Penn State Athletes Learn Meditation Before They Go Onto the Field
by Sarah Wood Vallely
Betsy Greene Schaefer of Christchurch Virginia, completed Child Meditation Facilitators training last March. Immediately afterwards, Betsy began teaching meditation at Christchurch School. This Episcopal boarding school values the development of purposeful lives and creating a strong sense of community where everyone is important, everyone is appreciated and students of all faiths are welcome. Betsy began working with the high school girls’ soccer team and later worked with their boys’ team. These teams are coached by Betsy’s husband Matt Schaefer.
While, Matt, spent time at his alma mater, Penn State, this past summer, the soccer coaches and players were fascinated with his stories about his high schoolers meditating before games. The Penn Staters were quite aware of pre-game pep talks, reviewing plays, and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, but pre-game meditation was something they had not considered. Betsy’s great work and reach now extended further beyond the scope of her small town in Virginia. The Penn State women’s soccer team wanted to experience the benefits of meditation for themselves and they chose Betsy to introduce them to this fine skill.
Early September, Betsy met up with the Penn State team before their game against William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She began their meditation by guiding the players to scan their bodies from head to toe, relaxing each body part as they progressed. Then she lead them to imagine a ball of light above their heads and asked them to set people, places, objects or feelings that bring them happiness into it this ball. Then they moved this ball down into their heart area and allowed it to fill up their whole bodies. This energy ball fed and renewed their every cell. The players allowed this feeling to unify their bodies, bringing all cells together as one.
Then Betsy guided the team to imagine touching the soccer ball with their feet and then kicking it down the field. She encouraged them to feel the ball on their feet, hear the ball tapping their shoes, hear their feet moving through the grass and see their feet dribbling with precision, activating their inner senses while continuing to unify their bodies. Lastly, Betsy encouraged the players to take this feeling of cellular unity as well as team unity onto the field during their game. After the meditation the players shared about how the meditation made them feel. Some of the comments included I feel different, more relaxed, better, calmer and simply I feel good. Many women mentioned that they enjoyed the ball of light. And as for the competition…they played an excellent game and won.
Later in the season their team made it to the Big Ten championships for the first time since 2005 and earned the program's 14th NCAA bid in a 15 year history. Although they lost the first game in the tournament ending their season, the Nittany Lions finished with a 16-8 record. Hmm… who knows, maybe the meditation helped.
More on Betsy’s Technique
During meditation, we exercise particular functions in our brains that later will perform more effectively. When we practice a process mentally, we can successfully repeat it in the real world. This is similar to firming up our muscles at the gym: we might strengthen our biceps, for example, and later be able to lift heavy boxes.
A University of Chicago study illustrates this concept. The study divided members of a basketball team into three groups. The first group practiced foul shots for an hour a day. The second group visualized shooting foul shots for an hour a day. The last group did neither. The last group did not improve; however, the first group improved by 24 percent and the second by 23 percent. We can see that simply by visualizing making baskets, the second group of players performed nearly as well as the ones who actually practiced.
Although Betsy worked with the Penn State team this one time, she works with the Christchurch teams on a regular basis. During these sessions she guides the high school players to shoot and score goals during meditation by focusing on their inner senses, especially the emotions they feel in their bodies (i.e. exhilaration). Betsy explains, “I help them get in touch with how they feel when they connect with the ball in the way they want. And then to bring that feeling into their upcoming game.”
Although the body scan and the intake of the energy ball are Betsy’s core exercises, she also offers many opportunities for the players to hear, see and feel themselves successfully accomplishing specific soccer skills such as passing and creating a solid seamless wall of defense. During other sessions she might focus on the feeling of winning and manifesting that experience in ”real life”. She anchors the experience of winning by asking the players to imagine hearing the three whistle blows that end a soccer game. Other sessions might involve working together as a team and staying positive. For example, they imagine gathering as a team before the game, hands inside the circle, looking into their team members’ eyes and feeling themselves connected as a team.
Sometimes Betsy asks the team what they need to work on and their response becomes the theme of their mediation. Betsy says, “Over time, we move from practice to playing games, to winning games, to winning championships. All the while we focus on the feeling of being unified as a person and unified as a team and of course the feeling of winning.” Betsy adds, “Most everyone’s favorite part is filling the ball of light and bringing it into their bodies.”
Betsy also leads a meditation class on campus for both students and faculty. The turn out is excellent and students receive a spirituality activity credit for participating.
