Sport & Meditation: The inner dimension of sport, is a unique book which challenges our preconceptions of our physical capacities and of the limitations of age. The author, spiritual teacher and athlete Sri Chinmoy, is the world’s foremost authority on the connection between meditation and physical fitness, showing us how anybody can bring the power of meditation and mindfulness into their exercise and training in a very practical way.
This is a broad ranging book, which synthesises the philosophical and the practical. It includes specific exercises concerning guided meditation, concentration and mantra as aids to the focus needed in all forms of exercise and training. It is this new facet that enables us to achieve peak performance, to get more from exercise and to enjoy robust and lasting health and well-being.
World champions such as Carl Lewis, Tatyana Lebedeva, Tegla Loroupe, Bill Pearl, and Paul Tergat share their own inner secrets and spiritual perspectives on training and competition in anecdotes peppered throughout the book.
This book shares Sri Chinmoy’s insights and offers a new perspective on the connection between sporting performance and mental and spiritual development. With detailed instructions, the author shows how meditation and spirituality can help us tap into our inner capacities and transcend our current notions of performance.
Sri Chinmoy was a trailblazer in extreme weightlifting and challenged our very concept of impossibility. He was also a marathon, and ultra-marathon, runner and exercised voraciously throughout his life, always drawing on his spiritual practice for his outer capacity. Astoundingly, he continued to transcend his own weightlifting achievements well into his 60s and 70s.
Karteek Clark, British swimmer and 11x conqueror of English Channel, said about the book: “I have found the book Sport & Meditation by Sri Chinmoy to be a big inspiration. There are a lot of interesting exercises, lots of discussions about how to go deeper inside yourself to get greater energy, how to overcome some of the mental difficulties that come up at the events. I recommend it to anyone who wants to take on a bigger challenge.” (see the video clip on www.sportandmeditation.com)
Tejvan Pettinger, National Hill Climb cycling champion 2013, said about the book: “I like the book Sport & Meditation by Sri Chinmoy, especially the tips for how to get faster from a spiritual point of view. Before big races, I like to do some of these exercises. It is definitely good book for athletes interested in meditation and getting more out from sport.” (see the video clip on www.sportandmeditation.com)
“Reading this book will allow you to experience a radiant and abundant awareness of how to achieve happiness.” – Tatyana Lebedeva, Olympic long jump gold medallist, 2004
“If you have the strength coming from within and the power coming from within, if you can achieve it, then you can achieve any goal that you set for yourself.” – Carl Lewis, 9-time Olympic gold medallist
About the author: Prolific writer, artist, athlete and internationally renowned spiritual leader, Sri Chinmoy is recognized as a foremost teacher of meditation. For 37 years, he was a director of the peace meditations at the United Nations in New York City. He used his creative work to communicate to the world his aspiration for a “oneness-world-family”, for universal peace, harmony and integrity of mind and spirit. Sri Chinmoy was born in Bengal, India in 1931. From 1964 onwards, he lived in New York, USA, where he died in 2007.
Maintaining Your Poise Before a Race (Excerpt from the book)
Before the race starts, meditate most soulfully for five minutes. Try to make yourself feel that you are not the competitor, but that Somebody else is competing in and through you. You are only the witness, the spectator. Since Somebody else is competing, you are at perfect liberty to watch and enjoy. While you are competing, sometimes it is very difficult to enjoy the race. Either the competitive spirit or frustration is killing you, or your body is not abiding by your mental will and you feel that you are literally dying…But before you start, if you can convince yourself that you are a divine observer and that Somebody else is competing in you, through you and for you, then fear, doubt, frustration, anxiety and other negative forces will not be able to assail your mind.
Title: Sport & Meditation
Subtitle: The Inner Dimension of Sport
Author: Sri Chinmoy
Topic: The definitive guide to transcending our physical capacities and age limits in sport
Release Date: 1 July 2016
Publisher: The Golden Shore, Germany
Agent for the UK & Ireland: Blue Beyond Books
Price: £16.99
200 pages; flexi-hardcover
www.sportandmeditation.com