Life is not a dress rehearsal, Life is Now. It will not happen in some place in the future.

Mind seems to have us believe that if we gain, if we get, if we are something, if we win then we will be happy.

Mindfulness in sport, how could it help us see more clearly ?

When we are present, really here, then we are a part of the whole, one with reality.

Sport can and often is about competing and perhaps with goals at a future date. How could we help balance this perspective of competition.

Competition, need and desire seem to create tension in both mind and body. Good planning, effective and knowledge based training programs, nutrition and well-being all help us to perform at our optimum. Not only on the sports field but in life.

Our optimum is personal, we are unique, we are not in competition with anyone else, this realisation and this realisation alone when bought to sport has tremendous benefits.

How often do you hear, run your own race, keep your eyes in your own boat…this focus and ability to be present and not affected is key.

We are not training for life today, in this moment we are being life. When paddling are we paddling with a mindset of training, is it to win something, to be somewhere in a future date or for a place. Or are we actually present, being the moment, paddling cos we love paddling.

Ego, or small mind shall we say, loves to feed it’s insecurities. Most of us begin sport cos we love it or we are naturally good at it, which usually means we like it. Ego loves things that it can make us seem good at.

How quickly do we see some young athletes burn out, parents heap pressure on them, them heap pressure on themselves for results, this whole results based living again and again and again. It is a illusion. And lets not leave that on the sports field it happens plenty in the classroom too.

Fear we are not good enough, if I beat this person, if I have more money or if I am more successful. Look how many I’s there are in the sentence it is just mind trying to quell feeling separate and insecure.

Love seems to be the answer, Love of the sport, frankly it is probably where it all started so lets go full circle. Training isn’t training it is time spent doing what we love and with people we love.

We are all always doing or best, perhaps being present and enjoying the water today will mean that illusion the future will take care of itself.

We can only be a better us….love and light.

Acceptance is the key.