Mindfulness & Cycling
Our latest post on the blog is one I’ve been really excited about for a while. I began studying more about mindfulness after reading the book 10% Happier by Dan Harris almost a year ago.
I found Harris’ book especially impactful because it seemed to describe exactly how my own mind worked. Competitive, constantly strategizing, and easily frustrated. Mindfulness seemed like a great counterbalancing force to Type A personalities like my own.
Wanting to learn more I attended a 3 day workshop on mindfulness and sports performance at the University of California San Diego in January. This workshop was a great opportunity for “hands on” learning about how the mind can be trained to improve performance in any area of life: sport, business, or even parenting.
In short, I’ve been working on the ideas in the post for almost a year now and am excited (and relieved) to finally get it out there. If you’re short on time here are the basics:
- Skills like “mental toughness” and “resilience” are trainable
- Mindfulness can help us be less reactive and do less mind wandering
- “Knowing” about mindfulness isn’t enough, you have to actually practice
- Basic sitting meditation where you focus on the breath is the foundation of mindfulness practice
- A skeptical approach to mindfulness is the best. Try it out, see if it works for you, then take it or leave it
If you’re interested in reading more you can head directly to the post by clicking here.
Nate Dunn
Founder/Head Coach
Data Driven Athlete