Our sporting journey was enriched by the presence of many teachers who taught us techniques, thoughts, and philosophies of life. We are presenting some drops of light that have been transmitted to us.

It is not about teaching you 'how to', but more about how we can be guides and use our life experience to stimulate, inspire, and empower you to be more aware on the path of being the best Athlete, coach, teacher.

I love my work. It’s not a job per se, it’s a calling. Honestly, I don’t work to make a living, I work to make a difference in the lives of all those who hire me. It is an honour to be invited to do this work. And interestingly enough, the more I focus on serving, giving, and making a difference, the greater living I make. It’s all about creating meaning in this lifetime, and my mindful coaching work is a significant part of that. If you want a peaceful heart and a quiet soul, find a position of leadership that doesn’t compromise your principles, one that is without serious contradictions of your ideals of love and compassion.

BEING VS DOING

‘An old and wise grandfather says to his grandson, ‘There is a fight inside me. It’s between two wolves. One that is evil and filled with anger, hate, greed, envy, and resentment, and another wolf that is good and has joy, love, peace, hope, truth, compassion, and kindness.’ The grandson thought about it for a minute, then asked his grandpa, ‘Which one will win?’ The elder’s reply was simple: ‘The one who’ll win is the one you feed’.

As a mindful coach, tell your athletes that their thoughts can strengthen or weaken them. They have an energy of their own. The direction your thoughts go is where you will go. And you can control your thoughts and mitigate your suffering on this planet, in your life, in your work, in your sport. Bob Marley, in his ‘Redemption Song’ suggests that we must all work to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. If we as leaders don’t, who will? When we free ourselves from bad thoughts, we create greater peace, calm, confidence, and a stronger outlook in our team’s sports culture. This inner battle can be won because each of us has the power of choice. ... 'Think about how you may be feeding the bad wolf thoughts and replace them with the more positive narrative. I suggest that you think about what makes you feel grateful in sports and life.' ...

SET STANDARDS, NOT RULES

To be clear, a rule is a regulation, while a standard is a level of quality.  Rules can be demeaning because they are all about control. When young athletes encounter rules, they constantly test them to see how far they can go before they are held accountable for breaking them. Endless sets of rules can be exhausting to enforce and can cripple a coach’s ability to make decisions on an individual basis.

Standards, on the other hand, are inspiring. They are something to strive for and attain. They result in growth, as athletes hold each other accountable for reaching higher instead of sinking to the level of a rule. Standards are levels of achievement that the whole group buys into and pushes each other toward, and are usually policed within the group. Ina nutshell, rules have a negative connotation, don’t break me or else, while standards are far more positive: live up to me, and you will be your best self..

THE CHAMPION PATH

Being a champion starts before any win or result. Being a champion is about building character, belief, trust, and love. Being a champion means facing adversity and growing because of the obstacles faced along the way. Being a champion is a choice, and will never be defined by any result or championship won.

BEING AWAKE

Being awake is about being present without letting past experiences or fears of the future color and obscure this moment.

MEDITATE DAILY

A disciple started dedicated study of Zen at the age of sixty, continuing until he was eighty years old, at which age he attained enlightenment. He then became a teacher of Zen from the age of eighty to one hundred and twenty years old. One day, a student asked, ‘if I haven’t got anything in my mind, what should I do?’ ‘Throw it out’, the old teacher told him. ‘But if I haven’t anything in mind, how can I throw it out?’ the student demanded ‘Well,’ said the master, ‘If you can’t throw it out, then carry it out.’

THE WAY OF THE TIGER

Concentration requires us to slow down of our mental activity. When we are multitasking of thinking of several things at once, our minds are in a beta brain wave state of between seventeen and twenty cycles per second. With meditation, those brain waves can slow down to seven to ten cycles per second, a rhythm called the alpha state. Such states of alpha can be achieved in a quiet place using meditation techniques close to oriental traditions. This is basically a simple breathing process that requires practice before the mind can achieve quiet. You have to fix your mind on the breath to the exclusion of all else and to get back to that breath when you wander, which you will.

