Trinity Thomas, Beam, and Present-Moment Awareness
Trinity Thomas, Beam, and Present-Moment Awareness by Lisa Mitzel, President, Zen Tiger Mind In stunning NCAA gymnastics, Trinity Thomas has been one, so exquisite, we can’t keep our eyes off her. Trinity has been perfect on every event, earning a “gym-slam,” and capturing 28 perfect 10s in her career, the highest in NCAA history. Balance beam has been one of her steadiest with 6 perfect 10.0s. Whaaat? How does she do it? Well, her success is deeply rooted in mental training called present-moment awareness. A calm, methodical focus that comes from years of practice and desire. When Trinity performs, there is no effort, only flow. She is nothing short of a master. Each kick, jump, and point have an exact spot in the air. Every leg is locked. Her style is slick, smooth and playful. Her flawless series, a one-arm back-handspring-layout on beam, will blow you away. After thousands of hours of physical training, what it comes down to is one thing: her mind. She desires concentration, fully absorbed in present-moment awareness. In other words, she is in a state of mental immersion in every move. Can you teach this to kids? Yes. It’s not just for the elite gymnasts. It’s a mental checklist or a clock ticking that feels rhythmic and familiar. You can teach kids that it starts with a choice. Say “Shhhh” to distractions, “I’m going to concentrate for one minute.” Focusing is a cool thing. Make it fun and intriguing for kids to hold their attention on one thing at a time. Let’s look at Trinity’s layout series as a checklist she memorized in her mind and body, and imagine. Imagine an inner feeling of exactness that also feels like home. (Read 3x at a slow pace.) Breathe out, sit, brush arms down, swing arms up – push through legs, jump up and back, split legs, see beam – place right hand on beam, step down right, left, sit – jump up and back, stretch in layout, split legs, spot beam – rotate to feet, land right, left, stick. It’s breathing one breath at a time. There is no thought of a past or future breath. Only what’s happening now. It’s a rhythm, and it feels good! Being in the present-moment is a skill Trinity has trained. It’s also a life skill, a mental health practice, to be clear and calm in your mind, not rushing, not trying hard or tensing up. Being in the present moment is cozy, soothing, and it shapes our ability to focus. In my book, Focused and On Fire, I describe this… “…in any situation, it is you and only you who decides what you think about. …you can notice air filling up your lungs, and the air going out of your body… Notice how your chest and abdomen rise on the inhale…then sink and fall slowly on the exhale. Become aware of your body calm in the present moment. This awareness will increase a peaceful, confident feeling inside…and your ability to perform.” #
A Partnership Across the Ocean
A Partnership Across the Ocean by Lisa Mitzel, President, Zen Tiger Mind We are thrilled about our new global partners, Quatro Gymnastics! Who wakes up and finds they have a new partner across the world? Well, I do. When I started my new company, Zen Tiger Mind (ZTM), I knew our mission to integrate mental health into sports would only be as strong as our products and our connection with like-minded people. I wanted to collaborate with other companies yet I didn’t know the steps or how fast the opportunity would come. Well, it arrived quickly! In 2022, in the same month of launching our company, I was in Tampa, FL, and San Jose, CA, which brought me together with reps of many leotard companies. By chance, a coach I know in So California, Tara Treacy, is also a rep for Quatro Gymnastics. She said, “I love your mats and designs. I think our company might be interested in working together.” Soon after, Tara introduced me to Kelly McKeown, President of North America and Global Sales, and Gina Pribil, Director of Marketing in the U.S, and I felt an immediate vibe. These Quatro women are intelligent, kind, and creative go-getters! After several meetings and getting to know each other, I could tell these women got it – that our mission for mental health in gymnastics is simple to practice and really transformational for kids and coaches. They loved ZTM’s fun animal characters, natural scenery, and the mental-health exercises in our Mental Power Station. They said they wanted to see how we could weave our creative ideas together and form a partnership. As the ZTM president, I said a “Yes!”, believing that Quatro was a perfect fit to join us in promoting and advocating for Mental Health and Wellness for young gymnasts everywhere. By the way, I learned that Quatro Gymnastics is not any clothing or leotard business. They are one of the premier performance and training wear companies based in the UK, plus, one of the fastest growing global companies that is family owned and run. For Zen Tiger Mind, it’s like a dream. Like reaching out across the ocean and holding hands with new exciting friends. We collaborated on a super special “mental power” leotard that’s coming out any day now, Quatro is hosting exciting events, “Lights, Camera, Sparkle,” with Zen Tiger Mind products on board, they have the amazing Trinity Thomas and Kara Eaker as superstar ambassadors, and there’s more incredible news to announce for the summer of 2023. So watch the Quatro-Zen Tiger Mind journey! Together we will lift up gymnasts everywhere with incredible training wear and impactful mental tools, and we’ll give kids a better chance to be healthy while reaching their goals. Expand the culture with us! To be Zen, to be free to perform, and feel healthy and beautiful inside and out. #