Mumford George - The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance

Proper mental preparation can be the difference between average and good, or very good and great. George is able to help make that difference.

Al Skinner , Jr ., former coach, Boston College Eagles mens basketball 19972010

Working with George in my college years was a turning point in my career as an athlete and in my life. Our many discussions, his advice, and his support helped me become confident in myself. Because of him, I am the player and person that I am today.

Laura Georges , France womens international soccer team

George steadily kept me mentally ready for games, building my self-confidence and keeping me calm and relaxed via self-talk exercises and weekly meetings.

Reggie Jackson , point guard, Detroit Pistons

George has been able to help me think about the sport of basketball from a different perspective. He has shown me everything isnt physical; a lot of it is mental, including self-talk. Being able to use self-talk as a self-motivation aid is something I put into practice every day.

Wayne Selden , Jr ., guard, Jayhawks, Kansas University NBA prospect

George has helped me realize that the mental side of athletics is just asif not moreimportant than the physical aspect of the game. By focusing on the mental aspect of the game, it will help improve my physical result.

Zach Auguste , Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward, NBA prospect

George has been the most significant teacher I have had in body, mind, and spirit. He opened doors for me that forever changed my perception of the game. I have never met a being more present, or who responds more intelligently in the present moment. He is a true teacher; one who shares, guides, and will lead you to uncover your own power to elevate your game both on and off the court. Hes the type of teacher that you go back to years later to say, thank you.

Nancy Legan , former captain, Boston College Eagles womens volleyball

George did a tremendous job of teaching our players and staff that being mentally prepared is just as important as being physically prepared. He also taught us the importance of staying mentally present which allows you to be your best in the moment that you are in.

Milan Brown , coach, The College of the Holy Cross Crusaders mens basketball

George has helped me become a better me! His wisdom on being a mindful athlete stems from the core of who and what mindfulness looks like in its greatest form. The Mindful Athlete will change what it means to be an athlete forever!

Steven Hailey , former point guard, Boston College Eagles mens basketball

George Mumford has tremendous knowledge and experience in sports psychology that helps players and teams perform at peak potential. Every athlete has highs and lows throughout their careers. George helped me gain perspective and change my outlook when I was in a rut and I emerged as a better player, leader, and person. I am honored to have worked with George and I know others can learn from the insight he shares.

Kia McNeill , assistant coach, Northeastern University Huskies womens soccer

Understanding why I was doing something, how to achieve that goal, and approaching the task from a clear, stable mental, emotional, and physical standpoint is what George helped me to achieve. This provided purity in the process, whether outcomes were good or bad, and enabled me to accept the outcomes knowing that I put my mind, body, and soul into achieving my goal.

Kyle Casey , former co-captain, Harvard Crimson mens basketball

Working with George has allowed me to develop mindfulness of my body and my surroundings. That has not only improved my play on the field but has helped me develop as a person and uncover the characteristics that I want to be and express in my life.

Max Breiter , high school soccer player

I told George once, it seems like playing goalie is all mental. He laughed and said everything is mental. Teaching me how to play the mental game, George has helped me unlock conscious performance.

Henry Donnellan , high school lacrosse player

A truly valuable, unique, and inspiring door into the cultivation of mind-body unity and purpose. Georges love of basketball and of life comes through on every page and shapes his remarkable story and the enormous impact he has had at the highest levels of The Game. But Georges real message here is that anybody can cultivate mindfulness through ongoing practice, fine-tune his or her way of being, and thus, take care of what most needs taking care of and do what most needs to be done.

Jon Kabat-Zinn , founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Full Catastrophe Living and Mindfulness for Beginners

Full of wisdom and heartboth a moving story and powerful practices from a very fine teacherGeorge Mumford shows how to find freedom in a game fully played and a life well lived.

Jack Kornfield ,A Path with Heart

George Mumford has written a fantastic bookinspiring, funny, and insightful. Im amongst the people who have urged George for years to write a book, and I couldnt be happier for him, and all of us who get to read it and reread it. Qualities like mindfulness, concentration, trust, and the forging of a team spirit really come alive.

Sharon Salzberg ,Real Happiness and Real Happiness at Work

George Mumfords insight into mindful performance has helped many world-class athletes reach their true and full potential. This engaging book will help you to lower your stress level and raise the bar in your own game and life.

Jim Afremow , PhD, The Champions Mind

THE MINDFUL ATHLETE

Parallax Press

P.O. Box 7355

Berkeley, California 94707

Parallax.org

Parallax Press is the publishing division of Unified Buddhist Church, Inc.

2015 by George Mumford

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover and text design by Josh Michels

Cover image EvgeniyQ by iStock/Getty Images

Author photo Nancy Carbonaro

eISBN: 978-1-941529-07-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request

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May all beings

experience excellence

and wisdom with

grace and ease.

CONTENTS

Over twenty years ago, I asked George Mumford to come and teach our players the skill of mindfulness. George had been recommended by Jon Kabat-Zinn as a teacher who would fit in well with our players because he knew mindfulness, and he had played basketball and attended the University of Massachusetts back in the day of Al Skinner and Dr. J, so we knew he understood the game. George came and we hit it off. Our relationship blossomed and now we are working together again in the NBA and he has written this wonderful book.

I had tried using meditation with my Chicago Bulls teams during the early nineties. We had been successful as a team and I believed they had the ability to focus on and accomplish whatever tasks were put in front of them. The next group of players that we brought in with the team didnt have Michael Jordan as a leader and we needed some way to practice focus and concentration, as well as deal with stress, and develop our ability to work together as a team. I thought the teams training in mindfulness should fall on the shoulders of George as our meditation teacher rather than on me as their coach.