Spirituality In Sport - Essay Example

? What has been the role of spirituality in sport? Peter Russell defines spirituality as the quest to know ourselves, to discover the true nature of consciousness. Our true self only unfolds through spirituality and conscious efforts on our part to explore and unravel the infinite mysteries. We take for granted our present identity, the one that our surroundings (parents, family) have given us. But the quest for spirituality helps us discover our true identity and instills hope and faith in us (Russel, 2006). The Divine path unites us with our true identity after we decide to delve in the realm of spirituality. All religions are based on spirituality and no matter how modern we may get, we always want to know our religion’s teachings for matters of our interest, though we might not abide by the religious teachings. These matters can be our passions like music and sports. It is interesting to find out what religion has to say about sports and if there is any linkage between spirituality and sports. Something which is spiritual, touches us deeply from within, gives us peace and motivation to go on. All the successful athletes went for their passion because they found contentment and peace in the sport of their choice. It is difficult to perceive a relationship between sports and spirituality (though it exists for sure), because violence, aggression and anger is seen in sportsmen while they are battling to win the game. As per a renowned psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (who happens to be a chess player as well), sports let us be in a state of ‘flow’. This is an active state where a sportsman is just focused on the game and does not heed his surroundings. This flow state is an active state because both our mental and physical energies are devoted to just one thing: the game. Also, we are so engrossed in sports that during playing, all our worldly worries seem to drift away and we find an escape from daily tensions and stress. Other activities such as watching television are passive because they do not require one to be directly involved and concentrate solely on one thing (Taylor, 2002, Spring). Athletes drift into a passionate trance, where they relax and find serenity as sports soothe the nerves, no matter how strenuous they might be. Flow is very much similar to the dharana state of yoga which literally means concentration. The similarity is justified; because sports require 100% concentration otherwise one slipping can make you lose. Once in a state of flow, there are chances that it might deepen and the sportsman moves into a state very much similar to dhiyana (meditation state of yoga) and all of a sudden, the player’s performance improves so much that he can turn the game around. But in dhyana (referred to as the Zone by sportsmen), everything slows down so that the player is better able to think and then charge at the opponents. The zone is a transient phase and only the most professional and expert sportsmen are able to fall in it and give their best shot (Taylor, 2002, Spring). Sometimes, extraordinary and phenomenal things tend to happen that leave a mark in the minds of the spectators who are totally awed after experiencing a great feat, when players are in the state of dhyana; for instance runners feel as if they are airborne, light and highly energized during ‘tipping’ (dhyana-like state). Some sportsmen also claim that during such a phase, they can see through their bodies. These are psychic experiences and the players manage to give commendable performance during them; but there are chances that a lot of people will question the validity of these experiences. But only a genuine sportsman can verify whether these experiences are really spiritual or make-believe. After dhyana, sportsmen sometimes enter into samadhi (state of union with the divine), where they feel extremely elated: hence we can conclude that sports are a spiritual practice as it corresponds to the three states of yoga dharana, dhyana and samadhi (Taylor, 2002, Spring). Dr Susan Saint Sing, in her book, The Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul, describes the synergy of mind, body and soul during sports. Only when these three are used together harmoniously, can athletes find peace and a motivation to go on and excel. She emphasizes that it is not the medal or other accolades that drive an athlete, but the union of the mind, body and soul that give an athlete, the privilege of enjoying the Divine glory. Through her personal experience, Dr Sing explains that playing sports was her way of thanking God for His numerous blessings on her such as a healthy body. There lies a greater reward in playing the game itself, let alone winning. There is a Greek term arete (which means excellence), and this is lost if athletes play just for the sake of winning or a monetary reward (Sing, 2004). The spiritual component of sports stops the successful and great players from being lured by money and the lust for winning. It prevents money from contaminating their spirit, character and passion. Three levels of connections are involved in spirituality: to the self (inner strength), to relationships (our association with others) and to a higher Being or purpose or the Ultimate Reality. All religions propagate the message of self, relationships, higher Being, love, knowledge and harmony. Religions teach us that God is omnipresent and He is within us and around us. In sports, this concept is best understood during the ‘flow’ phase: a union of the body and mind, where the athlete feels good and knows that he is about to experience something extraordinary. During flow, an athlete feels closer to God, all the worldly tensions are drained out of him and he enjoys the incessant bliss till he is alive as a sportsman (Miller). We humans, seek salvation, appeasement and knowledge in spirituality. It