Christopher Blevins: The power of meditation in life and cycling
Before a race, Blevins follows a strict ritual: eating pancakes, drinking coffee, and… meditating. “I’ve really put mindfulness at the centre of my approach to being an athlete and, by extension, my life,” he said.
“In mindfulness, you have the ability to come back to the present moment again and again, and you can contextualise a larger view of what racing is for—like an act of becoming a better person, and using sport to be within that process.”
The American began this spiritual practice around six years ago after meeting Patrick Sweeney, a meditation teacher, and has since integrated it into his life as an athlete. “Training itself can be a mindful practice. I spend a lot of hours on the road alone in training, and when you come back to the simple pedal stroke, that’s a kind of practice itself,” he said.
“I’m able to combine both relaxation and ease with the full intensity and focus you need in cross-country mountain bike racing. Since it’s an endurance event, you really have to pair those two things, which in essence is yoga.”
Practising mindfulness has also helped him experience racing in a more conscious way. “I think sport is so uniquely able to show you different aspects of yourself, different emotions. In the race experience, you’re trying to achieve a flow state, where you let go of who you are and you’re just in the moment. That’s where some of the best sport moments come from—when athletes are in a bit of a flow state.”
Blevins, who travels with a meditation cushion packed in his bike case, lives in his own meditation centre, where he hopes to organise training camps soon. “I look forward to really sharing it with other athletes, having a platform to help young athletes especially, giving them the tools to work with their minds, emotions, and hearts—because that’s where the magic comes from.”