Mindfulness in Athletes

Abstract

Interventions to promote athlete health and performance have traditionally been focused on the physical elements of injury and training. More recently, however, increasing attention has been placed on the mental aspects of athlete health, with emerging evidence suggesting that injury risk and athletic performance are significantly affected by athlete well-being. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to have significant benefits for a number of physical and mental health outcomes in various clinical populations, and recent research has explored how mindfulness may enhance athletic performance, improve athlete mental health, reduce injury risk, and perhaps even facilitate recovery from injury. As awareness of mindfulness as a noninvasive, low-risk, and accessible intervention increases in the Western society, use among athletes has increased as well. Health care providers should be aware of this evidence in order to guide athletes regarding the use of mindfulness as an intervention to potentially improve athlete health and performance.