Mindfulness and Relaxation for Base Phase Training
During the base phase of training, our goal is to lay a solid mental foundation that supports both physical and mental endurance. Integrating mindfulness and relaxation exercises, especially deep breathing, into your routine can significantly enhance focus, reduce stress, and promote recovery. These techniques prepare you not only for the demands of your sport but also for life’s daily challenges, helping you remain calm, centred, and focused on your goals. Let’s explore some methods in greater detail and expand on their applications.
1. Diaphragmatic (Deep) Breathing
Practice:
Begin by practising diaphragmatic breathing, which involves breathing deeply into the abdomen rather than shallowly into the chest. This technique stimulates the vagus nerve, promoting relaxation and reducing heart rate. A simple rhythm to start with is the 4-7-8 technique:
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, allowing your abdomen to expand.
Hold the breath gently for 7 seconds.
Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth for 8 seconds.
This rhythmic approach not only calms the nervous system but also helps you focus on the present moment, which is key in mindfulness practice. As you become comfortable with the 4-7-8 timing, you may experiment with other ratios to find what suits you best. The crucial aspect is maintaining smooth, controlled, and deep breaths, ensuring a focus on abdominal expansion with each inhalation.
When to Use:
Pre-Training or Pre-Competition: Use deep breathing to calm nerves and establish focus, particularly if you feel anxious or distracted. This can reduce heart rate variability, helping you start each session with a balanced mental state.
During Workouts: Practise this technique periodically, especially during lower-intensity training, to maintain a calm state and manage any mental drift. Controlled breathing within training helps build resilience and teaches you to stay centred even in challenging moments.
Post-Workout: After intense training, deep breathing aids relaxation, accelerates the shift from a sympathetic (active) to a parasympathetic (rest) state, and supports muscle recovery.
Expanding Deep Breathing Techniques
To deepen the effectiveness of your breathing practice, try incorporating these variations and additional mindfulness elements.
2. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)
Box breathing involves breathing in, holding, exhaling, and pausing for equal counts of 4. This balanced pattern:
Inhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Box breathing is commonly used by high-stress professionals (e.g., military personnel) as a way to regulate stress and build focus. This technique stabilises breathing patterns, promotes calm, and is ideal for use before particularly demanding sessions or races.
3. Body Scan with Breathing
Combining deep breathing with a body scan is an excellent way to develop awareness of physical sensations, relieve muscle tension, and connect to the present moment. Here’s how to try it:
Start with diaphragmatic breathing.
As you breathe, mentally scan your body from head to toe, observing any areas of tension or discomfort.
With each exhale, focus on “letting go” of tension in specific areas, such as the shoulders, neck, or lower back.
The body scan can be particularly beneficial post-training, promoting relaxation and helping to identify areas that may need extra attention in your recovery routine.
4. Mindful Breathing with Visualisation
Visualisation adds a layer of intentional focus to breathing practice, which can be especially valuable during longer endurance events:
Begin with deep breathing, focusing on a slow, controlled rhythm.
Imagine your breath as a wave or light flowing through the body, bringing calm and energy with each inhale and releasing stress with each exhale.
Visualise challenging aspects of your sport, like a steep incline or long stretch, and practise maintaining calm as you “breathe through” these imagined scenarios.
Visualisation combined with deep breathing builds mental endurance and prepares you to remain calm and focused during real-life competition challenges.
Further Developments for Enhanced Relaxation and Recovery
To expand on these foundational techniques, try introducing breathwork that gradually builds tolerance to discomfort and strengthens your mental resilience:
5. Extended Exhale
Lengthening the exhale phase of breathing can significantly boost relaxation. Extending the exhale to be longer than the inhale naturally activates the parasympathetic nervous system, supporting deep relaxation:
Inhale for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 6–8 seconds, letting go of all tension with each breath out.
Use this technique particularly in the evening or when winding down to improve sleep quality and recovery.
6. Alternate Nostril Breathing
Known as Nadi Shodhana in yoga practice, alternate nostril breathing has been shown to reduce stress, balance the autonomic nervous system, and promote focus:
Close your right nostril and inhale through the left nostril for a count of 4.
Close the left nostril and exhale through the right for 4.
Inhale through the right, close it, and exhale through the left.
Practise this for 1–3 minutes in quiet settings, perhaps as part of your warm-up or post-training cooldown.
Tips for Consistent Practice
Incorporating mindfulness and breathing exercises into your routine doesn’t require a significant time commitment but can have profound benefits when practised consistently. Here are a few tips to make it easier:
Set a Schedule: Start with just 5–10 minutes daily, ideally in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Regular practice at the same time each day can help make these techniques a habit.
Use Reminders: Set reminders on your phone or incorporate these exercises into existing routines, such as after training, while stretching, or before bed.
Reflect on Benefits: After each session, note any changes in your mood, stress levels, or physical relaxation. Reflecting on these positive effects can motivate continued practice and reinforce its value.
By exploring and expanding your use of deep breathing, you’re not only building a mental toolset that will benefit your endurance sport but also cultivating resilience that carries into everyday life. As you master these techniques in the off-season, you’ll find it easier to stay focused, calm, and engaged during the intense demands of your competitive season. With practice, these skills will become second nature, providing a strong foundation to tackle the physical and mental challenges of endurance sports head-on.
