Yoga and Meditation: The Mind-Body Approach of Olympic Champions

Why Yoga for the Olympic Medal?

Olympic athletes represent an abstract of athletic gods! 

They do everything from running faster, swimming harder, jumping higher, striking swiftly, and winding rotations. Their daily routine is a book of discipline. They wake up at 3 a.m. to train. All the while, they get injured, exhausted, and sore and still work with dedication like superhumans.

 Sometimes, their emotions, egos and psychs get challenged just like their ever-demanding physical exertion.

Training to win gold isn't just about training the physical body but also the mind and soul. That is why some great athletes practise yoga to bridge the gap between their mind and body.

High-intensity and overtraining physical activities lead to immune suppression, oxidative stress, muscle damage, coronary risk, psychiatric disorders and so on due to enormous strain on various physiological functions.

Yoga undermines these adverse activities by up-regulating the functions of the parasympathetic nervous system and down-regulating the activities of the Hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis (HPA). Research suggests that this contributes to healing, recovery, regeneration, stress reduction, relaxation of mind, better cognitive functions, promotion of mental health, reduction in inflammation, oxidative stress, and so on.

"Athletes who practise sports-specific yoga improve the performance of athletes of all ages. The practice includes optimised breathing, efficiency of motion, greatness of body control, increased power output,  reduced risk of injury and improved recovery", says Dr Abhirami, Senior Yoga Consultant at Nirva.

The mental benefits of yoga and meditation are also not far behind. Athletes sharpen their awareness, calm pre-performance nerves, and enhance focus.

"The mindset and breathing strategies of athletes determine the factor between winning and losing", says Dr Abhirami.

8 World Champions Who Sought Meditation and Yoga

Yoga helps Olympians get their head into the game.

Here are 8 athletes who keep yoga and meditation near and dear to them to bring out success in their Olympic life.

Novak Djokovic, the Champion

The man who makes history in the field of olympics again and again, Novak Djokovic is a gifted athlete. But, he has drawn the map to his own luck, especially when it comes to the strength of mind. Yes! Djokovic is an avid meditator.

For over 10 years, he has been practising meditation daily and says that it's a key component to his athletic success.

"Meditation may not be the only factor," Djokovic says. "But I know it can greatly help all tennis players."

He ensures he visits the Buddhapadipa temple near Wimbledon to sit under a tree and meditate. He also won a title through excruciating pain after tearing an abdominal muscle. He gives credit to meditation that has allowed him through the pain.

"Meditation can be many things, but as professional athletes we are always active," he said "we need a lot of energy on the track, a very high level of concentration, and I think that today's technologies and distractions that we have don't allow us to pay the necessary attention to relax, breathe, recharge batteries and focus on ourselves." 

Simone Biles, the Flexibility Queen

A ten-time Olympic medalist with 7 golds, a 30-time world champion with 23 golds and a mental health advocate, Simon Biles often opened up about her mental health journey and encouraged others to own their mental health path.

She believes in staying grounded with everyone's support, and meditation is her best friend through all of her gymnastics career.

Simone Biles was seen meditating in the middle of a competition at this summer Olympics in August after winning the all-around competition. 

"Mental health matters", says Biles.

Lee Keifer, the Powerful Foil Fencer 

Lee Keifer is an American right-handed foil fencer and three-time Olympic champion. She is one of the most celebrated foil fencers in American history. She won a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics.

"Yoga gives me the chance to slow down and feel in sync with my body," says Keifer "yoga has also contributed to my maturity, allowing me to tap into a sense of control more often."

Keifer tries to squeeze at least two to three vinyasa or power yoga into her schedule every week. This is all in between her strength training, fencing lessons and even medical school classes at the University of Kentucky.

Swimming and Yoga for Courtney Jordan Truitt

The Paralympic Gold Medalist Courtney Truitt has 26 medals in her name and says she added yoga into her training, giving her performance new heights. 

Truitt restarted her yoga practice in 2016, after practising for a while in college, to combat the mounting stress of pursuing her master's degree and juggling three jobs as a student-teacher, swim instructor, and youth supervisor at a local gym—all while training for the 2016 Summer Paralympics. However, she noticed yoga improved her breathing, helped with muscle recovery, and slowed her pain.

"There are a lot of connections between swimming and yoga," she says. The need to control your breath and focus really helped my performance." The payoff was four medals in the 2016 Games. "I truly wish that I had started incorporating yoga into my daily routine and training plan, earlier in my career," she says.

Andy Barron Murray Keeps Going in Tennis

Andy Barron Murray is a British former professional tennis player. He is that one player who won two Olympic gold medals. Tennis is one of the most challenging sports where you must rely on yourself to keep going in a match that can go for more than 5 hours. So, concentration is one of the most important aspects of a tennis game. 

The 2024 Paris Olympics is his final professional tennis tournament.

"I'm pretty flexible for a tennis player. Yoga has helped a lot with my fitness and mental strength", says Murray.

Andy Murray added Hot Yoga to his routine a few years back, winning Wimbledon and a gold medal in London in 2012. 

The Swimmer Winner Rebecca Soni

Rebecca Soni is a six-time gold medalist in Olympic swimming. She is also a breaststroke expert and a former world record holder in the 100-metre breaststroke.

"I wouldn't have had the success I did without Yoga", says Soni. "As an elite athlete, yoga complimented my training routine and helped provide the physical strength and fortitude when needed. It helped provide the mental calm and quiet I did not find anywhere else." 

Rebecca started doing yoga towards the end of her college and enjoyed the experience gradually over time. Eventually, yoga became a part of her routine, which she looked forward to.

"It gave me a grounding space", she says.

The Snow Queen Jamie Anderson 

Jamie Louise Aderson is an American professional snowboarder who won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics. She says that she snowboarded for the first time at age nine and immediately fell in love with the sport. 

Aside from snowboarding, Anderson practises yoga and meditation to keep healthy for upcoming competitions. 

"I do a lot of manifesting, practise yoga and eat good organic food before any competition. It has really worked out for me", says Anderson. "I feel really healthy, strong, solid and grounded."

Anderson is someone who believes in connecting with nature and letting go of what is beyond her control. Yoga is one of the few things that allows her to keep this connection.

Malaika Mihambo, the Maven of Meters

Malaika is an olympic and two time world long jump champion who is a track and field sensation from Germany. She claims that meditation makes her stronger. 

After 2016, she started focusing more on herself to try to grow as a person and improve her athletic qualities so that she could perform better.

"Meditation is a key for my preparation because I think meditation helps you to set your focus, to keep being focused over a long period of time on one thing. And it's also important because you learn how to somehow withdraw from all the pressure that's going on with you, that distracts you. ", she says.

Daily meditation and daily reflection of what she does to find her inner self is what keeps her going.

She also said that she did feel like a yogi-athlete as she loves intense meditation retreats where the focus is to meditate for hours and hours in one day. She even once meditated for 10 hours a day.

She says that meditation is something that makes her life stronger.

The Take-home Message!

There are athletes, cricketers, football players, singers, dancers, musicians, world leaders and many more who say yoga and meditation is a part of their transformative journey. These high-performance tasks take a lot away from the performer, physically and mentally. The benefit of restoring your balance through yoga and meditation is undeniable. 

By cultivating balance, focus and resilience, athletes are reaching new heights of human potential.

Read more about holistic practices for athletes in the blog, 'Guide to Ayurvedic Practices for Joint Health Maintenance in Athletes'.