainers have a practical and easy-to-follow approach to train its practitioners to get in the zone, stay in the zone and find their way back if events pull their focus.

Guided by the principles outlined in Barb Schmidt’s book The Practice and the companion Sports Workbook, Schmidt leads sports teams of any level through her training program.

“Meditation is magical when coupled with exercise. When used this way, you connect to the deep source of energy within you. It boosts energy, improves endurance and helps you stay focused and ‘in the zone,” Says Schmidt, "Zen Sports delivers a practical, easy path for athletes to manage the tremendous stress they’re under so they can perform at their absolute best: focused, energized and in control."

In the program, Schmidt delivers day-long, hands-on sessions with a team or athlete and their coaches and trainers. She also provides a shorter talk on the power of mindfulness as it relates to sports, and lead athletes, coaches and trainers through the essentials of meditation.

A typical full-day training session can evolve as follows:

· Breakfast – Explain the fundamentals of mindfulness training, as well as its advantages.

· Pre-Workout – Lead the team through a guided meditation.

· Workout/Scrimmage – Observe the team and coaches as they work.

· Post-Workout Briefing – Critique the coaches’ and players’ performance from the standpoint of mindfulness and their ability to play and stay “in the zone.”

The initiative will be tailored to each program’s specific needs, however all will include a working session with Barb, the teams, and their trainers. With larger programs, Barb can train the trainers so they can implement the program efficiently and sustain it over time.

For more information about Zen Sports, please visit www.peacefulmindpeacefullife.org.

Barb Schmidt is an international speaker, spiritual mentor, and author of The Practice. She founded Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life to serve those who seek to live a more meaningful life. Zen Sports is an initiative of Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life. She has devoted more than 30 years to her studies with inspirational leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Marianne Williamson. She also offers workshops and classes on spiritual practices and hosts events with many notable speakers.