The human mind is one of the most untapped resources for athletes and everyday people. Training it can enhance your athletic performance, mental well-being, and effectiveness at work and in relationships. Directing your attention from one task to another is a skill anyone can learn and is the bedrock of self-awareness. Whether you're an elite athlete, an amateur musician, or simply interested in the power of the mind, this episode will benefit you.

My guest today is Kunashni Parikh, she’s a Clinical Psychologist, Sports Psychologist, and Behavioural Neuroscience Research Scholar from the University of British Columbia (UBC), she’s also a former Vice-Captain and Goalkeeper for India U-17 and Vancouver United Football Club in Canada.

Today we discuss:

How meditation can improve sports performance

Why you should train your mind

How to hold a plank for 30 minutes

How to develop an effective pre-performance routine

How to incorporate visualisation into your plan

How to clear psychological blocks which affect your game

How mirror neurons can help you perform better

The misconceptions of sports psychology

How to minimise the post-Hyrox dopamine drop

How to use meditation for motivation

And

Kunashni’s Four Key Protocols for Improved Performance

Please enjoy my conversation with Kunashni Parikh.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:32 The Role of a Sports Psychologist

13:44 Becoming Acutely Aware of the Need for Sports Psychology

18:36 Day-to-Day Work as a Psychologist

26:25 Visualization

29:23 Visualization in the Sauna

29:52 Vulnerability and Masculinity in Sports

32:40 Benefits of Meditation

42:40 The Power of Journaling

53:00 Pre-Performance Routine

01:01:14 Managing Post-Event Dopamine Crashes

Keywords

sports psychology, athletic performance, mental well-being, visualization, performance pressure, motivation, injuries, mental strength training, misconceptions, visualization, meditation, journaling, mirror neurons, empathy, concentration, sustained attention, cognitive behavioral therapy, pre-performance routine, dopamine drop, mental fatigue

Hashtags

#sportspsychology #adviceforathletes #mentaltraining

#podcast #awakenoutofcontext

***LINKS***

Kunashni's Website

https://bit.ly/3T45aMP

Kunashni’s Instagram

https://bit.ly/4dzSkxX

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