The Tumbling And Gymnastics Class Approach To Meditation

Meditation has many wonderful benefits. The ability to calm the mind helps reduce unnecessary and troubling stress. The only trouble with traditional seated meditaton is, well, the placid process can be boring. Tumbling classes offer a fantastic alternative in the form of moving meditation. Those seeking mental and spiritual improvements in addition to physical ones may find gymnastics classes do come with a very helpful "in the moment" meditative component.

The State of No-Mindedness 

Quieting the noise in the mind means the emptying out of any thoughts. A misconception here is that emptying the mind means you no longer pay any attention to your surroundings or actions. Such is not the case in gymnastics, as you are not totally tuned out. Rather, your concentration focuses on the task at hand. Concentration of this nature keeps the mind from wandering. 

With tumbling, you remain more attuned to your body. In time, you will become more aware of the tension and tightness in the muscles and how these feelings might undermine performance. Perhaps the tension is due to a fettered mind. Slow breathing and relaxation techniques in preparation for a gymnastic exercise could end up calming the mind. With this relief in tension, you might find stress on and off the mat to be less common.

Breathing as a Means of Calming the Mind

As you gain control of your breathing while performing the exercises, you slowly bring your mind to a state of calm. Relaxed, deep breathing has a tranquilizing effect and is also necessary for getting through a tumbling training session. One does have to learn a basic, proper approach to breathing correctly and this is definitely stressed during gymnastics movements.  Without the proper control of your breathing during any type of athletic endeavor, stamina and performance suffer.

Another benefit exists here with breath control. The careful attention to both breath and specific movements helps gymnastics rise above mere exercise and afford mental health benefits. Again, being in the moment, controlling one's breath, and focusing on specific exercises definitely keeps the mind focused. A focused mind is usually a calm one.

Perform Meditation Pauses During Movements

Pausing in between movements is helpful when learning a new series of tumbling movements. The pauses prevent you from slipping or missing a move. The short pauses could be used for brief, momentary meditation sessions. This way, the pauses enhance concentration during the performance of the sequences.

Contact a group like Brown's Gymnastics to learn more about other benefits of gymnastics.


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