THE STILL POINT

If you know the art of breathing, you have the strength, wisdom, and courage of ten tigers. The quiet, focused mind can pierce through stone. [Ref. Mindfulness proverb] If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything, it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind, there are few. The practice of meditation, often referred to as ‘the still point’, is  a learned skill that when developed, can impact not just your leadership and coaching, but your entire life. [Ref. Shunryu Suzuki] 

The spirit of many in body, but one in mind, prevails among the people, so they will achieve all their goals, whereas if one in body, but different in mind, they achieve nothing remarkable. [Ref. Nichiren Buddhism Library]

FEELING YOURSELF

To begin, get comfortable sitting in a chair or on the floor, wherever you can be free of distraction or noise. Close your eyes to better concentrate and focus on the natural movement of your breathe. See and feel your breathe. On the in breath, imagine your hand pulling your breathe up from the heart, up through your neck, to the crown of your head. Then feel the out breath, and imagine gently pushing the breath back down with your hand to your heart. Repeat this process for several breaths. If your mind wanders, that is natural. Just quietly say inside, ‘wandering, come back’, and then immediately focus again on the pattern of your breathing. You can do this for three, five, ten, or more minutes, for as long as you like. This creates a still point inside, a place of inner calm, clarity, peace, and quiet, which becomes the basis for feeling mindful.

FROM LITTLE STREAMS COME BIG RIVERS

The River effect, River is an acronym which stands for Relevant, Inspired, Valued, Empowered, and Respected. When used properly, it will change the environment to one that is more connective, caring, productive, and cooperative. Once you get the hang of it, you can expand your skill set by using the River.

FEELING POWERFUL WAVES

Many, many years ago, there lived  a famed wrestler who was immensely strong and well-versed in the art of wrestling. When he wrestled in private, he won even when wrestling his teacher, but in public bouts, he was so painfully shy that his own students threw him. The wrestler felt he should visit a Zen master and ask for help. A wandering Zen teacher was at a little temple nearby for a short time, so the wrestler went to see him  and told him of his situation. The teacher advised the wrestler to remain in the temple overnight, telling him this: ‘Imagine that you are no longer a wrestler who is afraid, but rather powerful, billowing waves of the sea. You are huge waves that are able to sweep everything before them and swallow all in their path. Hold this vision in your mind, and you will be the greatest wrestler in any land.’

The teacher went in bed, meanwhile, the wrestler sat in meditation trying to inwardly envision himself as great waves. Many different things went through his mind, but eventually, he turned more and more to the feeling of being the waves. As the hour became later and later, the waves grew larger and larger. The waves swept away the flowers in their vases, even the statue of the Buddha in the shrine was flooded with their force. Before sunrise, the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an enormous sea. When morning came, the teacher found the wrestler meditating with a faint smile on his face. ‘Now, nothing can disturb you,’ said the master, patting the wrestler’s shoulder. ‘You have become those waves. You will sweep everything before you.’ That same day, the wrestler entered the wrestling contests, winning every one. After that, no one was able to defeat him.

The lesson here is about the power of the mind and how visualizing something as if it is so helps it grow.

THE AUTHENTIC SELF

Long ago, a noted Zen teacher was the head of a great cathedral in the city of Kyoto. One day, the governor of Kyoto came to call on the Zen master for the first time. The governor’s attendant presented his card, which bore the words ‘Kitagaki, Governor of Kyoto’. ‘I have no business with such a person', the Zen master told the governor’s man. ‘Tell him to get out of here’. The man returned with the card and apologies. ‘That was my mistake', the governor said, and taking a pencil, he scratched out the words ‘Governor of Kyoto’. ‘Go and ask the master again’. ‘Oh, is that Kitagaki?’ the teacher asked when he saw the card. ‘I want to see him’.

The lesson for us in this passage is that of humility, egolessness, and authenticity.

THE TREASURE IS ALREADY INSIDE

A traveler came to visit a Zen master in China. The master asked: ‘what do you seek?’ ‘Enlightenment,’ replied the traveler. ‘You have your own treasure house. Why do you seek a treasure house outside?’ replied the teacher. ‘But where is my treasure house?' Wondered the traveler in confusion. The teacher answered: ‘what are you asking is your treasure house.’ At that moment, the visitor was enlightened. From that day forward, he exhorted his friends ‘open your own treasure house and use the treasures you find within’.

One interpretation of this lesson is that often-times we seek the good outside when indeed we already have it within us but fail to notice its presence.