Is Meditation Really Necessary?

By: Niko dimo

You’ve never really been the lay back and let the day slip away kind of person, and you certainly never enjoyed any low-risk activities. Sitting still never came easy to you, but what if the simple habit of meditation only maximized your enjoyment of your favorite adventurous activities? Many extreme sports, and even long runs and tough workouts, cause a bit of stress. Whenever your heart rate increases and you find yourself working up a sweat, perhaps learning to rest quietly for some time can benefit your practice in more intense recreational activities.

The most important benefit of meditation for those into extreme sports or high-intensity activity is that you will learn to control your breathing. Once you know how to control the movement of your breath, you can quickly slow your heart rate down through slow, deep breaths. This is vital when stress or fear kicks in, because these are the moments when you need unwavering focus the most. Trying to balance while high-lining above Yosemite Valley? We’d guess a little meditation might help with that.

Meditating also improves the quality of sleep. Meditation is medicine for stress-relief and healthy breathing, which leads to a deeper, more satisfying sleep. So if you don’t think you have time for meditating, think again. The time you spend restless in bed trying to fall asleep could be replaced with meditation instead. This is helpful for athletes because sleep is essential for restoring your muscles and replenishing your energy for the next day. If you’re camping, meditation will help you sleep better in unfamiliar conditions.

Any active person knows that endurance is key to a great workout. Runners, climbers, backpackers, kayakers, and every kind of athlete must learn the practice of enduring lengthy journeys and maintaining good stamina. Fortunately, meditation will help you be more patient in every aspect of your life. More patience means you won’t be rushing to the finish line. You can enjoy your surroundings instead of wondering when you will be able to rest. Meditation will help you develop a lifelong character of patience because it opens your eyes to see the bigger picture. You are taking time to see things slowly and one at a time instead of having a hundred tabs open in your head. Everything becomes more manageable when you can see it truthfully in a clear mind. Everything is stressful when you don’t have time to understand it.

If nothing else, you’ll love meditation because it will make you fearless, and this is what we’re all aiming for right? Fear is directly connected with stress, which causes you to tense up and doubt yourself and your likelihood of succeeding. Meditation, as we mentioned earlier, helps you see through a wider lens of truth. A regular practice of meditation will make you an overall stress-free person, and not only when you’re meditating. Without stress, fear, doubt, and tension you’ll be far more daring. So go ahead, climb that higher level.

With a clear and calm mind that comes from consistent meditation, you’ll be much quicker at making decisions. Meditation helps you distinguish what is good for you and what will hurt you. This is caused by having a mind free of clutter, stress, and worry. Climbers need this so they don’t hesitate when choosing their next foothold. Backcountry skiers benefit from this because they don’t have extra time to choose where they want their skis to land when jumping off cliffs. No matter what activity you do, you will only improve your performance when you are able to make good decisions quickly.