Being in the moment: Yoga and the development of concentration

Abstract

It is well known within the field of sport psychology that the ability to focus is crucial to performance, however there are relatively few empirical studies that have explored the experience of maintaining concentration or the process of developing a capacity to achieve it. This study explored concentration in terms of its development within the practice of yoga, which is an eastern discipline often used to train concentration. The two objectives of the study were to examine the experience of concentration in advanced yogis, and to explore how they developed this ability to concentrate. Eight participants were selected on the basis of two criteria: they had practiced yoga for a minimum of twenty years, and they were currently maintaining a daily practice. Two one-hour interviews were conducted in a semi-structured format and an interpretational theme analysis was used. The findings that emerged from the interviews were discussed within two main themes: The Nature of Yogic Awareness, and The Practice. It is hoped that the yogis' description of their development of concentration within yoga will help athletes and coaches to better understand the nature of concentration and the ways they could develop this skill.