Grief and sorrow by Atman Nityananda

Grief and sorrow loosing a game

Ambition, attachment to results and high expectations as well  as the unconscious need (and desire) to be recognised in order to feel sufficient and worthy cause us unnecessary suffering! 

Get rid of them, relax and enjoy  the game. This is true success ❤️

The relationship between emotions and thoughts! Atman Nityananda

The relationship between emotions and thoughts

 Emotions and thoughts are interconnected and that they mutually influence each other. 

Let's break down and analyze this idea:

1. Emotions and Thoughts Interaction: Emotions and thoughts don't exist in isolation; they interact and shape each other. Emotions can influence the content and intensity of thoughts, and thoughts can shape the way emotions are experienced and expressed.

2. Mutual Reinforcement: There is a bidirectional relationship where emotions reinforce thoughts and vice versa. When you think about something, it can amplify the associated emotions. Similarly, strong emotions can influence the nature of your thoughts, potentially making them more focused on the emotional content.

3. Cognitive Appraisal: Emotions are triggered by some sensory stimulus (impressions) and also arise as a result of how we interpret situations cognitively. For example, if you perceive a situation as threatening, you might experience fear. This cognitive appraisal involves thought processes that can intensify the emotional experience.

4. Feedback Loop: The interaction between emotions and thoughts can create a feedback loop. Positive thoughts can enhance positive emotions, and positive emotions can lead to more positive thoughts, creating an upward spiral. Conversely, negative thoughts can intensify negative emotions, and negative emotions can lead to more negative thoughts, creating a downward spiral.

5. Emotional Regulation: Thoughts can play a crucial role in regulating emotions. Cognitive strategies like reappraisal (reinterpreting situations) can help modulate emotional responses. This indicates that thoughts can influence how we experience and express emotions. 

Positive affirmations and inquiries help us also to handle and release emotional stress. 

Acceptance, non idnetification, minful observation and Self-awareness are also of the main means to address emotional stress and pacify them. 

6. Individual Differences: The strength of the interaction between emotions and thoughts might vary among individuals. Some people might be more prone to letting their emotions shape their thoughts, while others might have stronger cognitive control over their emotional responses or have evelopd a variety of abilities to address and release emotional stress..

In summary, emotions and thoughts influence each other in a continuous loop, impacting how we perceive and respond to the world around us. This interaction is a fundamental aspect of human psychology and plays a significant role in shaping our behaviors, decision-making, and overall well-being.

Fear of failing when serving

Fear of failing when serving

It's completely normal to feel nervous or anxious when playing tennis or any other sport. 

Many athletes experience performance anxiety, especially when it comes to executing a crucial part of the game like serving. 

Here are a few tips that may help you overcome your fear of failing when serving:

1. Practice: The more you practice your serve, the more comfortable and confident you will feel when it comes time to perform in a game. Take some time to practice your serve regularly, and try to focus on the mechanics of your form.

2. Visualization: Visualize yourself performing a successful serve. Close your eyes and imagine yourself hitting the perfect serve, with the right power, spin, and accuracy. Visualization can help build confidence and reduce anxiety.

3. Breathing: Take a few deep breaths before serving to help calm your nerves and focus your mind. Take a deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly.

4. Positive self-talk: Encourage yourself with positive self-talk before, during, and after serving. Tell yourself that you can do it, and that you are capable of executing a successful serve.

5. Focus on the process, not the outcome: Instead of worrying about the outcome of your serve, focus on the process of performing the serve correctly. Concentrate on the mechanics of your form and the rhythm of your swing, rather than the result.

 Here are a few additional strategies that will help overcome anxiety and fear:

1. Reframe your mindset: Instead of viewing mistakes as failures, try to see them as opportunities to learn and improve. 

Shift your focus from the outcome to the process, and concentrate on executing each step of the serve to the best of your ability.

2. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment. Before serving, take a few moments to focus on your breath and tune out any distractions. Try to stay present throughout the serve, and notice any thoughts or feelings that may arise without judging them.

3. Use cue words: Cue words are short, positive phrases that you can use to focus your attention and energy. Before serving, choose a cue word that helps you feel confident and in control, such as "smooth" or "powerful." Repeat the word to yourself as you serve.

4. Set achievable goals: Setting achievable goals can help you build confidence and momentum. Instead of focusing on hitting the perfect serve every time, set a goal to improve one aspect of your serve, such as your ball toss or footwork. Celebrate small victories along the way.

5. Seek professional help: If your fear of failing is interfering with your ability to enjoy tennis or other areas of your life, consider seeking professional help from a therapist or counselor. They can help you identify the underlying causes of your anxiety and develop personalized strategies to manage it.

5. Use Bach flower remedies for fear, impatience  and confindence. These are, Mimulus, Rock rose,  Impatiens and Larch. Read: Releasing emotional stress in tennis with Bach Remedies

Remember, overcoming performance anxiety takes time and practice. Be patient with yourself and keep trying different approaches until you find what works best for you.

Remember, everyone makes mistakes, and even the best tennis players in the world miss serves from time to time. 

Don't be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake, and try to stay positive and focused on the next point. Good luck!

Novak Djokovic Reveals his SECRET for Mental Strength

   

Novak Djokovic Reveals his SECRET for Mental Strengtη

What is flow and what does it feel like when you are in flow? - Atman Nityananda

 What is flow and what does it feel like when you are in flow?

