Dan Millman - Body Mind Mastery: Training for Sport and Life

Dan Millman captures the essence of the new sports movement and makes it available to a wide popular audience. Body Mind Mastery makes it clear that everybody is an athlete and that there is a sport for everybody.

George Leonard
Author of The Ultimate Athlete and The Life We Are Given

Dan Millman has written a superb book more than just another exercise manual. This is a well-organized, clearly written guide for the growing numbers of people who are seeking to achieve optimal levels of health, vitality, and performance in regard to all aspects of life must reading for anyone interested in preventive health, physical fitness, or human potential.

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D.
Author of Bodymind and Age Wave

Millmans book is a solid, sensible, useful volume for those of us who are unwilling to become professional athletes but who are willing to be healthier and live longer. He understands that the mind is in the body and that the body is in the mind.

Jim Fadiman, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Lecturer
Stanford University and
California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

Body
Mind
Mastery

Creating Success in Sport and Life

Also by Dan Millman

T HE P EACEFUL W ARRIOR S AGA

Way of the Peaceful Warrior
A Book That Changes Lives

Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior
Book II of the Peaceful Warrior Series

G UIDEBOOKS

Everyday Enlightenment
The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth

Divine Interventions
True Stories of Mystery and Miracles That Change Lives

The Life You Were Born to Live
A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose

No Ordinary Moments
A Peaceful Warriors Guide to Daily Life

The Laws of Spirit
Simple, Powerful Truths for Making Life Work

C HILDRENS B OOKS

Secret of the Peaceful Warrior
A Story of Courage and Friendship

Quest for the Crystal Castle
A Journey to Kindness and Wisdom

For further information:
www.danmillman.com

Creating Success in Sport and Life

Dan Millman

New World Library
Novato, California

Revised Edition Copyright 1999 by Dan Millman
The Inner Athlete Copyright 1994 by Dan Millman

Cover design: Big Fish
Cover illustration: Proportions of the Human Figure by Leonardo da Vinci
Text design and layout: Terragraphics, Berkeley, California
Exercise photos of Dan Millman: Tony Iadavaia, Photography Unlimited

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Body mind mastery : creating success in sport and life / Dan Millman.

p. cm.

Rev. ed. of: The inner athlete. c1994
ISBN 1-57731-094-2 (alk. Paper)

AthleticsPsychological aspects. 2. Physical fitnessPsychological aspects. 3. Success. I. Millman, Dan. Inner athlete.

First printing, April 1999

ISBN 1-57731-094-2

Printed in Canada on acid-free, recycled paper

Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To those who live in the moment of truth,
who confront their fears and never stop dreaming,
who strive for body mind mastery
whether or not they make the varsity team

My deepest appreciation to the following people who contributed, directly or indirectly, to this book: my parents, Herman and Vivian Millman, for their love and support; my past coaches, Xavier Leonard, Ernest Contreras, and Harold Frey, who helped me more than they will ever know; my teammates, for their friendship and support; and the body mind masters East and West who lighted the way and on whose shoulders I stand.

Special thanks to Alfie Kohn, author of No Contest: The Case Against Competition, and Womens Sports and Fitness magazine for their kind permission to excerpt Dr. Kohns work; and to John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, whom Ive used as a resource.

Deep appreciation to Jason Gardner and the staff at New World Library for their initiative and enthusiasm in creating the finest edition ever of this book.

Finally, every book I write reflects the love, support, and patience of my family.

In each of us are heroes;
speak to them and they will come forth.
Anonymous

T he announcers voice quivers with excitement as the video begins to play: Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see a feat performed for the first time by David Seale a feat requiring total concentration, daring, and coordination. What you are about to observe did not happen overnight but was the result of months of preparation. Here he goes!

A figure appears on the screen. David looks relaxed and confident, about to begin a complex series of movements and balances. He stands momentarily poised on the brink; then, with eyes locked straight ahead, his mind focused completely on the task at hand, he begins to move. His body remains relaxed as he engages the first move.

Suddenly, with a tremor, he starts to fall. Quickly, David catches himself, and without wasting a moment on anger or fear stands again and continues toward his goal, his face serene yet concentrated.

As he nears the goal David has another near miss but again regains his balance. He reaches out, his face beaming. After a final moment of suspense, those watching breathe out and applaud with delight as ten-month-old David Seale, master athlete, grasps his mothers outstretched arms. Recorded by his fathers camcorder, David has walked his first steps across the living room rug.

You, too, were a body mind master in infancy: your mind focused on the present moment, free of concern or anxiety; your body relaxed, sensitive, elastic, and aligned with gravity; your emotions spontaneous and uninhibited. Even now, you contain the potential for body mind mastery. Within you, a natural athlete is waiting to be born.

We begin life with nearly unlimited potential. But then we lose touch with many of our childhood skills, through limiting beliefs, emotional conflict, and physical tensions. Body Mind Mastery provides the means to reclaim your clarity, serenity, and power creating success not only in the realm of sports but in the larger game of life.

T he short lives of the laurel wreaths worn by the ancient Olympic champions remind us that victory is fleeting, that moments of glory quickly fade. Even those who shine in their chosen field still confront the challenges of everyday life relationships, study, and career. What approach to training best prepares us for emotional and psychological challenges in the arena of daily life?