Two weeks ago, the Seattle Seahawks thoroughly trounced the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl\ with one of the most intimidating defenses in the NFL. But it’s more than just great defense that made this team so great. In a recent edition of ESPN The Magazine, it was revealed that all the Seattle players are required to meditate and do yoga.
Offensive tackle Russell Okung raves about the program, saying that meditating is now one of the most vital parts of his training. “Meditation is as important as lifting weights and being out here on the field for practice,” Okung said. “It’s about quieting your mind and getting into certain states where everything outside of you doesn’t matter in that moment. There are so many things telling you that you can’t do something, but you take those thoughts captive, take power over them, and change them.”
Led by high-performance sports psychologist Mike Gervais, the Seahawks engage in both group meditations and visualizations as well as individual meditation sessions. Practices start with instructions such as, “quiet your minds,” “focus your attention inwardly,” and “visualize success."
Quarterback Russell Wilson, who said in an interview that his faith in God guided much of his ability and success, participates in weekly meditation sessions with Gervais. The overall idea is to promote the mindset that physical and mental health and well-being should be nurtured and valued in the players, in addition to their athletic abilities.
To further incorporate this notion into the Seahawk experience, positive affirmation-style mantras are reportedly passed on to the players and they are then encouraged to absorb and embody positivity in their thoughts, speech, and interactions with others. Yelling, cursing, and being a “hard-ass” are frowned upon, and players are instead treated with kindness and respect.
The team’s chef feeds them local, organic produce, and nutrition and sleep experts are on hand to help the players sort through various issues. To further ensure their needs are being met, “support staff” are on call if any of the players is going through a difficult time or facing a personal challenge and needs to talk.
Head coach Pete Carroll told ESPN, “I wanted to find out if we went to the NFL and really took care of guys, really cared about each and every individual, what would happen?”
What happened was they blew out their favored opponent, 43-8, and are the NFL Champions.
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