Flow is the state that has been observed in athletes, musicians, dancers and others, and which according to their description corresponds to what in spiritual teachings is called Samadhi. Flow is something that occurs without being sought by athletes, etc., and is achieved through action, by the absorption of mind and consciousness in action. Whereas Samadhi is deliberately sought by spiritual practitioners and is achieved primarily by abandoning all action by sitting in a position of stillness. But there are also traditions and teachings that use some action to achieve Samadhi, such as the dervish dance in the Sufi tradition.

Psychologists claim that the flow state can only occur when the activity is very interesting, challenging and the practitioner is highly motivated and has a very high capacity to perform the activity. Indeed, these factors are very important, obviously the most important for athletes, dancers, etc., but in my experience speaking they are not exclusive for entering a flow state or Samadhi. We can enter a flow state even when what we are doing does not have the above conditions. That is, we can be in flow even when we are walking, talking, doing the dishes, etc. Of course, for this to happen, knowledge and skills are needed, which can be acquired through what we generally call spiritual practice. Among these skills, concentration is the most fundamental. However, purposeful, deep and steady concentration is possible when we develop some other important skills.

Csíkszentmihályi called flow "the secret of happiness". Similarly, for spiritual seekers, Samadhi is the state they aspire to in order to experience ecstasy, fulfilment, peace and limitless freedom.

Djokovic

Psychologists describe people in the flow state as being in a state of intense concentration, with their thoughts focused on the experience rather than on themselves. That the activity is done without intentional effort, that they are in control of the situation, have a clear sense of direction (clear goals) and that the experience is not physically or mentally exhausting. Also that they lose their sense of time, or that they have a concentrated perception of time (that time seems to fly quickly) and feel as if there is a merging of their actions and their awareness. That they have a reduced sense of self or even that they are losing their sense of self.  

Similarly, Samadhi is a state of deep absorption of the mind in the object of concentration, in which there is a total lack of effort and sense of agency (loss of the sense of self, -egoic self) accompanied by transcendence of the sense of time, and there is an experience of indescribable freedom and beauty (deep peace and bliss).  

Samadhi is the highest state through which we enter into complete conscious union with God and experience the freedom, peace, fulfilment and bliss of God. Prolonged Samadhi is also the means to completely dissolve the ego and attain full and uninterrupted union with God. This is what we call theosis, enlightenment, self-realisation or liberation.

The biomechanics of strokes in tennis - Atman Nityananda

 

The biomechanics of strokes in tennis

Technique is a movent or a serie of movements through which  we achieve the best possible result with the less possible effort without causing any injury and the capacity to repeat this movement consistently.

So, in tennis a good technique is considered the one that enables us hit the ball with high speed, accuracy, repeat this consistently without being injured.

The speed of the ball depends on the speed of the racket head at the moment of hitting the ball and the accuracy on the position of racket head the moment of impact.

The maximum possible racket head speed is mainly obtained through the legs, hips, trunk and shoulders and not through the arm and certainly not at all through the wrist. There must be optimal coordination between the legs, hips, trunk and shoulders so that one limb to transfer its speed to the next and finally the speed that is achieved through all these limbs is transferred through the arm to the racket.

The chain of movement  (legs, hips, trunk, shoulders, arm)

We initiate the stroke by pushing the ground with our feet, transferring the weight of the body upwards and forwards in the direction in which our racket is going to meet the ball.  

Just before the legs reach their maximum speed, the hips start their movement. They receive the speed of the legs and add more speed to the movement. Next, the trunk enters just before the hips reach their maximum speed, further increasing the speed of the movement, and finally, the shoulders increase the speed even more and this speed is transferred through the arm to the racket. 

The arm transfers the speed generated by the whole body to the racket, which accelerates and moves at high speed towards the ball. Since the racket moves away from the pivot point of the body (shoulder) due to the length of the arm and the length of the racket, the speed of the racket head is much higher than the speed achieved in the body. That's why taller players can achieve higher speed strokes.

The role of the arm and hand is to correctly direct the racket head towards the ball to get the shot we want (topspin, topspin, flat, etc.) and to control the trajectory of the ball so that it lands exactly where we want it to. The wrist does not add speed to the ball. It must be stable to avoid swinging the racket, which will affect the accuracy of the ball when it does not touch the sweet spot of the racket.

Always Do Your Best

Always Do Your Best

This is my very favorite agreement and a mantra of mine.

Ruiz says doing your best, regardless of quality, is the only thing you must ask of yourself.

You only ask of yourself to do your best given the conditions of the environment and of yourself.
That means that, in some conditions, your best might very poor. Or very poor even compared to your previous actions.
And that’s great because you don’t demand success or perfection.

Doing your best also delinks the action from the reward. It means that you come to enjoy the action without expecting any external prize.
And that’s when you reach full outcome independence.
When you demand your best with full outcome independence, you will also avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

But don’t forget, the fact that you don’t depend on the outcome doesn’t mean you do nothing.
Action is the main differentiator, says Ruiz. Stick to doing your best and your personal improvement and transformation will become an obvious consequence.

The Fourth Agreement allows you to practice and make all the other agreements become a habit.
Whenever you fail to implement an agreement, don’t sweat it. It’s OK. Start again. And then again. Until it becomes ingrained in who you are.

Enjoy the path and the destination will take care of itself

~~
Extract from a Summary of
The Four Agreements of Don Miguel Ruiz

 https://thepowermoves.com/the-four-agreements/