2,006 days, 287 weeks, 67 months, 5 and a half years.
Nevertheless you need to understand it, 2,006 days is a very long time to do something constantly. Some may even name it unattainable, however not Kenji Summers. On December 25, 2017, Summers was challenged by a pal to meditate day-after-day for a 12 months; fairly quickly, one 12 months become two, two become three, and now Summers is finishing his sixth 12 months of the problem. However Summers has at all times been up for a problem—his most up-to-date being part of the SLAM Zen Collection, which is impressed by mindfulness and discovering interior peace each on and off the court docket.
“I determine mindfulness as coming again to your self and meditation as going into your self,” Summers just lately advised SLAM.
Summers has been mentored by the legendary George Mumford, who has labored with everybody from the late-Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan on the follow of mediation. The Brooklyn-native and UMass Amherst alumni can also be a former hooper, labored as a model supervisor for Nike Basketball East and based Passport Life, a non-profit group dedicated to empowering youth to journey the world.
In SLAM’s Zen Collection marketing campaign, Summers narrates the promotional video and talks concerning the essence of piece and the way, as a participant, it’s necessary to be totally current.
We talked to Summers about his tackle meditation, his private journey and the way each athlete can unlock their greater selves via this follow.
SLAM: How would you outline meditation and mindfulness?
KENJI SUMMERS: Peace. I determine mindfulness as coming again to your self and meditation as going into your self.
SLAM: Why do you meditate?
KS: I meditate to get to know myself higher. Once I began 2,006 days in the past I used to be simply attempting to flee nervousness. My ideas had been transferring continuous and life felt overwhelming. I had misplaced my job and wanted one thing to take the sting off that will not result in different uncomfortable side effects. Once I began my first meditation lasted for 3 minutes.
SLAM: You’ve spoken about studying from George Mumford, and the way his work helped you in your path to mindfulness? Do you see mindfulness as a person journey or one guided by mentorship?
KS: George Mumford is the GOAT you by no means heard of. He was the mindfulness coach to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. In 2015 he put out a ebook “The Aware Athlete” and I learn it entrance to again whereas engaged on concepts to rejoice Kobe’s final season within the League. George’s instructing has helped me see the masterpiece inside and elevate my sport to a degree of pure efficiency. At this time I don’t attempt to be anybody however myself. Mindfulness is an interior sport and if you wish to play the infinite sport—which by no means ends and is all about persevering with the play—then having a mentor is essential. All of us have these favourite lecturers or OG’s from our life, and for me, George is certainly one of them. I might nonetheless be me with out him however I’m a greater model of myself due to him. If you happen to ever meet him you’ll know what I’m speaking about. Straight Black Jedi, Yoda stream.
SLAM: What’s the infinite sport and who’s the infinite participant?
KS: The infinite sport is the boundless enviornment of life and the infinite participant is the one who thrives, transcending limits and embracing the unpredictable play, ever-evolving and adapting. Stay the infinite sport, be the infinite participant, and play as an infinite athlete.
SLAM: How is a person’s mindfulness impacted by being on a workforce?
KS: Basketball is a workforce sport. It’s a must to know your self and know your teammates. Mindfulness which I wish to name Sturdiness is all about getting proper with your self so you will get in stream together with your homies. Your teammates. Your coaches. I say your homies as a result of mindfulness just isn’t about hierarchies however recognizing roles and contributions. Meditation, which I wish to name construction is about working towards on a deeper degree. George would have MJ and Pippen and Kobe and Shaq meditate with their groups earlier than video games. No surprise such huge personalities had been in a position to get alongside and win chips throughout their time. My model is comparable and whereas I focus one-on-one, my group classes are about encouraging everybody to be their very own masterpiece in order that they will create a masterpiece with different masterpieces. Really feel me?
SLAM: How did you incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your life whenever you had been hooping in highschool and contemplating furthering your profession in basketball?
KS: I didn’t. It took me ’until I had gotten to be dream job at Nike to begin working towards. However once I look again I had glimpses of mindfulness and meditation once I was working towards Tae Kwon Do on the Vanderbilt YMCA whereas concurrently enjoying in Junior Knicks. Hoops wants these practices greater than ever. With superstars getting suspensions for psychological lapses and poor resolution making it is very important get to the foundation of the problem. It’s about stress. We don’t need to admit that we’ve got a stress epidemic. This stress epidemic connects to our consideration epidemic. In “Stolen Focus” writer Johann Hari emphasizes “In conditions of low stress and security, mind-wandering will probably be a present, a pleasure, a inventive pressure. In conditions of excessive stress or hazard, mind-wandering will probably be a torment.” Now we have to confess that we don’t really feel secure on this world. Particularly younger hoopers. There’s a degree of psychological violence inflicted on them from the time they begin exhibiting promise and the cameras go on them. As an alternative of constructing them out to be villains or victims, we’ve got to be OG’s and elders. Which means we’ve got to be sturdy and structured. What I’m doing is placing these practices into simply learnable and digestible instruments. It’s about bodily health and abilities together with psychological health and psychological abilities. We want all of them.
SLAM: How can athletes combine mindfulness into their on a regular basis lives?
KS: Begin with no matter is buggin’ you proper now. Breathe in and maintain your breath till your want to breathe is extra necessary than the problem at hand. On the breath out really feel the gratitude that at this second respiratory was all that’s necessary. From second to second having gratitude for the flexibility to breathe will present extra peace and pleasure in on a regular basis life. I name this Free Peace.
SLAM: Is there a distinction between the kind of mindfulness an athlete might follow on the court docket versus at house?
KS: Nah, the court docket is life and the life is the court docket. However beginning out figuring out that these practices will help you play higher is an actual motivation. The GOATS all have had psychological practices: LeBron, MJ, Kobe, Dr J you title ‘em. Make your follow your life and see what miracles occur.
SLAM: Do you could have any recommendation for hoopers starting their mindfulness journey?
KS: Come see me this summer season in NYC. NYC hoops is in a renaissance and I’m a part of the scenius –the genius of a gaggle of individuals and their tradition.
SLAM: May you converse on the inspiration behind the SLAM Zen Assortment?
KS: I had learn “Unlocked” by George Mumford and “Finite and Infinite Video games” by James Carse. In sitting with these books and chatting with my pal Jesse Stollak I spotted how highly effective our tales are to inform. Jesse does lots of storytelling in his function however we each join on figuring out that what we do finally is about service. Me repping Zen day-after-day via Captain Zen Backyard caps and residing my Free Peace life-style was a pure match to inform a narrative round meditation and hoops. I spotted that I had just lately unlocked my infinite athlete. It felt wavy to appreciate that there isn’t any one higher to be however myself (everybody else is taken) and I got here to consider that I needed to share my masterpiece with the world.
The SLAM Zen Collection is all about finding serenity in style.
