The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance

Written by George Mumford and Phil Jackson

Narrated by JD Jackson

Michael Jordan credits George Mumford with transforming his on-court leadership of the Bulls, helping Jordan lead the team to six NBA championships. Mumford also helped Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom and countless other NBA players turn around their games. A widely respected public speaker and coach, Mumford is sharing his own story and the strategies that have made these athletes into stars in The Mindful Athlete: The Secret to Pure Performance. His proven, gentle but groundbreaking mindfulness techniques can transform the performance of anyone with a goal, be they an Olympian, weekend warrior, executive, hacker, or artist.

Mumford’s deeply moving personal story is unforgettable. A basketball player at the University of Massachusetts (where he roomed with Dr. J, Julius Erving), injuries forced Mumford out of the game he loved. The meds that relieved the pain of his injuries also numbed him to the emptiness he felt without the game and eventually led him to heroin. After years as a functioning addict, Mumford enrolled in Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, and made meditation, on and off the cushion, the center of his life. He kicked drugs, earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology and began teaching meditation to inmates and others.

When Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls to play baseball in 1993, the team was in crisis. Coach Phil Jackson, a long-time mindfulness practitioner, contacted Dr. Kabat-Zinn to find someone who could teach mindfulness techniques to the struggling team—someone who would have credibility and could speak the language of his players. Kabat-Zinn led Jackson to Mumford and their partnership began. Mumford has worked with Jackson and each of the eleven teams he coached to become NBA champions. His roster of champion clients has since blossomed way beyond basketball to include corporate executives, Olympians, and athletes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Mar 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781511364577

George Mumford

George Mumford is a psychologist and elite performance expert who has worked with athletes such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He is the author of the groundbreaking The Mindful Athlete, has consulted with high school, college, and Olympic athletes, inmates, and corporate executives, and is a sought-after public speaker at both business and athletic conferences, nationally and internationally.

Reviews for The Mindful Athlete

[Gabriel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Life changing stuff. Knowledge that can be applied to every moment of one's life. Remember friends be here now.

[Kerem van Pelt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book about sport and mindfulness! Contains lots and lots of wisdom!

[roberts bērziņš · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good and motivated book for athletes and anyone else who struggles.

[Ryan Stephens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the concepts and quotes. Performance is a mental game, especially when you want to be excellent. appreciate his perspective and willingness to share his own story

[Dana Horton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reader had a great voice. Direct suggestions that are immediately applicable to real life.

[Felix Whise · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the presented idea and thoughts about mindfulness in the realm of sports. I wish the book was longer though to include some more concrete excercises.

[xavi Kelly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the approach and how well studied the author it’s on the subject. Quoting great books such as the men in search of meaning and Joseph Campbell “Power of myth”.

[d-fbuser-289224116 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant book! Practical, insightful and filled with nuggets of wisdom. Thanks George Mumford for sharing your journey.

[nja4348 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great listen. Will definitely listen to it again in the future.

[mattdaniels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Immediate life changing and very easily digestible. Highly recommend this to anyone.

[Kevin Mornot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. Good insight on how to live in the moment

[Money Singh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

No need to write a 7 hour book, one hour lecture would have been enough.

[olisa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book was insightful and informative, George Mumford knows his stuff.

[D Makhathini · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The book covered mindfulness as a necessary foundation for peak performance in sport an in life. Not the best written book but definitely worthwhile for someone looking for guidance to understand and improve mindfulness, enhance performance using five super powers (faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight) , living in the present moment, and focusing on the journey and not the destination.

[SmartSysta Knows · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was amazing do more I really learned a lot from this book

[Evgeni Orlov · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Some interesting topics, but not enough to keep me fully immersed. Found myself losing interest quite often.

[Altaveyda Soriano · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, insightful about mindfulness and how to incorporate it in physical performance. I recommend it to anyone practicing any kind of sport as in a hobby or professionally, learning how to be present and to enjoy the movement is the key.

[Petra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. I loved it so much. It is full with a lot of interesting informations that worth a lot.