Your mental state is just as important as your physical state. In order to perform at a higher level and outperform opponents athletes can use meditation to learn to control their mental state and distance themselves from the negative thought patterns and opinions of others.

Here are some benefits of meditation for volleyball athletes:

Improve Focus and Calm

Meditation can help an athlete find calm within the chaos. We all know that playing in a big convention center can feel like a lot of chaos and outside noise that doesn’t really help you to stay focused. There are whistles blown every few seconds, cheering, clapping, talking, college coaches scouting, and so much more! It is so easy to get distracted when you are playing in a game or a big tournament. Although it’s very normal to get distracted, you don’t have to be. You can learn tools to help you focus on the task at hand, rest your mind and reset your thoughts. Through meditation, you can see and think clearly and perform at your best!

Reset and Recover

Athletes are accustomed to failure and loss. Dealing with failure and loss in life and in sports is a great learning tool to prepare you for the future. Failure teaches you grit and resilience. Loss gives you the fight to move forward. Meditation is a great tool to assist in a training and recovery regimen, as it can teach athletes to move forward with confidence, clarity and non-attachment. Meditation provides the tools you need to cultivate a growth mindset and be a supportive leader for your teammates.

Strengthen the Mind

If meditation doesn’t seem like it’s right for you, think of it as mental training for your sport. The brain is a muscle you have to exercise, just like your glutes or quadriceps. You might just not know where to start or assume you have to achieve something the first time you meditate. The good news is, meditation is so easy to access and it doesn’t have to be done any particular way. You can practice meditation while you are walking, eating, laying in bed, driving to practice, or sitting at your desk. It also doesn’t have to be in a super quiet environment, you can do it in the hallways at a big convention center. All you need is a willing mind to get started.

You can meditate anywhere, anytime! Meditation guides your thoughts to help you hone in and focus on the present task at hand: your game.

If you want to strengthen your mind with meditation, head over to the YAX ONLINE portal and try a Meditation or Yoga for Athletes class with us from anywhere, anytime!

Athletes: Register for YAX Online Portal of Yoga + HIIT + Jump Training + Breathwork + Meditation for $39/month (*7 day free trial)

Club Directors: Contact us to discuss online training for your club! We take the hassle out of programming your performance training + yoga, so you can focus on volleyball.

View JVA’s fitness library for volleyball athletes

About the Author

Kalynn Evans (B.S., NASM-CPT, E-RYT 200, FMSC, XPT Coach) is the Owner of Yoga Athletex, LLC alongside her sister Patricia Bomar. She grew up playing volleyball; her mom and coach was a former college volleyball player at University of Houston and then a member of the US national team, so volleyball was instilled in her from a young age. Kalynn played club volleyball for 7 years at Club Texas in Houston. She played D1 college volleyball at SE Louisiana where she graduated with an accounting degree. Having some back and hip injuries throughout her volleyball career led Kalynn to practice yoga, and want to offer yoga to youth and adult athletes to prevent and rehabilitate injury. She completed her 200 RYT in 2013, completed Yin and Restorative Trainings in 2015 and 2016, FMS Cert 2016, and NASM-CPT in 2017 and XPT coaching certificate in 2018.