Betsy Greene Schaefer of Christchurch Virginia, completed Child Meditation Facilitators training last March. Immediately afterwards, Betsy began teaching meditation at Christchurch School. This Episcopal boarding school values the development of purposeful lives and creating a strong sense of community where everyone is important, everyone is appreciated and students of all faiths are welcome. Betsy began working with the high school girls’ soccer team and later worked with their boys’ team. These teams are coached by Betsy’s husband Matt Schaefer.
While, Matt, spent time at his alma mater, Penn State, this past summer, the soccer coaches and players were fascinated with his stories about his high schoolers meditating before games. The Penn Staters were quite aware of pre-game pep talks, reviewing plays, and discussing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents, but pre-game meditation was something they had not considered. Betsy’s great work and reach now extended further beyond the scope of her small town in Virginia. The Penn State women’s soccer team wanted to experience the benefits of meditation for themselves and they chose Betsy to introduce them to this fine skill.
Early September, Betsy met up with the Penn State team before their game against William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She began their meditation by guiding the players to scan their bodies from head to toe, relaxing each body part as they progressed. Then she lead them to imagine a ball of light above their heads and asked them to set people, places, objects or feelings that bring them happiness into it this ball. Then they moved this ball down into their heart area and allowed it to fill up their whole bodies. This energy ball fed and renewed their every cell. The players allowed this feeling to unify their bodies, bringing all cells together as one.
Then Betsy guided the team to imagine touching the soccer ball with their feet and then kicking it down the field. She encouraged them to feel the ball on their feet, hear the ball tapping their shoes, hear their feet moving through the grass and see their feet dribbling with precision, activating their inner senses while continuing to unify their bodies. Lastly, Betsy encouraged the players to take this feeling of cellular unity as well as team unity onto the field during their game. After the meditation the players shared about how the meditation made them feel. Some of the comments included I feel different, more relaxed, better, calmer and simply I feel good. Many women mentioned that they enjoyed the ball of light. And as for the competition…they played an excellent game and won.
Later in the season their team made it to the Big Ten championships for the first time since 2005 and earned the program's 14th NCAA bid in a 15 year history. Although they lost the first game in the tournament ending their season, the Nittany Lions finished with a 16-8 record. Hmm… who knows, maybe the meditation helped.
More on Betsy’s Technique
During meditation, we exercise particular functions in our brains that later will perform more effectively. When we practice a process mentally, we can successfully repeat it in the real world. This is similar to firming up our muscles at the gym: we might strengthen our biceps, for example, and later be able to lift heavy boxes.
A University of Chicago study illustrates this concept. The study divided members of a basketball team into three groups. The first group practiced foul shots for an hour a day. The second group visualized shooting foul shots for an hour a day. The last group did neither. The last group did not improve; however, the first group improved by 24 percent and the second by 23 percent. We can see that simply by visualizing making baskets, the second group of players performed nearly as well as the ones who actually practiced.
Although Betsy worked with the Penn State team this one time, she works with the Christchurch teams on a regular basis. During these sessions she guides the high school players to shoot and score goals during meditation by focusing on their inner senses, especially the emotions they feel in their bodies (i.e. exhilaration). Betsy explains, “I help them get in touch with how they feel when they connect with the ball in the way they want. And then to bring that feeling into their upcoming game.”
Although the body scan and the intake of the energy ball are Betsy’s core exercises, she also offers many opportunities for the players to hear, see and feel themselves successfully accomplishing specific soccer skills such as passing and creating a solid seamless wall of defense. During other sessions she might focus on the feeling of winning and manifesting that experience in ”real life”. She anchors the experience of winning by asking the players to imagine hearing the three whistle blows that end a soccer game. Other sessions might involve working together as a team and staying positive. For example, they imagine gathering as a team before the game, hands inside the circle, looking into their team members’ eyes and feeling themselves connected as a team.
Sometimes Betsy asks the team what they need to work on and their response becomes the theme of their mediation. Betsy says, “Over time, we move from practice to playing games, to winning games, to winning championships. All the while we focus on the feeling of being unified as a person and unified as a team and of course the feeling of winning.” Betsy adds, “Most everyone’s favorite part is filling the ball of light and bringing it into their bodies.”
Betsy also leads a meditation class on campus for both students and faculty. The turn out is excellent and students receive a spirituality activity credit for participating.