is not the tangible goods or the worldly comforts that give peace and relaxation, but the relief after doing something good. Success is achieved by an athlete through practice, consistency, technique, fitness and the struggle for excellence, as opposed to winning, which is trivial in terms of spirituality. Athletes follow a rigorous training regime and runners even practice running on mountains in order to acclimatize to low oxygen conditions (because they tend to get breathless during running). Some of the sportsmen surrender and show signs of irritation because of overtraining. There can be two extremes in this case: overtraining and under-training, none of both is advisable. The teachings of spirituality also apply to sports: spirituality teaches us to strike a balance between extremes and be in the middle ground. Similarly it is advisable to practice moderately for sports otherwise athletes can become agitated and break under the pressure of overtraining (Miller). Sincerity and honesty are the two cornerstones of spirituality and if an individual possesses these two traits, he is pure at heart. These two traits bring an individual closer to success as it is the purity of the heart rather than intellect of the mind on which God rewards us. A sincere and honest sportsman, who does justice to the sport, is not only delightful to watch but also an inspiration to the multitudes of fans and budding athletes. His goodness of heart is reflected in his sport and his performance and he is not a man interested in paltry gains but a man who stands by his passion against all odds (Miller). All the religions encourage their followers to lead a good life, one that is full of tranquility, satisfaction and peace. Humility is a trait of a great sportsman, the one who bows down to God after an excellent performance. Hype should be proceeded by humility: if it is not so then the days of the athlete are clocked and his downfall is imminent. It is humility through which an athlete gains clout with the masses and witnesses their appreciation in the form of resounding applause. The criterion for being a true athlete is to go through a personal and interpersonal transformation. A very challenging aspect of spirituality embedded in sports, is the shift from the individual approach to a team-oriented one. In this, an athlete learns to play for the team rather than for his personal selfish interests and in the process, his heart and soul are cleansed (Miller). It is binding on the sportsman to have a collectivistic mindset rather than an individualistic one if he wants to have a long and prosperous career otherwise he will be posing a threat to his community and also to himself. For instance, in order to enhance performance if a sportsman takes drugs, he is being individualistic and bringing shame upon his community. When sportsmen disregard their differences and acknowledge their similarities, there is more room for forgiveness and humility because they then understand better that they are all one (Miller). Sports applies on athletes the pressure of taking down the opponents, but spirituality demands that it should enhance the humanity of both the opponents in a manner that both parties accept the victory of the victor. There should be a healthy competition and the element of unpredictability makes sports more exciting and enthralling. At the end of the day, only one party will emerge as the winner while the other party will lose. But it is essential to show sportsman spirit on the ground and ultimately it should be the win of sports and entertainment without enmity or any negative emotions. Sports are like a battle because athletes have to step out of their comfort zone and face their opponents on the ground. Once on the ground, there is no turning back and it is like a do or die situation. Each athlete has to gather all his energy and exhibit the best of his capability and chivalry (Miller). While the traditions of sports are upheld, a more superior level of consciousness is acquired by sportsmen. Athletes abide by the rules of the game and keep the tradition alive just like a staunch religious follower maintains the same form of worship. It is the athletes’ way of respecting the traditions and keeping them intact. Change in the game dilutes its fundamentals just like a change in worship strikes the basic religious beliefs (Miller). Sports have a maddening, engrossing and bewitching power as witnessed by everyone during Olympics and various World Cup Tournaments. When a runner is completely exhausted during a marathon and pants, his legs beg him to stop but the spectators around wave at him humor-filled placards to buck-up, images of his family and coach flash in his mind: tranquility, satisfaction and adrenaline make him go on and complete the last remaining mile in spite of the pressure of beating the competitors. The runner then runs for the people who believe in him and who are his strength: he feels a spiritual connection with them and he ignores the complaints of his fatigued body and just runs. He feels disconnected with his body and his spirit is elevated to the highest level of elation. Such is the power of spirituality in sports: it works wonders in an impossible situation. Most of the times, it is very difficult to separate religion from spirituality. Cricketers, after hitting a century take off their helmets and prostrate before their Lord before celebrating their accomplishment with any being from this world. At that point, their soul commands their body and takes over. (Robinson, 2007). Spirituality in sports has an educative value as well because athletes from different nationalities play on the same ground and follow the same rules for the game. Two players from countries that have bad diplomatic ties tend to forget their enmity and hatred and peace is established on the field during the game. It is also said