Naomi Graham: I’ve mastered meditation
Despite having suffered on her way to the top table of boxing, Graham’s mindset in the ring is one of total calm.
It’s the result of years of practising meditation, both on her own and with groups in the mountains of Colorado.
While many of her rivals enter fights with rage, she opts for clarity and focus, which allows her to adapt her style as necessary.
“I meditate a lot before my fights. So I meditate on things that have happened and the positives that have come from them,” she said.
“I’m very different because most boxers have headphones on, listening to music before a fight. But I’ve mastered meditation to the point where I could just sit there, no headphones, and it would just look like I’m watching something, but I really see nothing in front of me. I am in deep thought. I can see my fights before they happen, the things that I want to do.
“If things start to go wrong, how would I adapt? I think of things like that, and I just relax my entire body because when I’m nervous or anxious, it feels like you’ve already been competing, you already feel kind of weak.
“Then right before I get in a ring, I’ll release all of it. I’ll let myself be nervous, anxious, or whatever, because the fight is right there.”