29d • Tools That Help
Meditation and Yoga: The Mind Body Reset
In 2003, I went to my first Jujitsu class.
I had been playing rugby for 15 years as a second row. My job was either to smash into people with the ball in my hands or smash people who had the ball in theirs. Not exactly a role that prioritised flexibility.
At the time, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu had not reached my area yet, so I started with traditional Jujitsu. I was bigger and stronger than most of my training partners and enjoyed the physical side of sparring, but I kept losing matches because I was so stiff. My joints felt like boards. Even light submission pressure forced me to tap. It was frustrating.
Then I came across a book called Real Men Do Yoga by John Capouya.
If you think yoga is only for the ultra spiritual or not for men, this book makes a strong case otherwise. Through interviews with professional athletes and practical routines, it explains how yoga improves strength, flexibility, endurance, and focus. It also helps prevent injuries and manage stress. If you train in any sport, it is worth reading.
I genuinely enjoyed yoga from the start.
I had done stretching in rugby before, but yoga felt different. Deeper. At first I struggled because I was so stiff, but my flexibility improved faster than it ever had with traditional training. My strength improved because I could move through a better range. My recovery improved. My breathing improved.
But the biggest change was mental.
The Power of the Present Moment
For years I dismissed mindfulness as nonsense.
Learning to stay present turned out to be one of the most useful skills I have ever learned.
Someone once explained meditation to me like this.
Imagine you are standing beside a busy road. The cars are your thoughts. Your job is not to stop the traffic. Your job is to watch it pass.
When you try to control your thoughts, it is like stepping into the road. Everything gets louder and more chaotic.
Meditation is not about having no thoughts. It is about not getting pulled along by them.
The same applies in everyday life. At work. In sport. During stressful moments.
When your attention stays on what is happening right now, you perform better and cope better.
Play the hand you are holding. Deal with what is in front of you first.
The Science Behind Meditation and Yoga
Research supports the benefits of both meditation and yoga.
Yoga developed in ancient India thousands of years ago as a practice linking physical movement and mental focus. Today there are many styles, from physically demanding forms like Ashtanga to slower approaches like Yin yoga.
Meditation also has roots in several long standing traditions including Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist practice. It is now widely used in modern psychology to support mental health.
A 2014 meta analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine reviewed 47 clinical trials and found that mindfulness meditation produced moderate improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain.
Source: Goyal et al., 2014
Mindfulness based approaches are also recommended by the NHS as part of treatment options for depression and anxiety in some cases.
Source: NHS Talking Therapies guidance
Making It a Habit
Like anything else, meditation and yoga take practice.
Start small.
Five minutes of breathing, stretching, or sitting quietly is enough at first. Over time you can build to ten or twenty minutes.
You do not need incense. You do not need chanting. You just need a bit of time and consistency.
If a former rugby second row with the flexibility of a plank can do it, anyone can.
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Meditation and Yoga: The Mind Body Reset
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