by some commentators that Olympic-like sports are a way of celebrating differences, eliminating war and instilling peace in the world (Robinson, 2007). Opponents of the concept of spirituality in sports argue that the union between sports and spirituality is premature. There are some people who do not believe in religion, yet still they claim that they are spiritual. Spirituality depends a lot on personal beliefs of the athletes and a lot of sportsmen use religion prayers to calm down and beat stress. But it is said that when some phenomena are not explained by science, spirituality and religion are used to exaggerate them and pose them as extraordinary and supernormal. Some athletes testify that the flow state is achieved by cognitive skills acquired through particular training and practice. That is why athletes are at their full concentration during the flow state. Psychology plays a very important role in how spirituality is perceived by sportsmen: sometimes the media uses mind control techniques to prove that players are able to drift in a trance-like state where the only thing of concern to them is sports. Players tend to retain the ‘spiritual’ terminology used by media unconsciously and it gives the impression that the players are voicing their beliefs whereas in reality they are partly saying what they have been conditioned to say by their surroundings (Crust, 2006). Surprisingly, sports have been endorsed by religious leaders as well. In the year 1945 in Rome, in the address ‘The Sporting Ideal’, Pope Pius XII described how St. Paul’s teachings touched the subject of physical activity. St Paul encouraged his followers to excel in all walks of life, which included sports as well. Since the human body is a gift from the Creator, it is our duty as humans to maintain and keep it fit. Pope Pius XII regarded recreation and physical activity as a way of paying homage to God and glorifying him. Further, he advised that one should have a holistic view of life and strike a balance between mental and physical fortification. He also elaborated that sports should not be taken as a way of maintaining our bodies only, but as a way of purifying our souls and proclaiming the bounties of God. The crux of his teachings was that humans should divide and organize life among family, recreation and work. But in doing so, they should not go wayward and bear in mind that their motive is to please God (Liveingood, 2007). Experts recommend that spirituality should be taken seriously in sport psychology research and consulting: it should not be overrated though (Nesti, 2007). Sports psychologists should acknowledge each athlete’s spiritual beliefs but they should be cautious regarding consultation so that the purpose of consultation is not defeated. The aim of consultation is to achieve self-control and perform better by managing stress. The majority of experts hold the notion that cognitive skills improve performance rather than spiritual healing. Connecting spirituality to sport psychology changes the perceptions of athletes. It is better to deal differently with athletes who have spiritual beliefs and those who do not. As mentioned earlier, some athletes use prayer to remain relaxed during stress. They offer prayer before the start of a big game with the belief that prayer will make things go well. Scientific research should be conducted to find out whether prayers actually help in overcoming stress (Crust, 2006). Proving spirituality through science is tough and controversial as many people view science to be anti-religion. But the existence of the ‘flow’ and the ‘zone’ states cannot be neglected no matter how many qualms there might be regarding their sources. The spiritual content of sports is not large enough to overshadow the importance of training and practice. An athlete cannot excel by being only spiritual; he must practice hard because miracles do not happen in sports. Spirituality instills comfort, tranquility and composure in athletes but it cannot be solely held responsible for victory. A greater benefit of spirituality is that it educates and makes athletes sophisticated and welcoming human beings who are above individual differences and who play with honesty and sincerity. It moulds their personalities so that they have high morals and will not sell their values for money and will not disgrace their community. There are incidences of match-fixing in most of the sports and it reflects that such athletes have compromised on their morals. Their spirituality has faded and they need spiritual healing because through crimes such as match-fixing they are not only destroying their careers but also bringing shame upon their country, profession and righteous colleagues. It is high time that psychological consultants also teach athletes against the negative externality of such crimes! Works Cited Crust, L. (2006). Challenging the 'Myth' of the Spiritual Dimension in Sports. Athletic Insight . Liveingood, J. S. (2007). The Role of Leisure in Personal Spirituality and Religious Practises of New Paradigm Christians . Illinois: Garland Publishing. Miller, T. (n.d.). Sport and Spirituality: A Comparative Perspective. The Sport Journal . Nesti, N. J. (2007). The Role of Spirituality in Sport Psychology Consulting: An Analysis and Integrative Review of Literature. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology . Robinson, S. (2007). Spirituality A story so far . In J. Parry, Sport and spirituality (p. 7). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Russel, P. (2006, February 23). What is spirituality. Retrieved from Peter Russel Spirit of Now: http://www.peterrussell.com/Weaver/WeaverSpirituality.php Sing, D. S. (2004). Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul. St Anthony Messenger Press. Taylor, S. (2002, Spring). Spirituality: The Hidden Side of Sports . Renaissance Universal Magazine . Read More