What is mPEAK?
Mindful Performance Enhancement Awareness & Knowledge (mPEAK)
mPEAK is a performance mindfulness based approach designed specifically to help athletes reach their peak potential. We teach mindfulness skills to take your performance to the next level in your sport or specific area of performance by utilizing the power of neuroscience to train your brain with mindfulness, compassion, and find greater FLOW in your life.
mPEAK was designed by neuroscientists at the UC San Diego Medical School in conjunction with the Center for Mindfulness to create a cutting edge performance training program for the US BMX cycling team. It has since been adopted by several Olympic Training Programs, US Special Operations, law enforcement, Homeland Security, and professional sports teams to increase awareness, performance, and resilience in their respective fields.
How does mPEAK help?
While this program is designed for athletes, it is also beneficial to musicians, dancers, law enforcement, first responders, executives and anyone who sets large goals and pushes themselves towards excellence. Participating in this 3-day intensive program satisfies one of the prerequisites for becoming an mPEAK program teacher. Meditation experience is not necessary to participate in this 3-day intensive, but it can facilitate a deeper learning experience.
Objectives:
Workshop Details
The 3-day Intensive mPEAK program will help attendees delve deeply into mindfulness practice; explore how this can support their desire to achieve, improve, create and excel; and will provide opportunities to enjoy activities of daily life.
While the curriculum can be tailored for specific settings, teams and organizations, the basic mPEAK program is formulated as a 3-day intensive workshop followed by 6 weeks of virtual sessions to deepen the participants mindfulness practice and integrate the four pillars of mPEAK into daily routines in the workplace, the training environment or in competition. All sessions provide a safe forum for dialogue, questions and comments.
mPEAK Pillars
During the mPeak workshop you will learn about the 4 pillars:
1
Inhabiting Your Body.
The first section of the course establishes the body as the primary focus of attention and platform upon which mindfulness unfolds. It introduces participants to the experience of mindful awareness of the body.
2
Getting Out of Your Own Way and Letting Go.
The second section is devoted to addressing initial challenges encountered by participants, the universality of the wandering mind and the fruitlessness of trying to stop the mind from wandering. Recognizing “story” and showcasing the way in which we think influences how we perform.
3
Dancing With Pain and Working with Difficulty (Fear, Stress and Failure).
The third section is designed to challenge the notion that avoidance is the best strategy when it comes to difficulty arising (e.g. pain, fear, stress, failure, etc.) and to use the experience of working with the body as a way of grounding oneself in the moment in the face of difficulty.
4
The Pitfalls of Perfectionism and the Glitch in Goals.
This final section deals with the contradictory nature of some concepts and attitudes that seem to be positive, but have some hidden limitations. Perfectionism and self-criticism can seem to be good motivators, but research clearly shows that people perform more effectively when motivated by encouragement, reward and self-compassion. Specific exercises and practices will be taught to address these findings and support people in finding optimal ways to motivate themselves and achieve their goals.
Follow up Sessions
After the three-day workshop is complete, we offer six weeks of 1-hour online video sessions with the trainers. These follow up sessions are designed to encourage your continued mindfulness practice, provide additional information and guidance, and help you on the challenges that arise in the real world. Each session will also include a specific relevant topic to focus the meeting and reinforce the importance of continued practice. Our instructors are committed to providing an environment of respect, safety, support, privacy, individual responsibility and compassion.
To develop an mPEAK workshop tailored to your specific needs please contact our team.