Mindfulness interventions can help injured athletes psychologically adapt by reducing anxiety and depression, increasing pain tolerance, and improving well-being, though their effect on physiological recovery is minimal and applicability may be limited to specific injuries. The review calls for standardized protocols and notes gaps in optimal dosage, timing, and potential adverse effects.
Meditators in Western countries reported higher levels of acceptance and non-judging, but similar levels of mindful attention, compared to meditators in India. For Eastern meditators, mindful attention was negatively associated with acceptance and non-judging, while for Western meditators these variables were not associated. Western meditators reported lower depression, anxiety, and stress than Eastern meditators, but life satisfaction did not differ between groups. Acceptance explained significant variance in depression, anxiety, and stress for both groups. Acceptance and non-judging explained life satisfaction for Western meditators, but only mindful attention did so for Eastern meditators. The findings suggest Western and Eastern conceptualizations of mindfulness may differ, indicating a need for culturally valid mindfulness scales.
A scoping review mapped the existing literature on mantra meditation in sport contexts, clarifying its conceptual distinctions from self-talk. Six articles were included after screening 17,670 records. Athletes reported using mantras to regulate attention, maintain pace or rhythm, cope with fatigue and psychological stress, and support spiritual meaning and mental well-being. The limited number of studies highlights the early stage of research; further high-quality empirical work is needed to clarify mechanisms and effectiveness of mantra meditation as both a mental training and coping strategy in sport.