When you think of the words 'competitive gamers', what is the first thing that springs to mind? We get so caught up in thinking that gamers are all just about strategy and furious tapping on keyboards, we forget that physical and mental wellbeing are two of the most crucial things for gamers.
IOL Tech chatted to Goliath Gaming's Brendon Hill on how he helps the team get their game on through yoga, reflection and meditation.
Hill's involvement in the bootcamp are multiple one-hour yoga sessions. In these sessions, the team works on breathing exercises, a Hatha yoga sequence and a short moment of silent reflection.
The class is broken into 3 sections: the asana, breathwork and meditation.
The asana practice is the physical movements, the focus is on the spine and getting the team to work out all their energy.
Once the asana are complete, players sit still without fidgeting and spend a few moments focusing on various breathing techniques. Hill's primary focus has been deep breathing, but noted there are many others to practice.
Lastly, with the eyes closed and the breathwork complete, they all sit for a moment in silence to absorb the practice.
From Monday to Saturday, the team participates in calisthenics bodyweight strength work in the morning.
In the afternoon, there is a Hatha yoga session that includes breathwork and meditation. Players then have the Sunday to rest.
Hill concentrates on physical, mental/emotional wellbeing of the players to help them perform their best.
When asked how yoga helps the gamers, Hill emphasised the importance of keeping our "biological machines well-serviced".
"First we are bodies, physical beings that engage with the world through our biological machine. You must keep your machine well serviced. Mental fortitude and focus is one of the most desirable traits of any professional. Gamers are most certainly not excluded from this. Yoga has a strong emphasis on mindfulness. Meditation is often practiced as focusing on your breath, this translates to focusing on focus. Sounds strange but focus is a muscle that needs exercising."
Due to gamers sitting for long periods of time, the spine suffer tremendous damage. "When the players are younger it may not feel like much but as they age they will feel the effects of their habits. To speak of the positive, the systems of your body functioning correctly will also translate to better play."
"We are incredibly subject to our biology, if the right physical care is taken the potential performance is increased. It's really as simple as that."
So what about the importance of mental wellbeing for competitive gamers?
Hill explained that due to gamers experiencing high stress situations, it is important to manage that stress.
"Gamers are shoved into high stress situations quite frequently. Every tournament is all or nothing to the player and his/her team. The player is responsible for their action in securing the win and to the relationships with the other members. This is a tough thing to manage on its own nevermind the constant drive to be better than yesterday. Anything from a mishap in game or an argument with a teammate can send the player into a downward spiral. The players and coaching staff can be equipped to deal with the inevitable “human” factor. It's not that events should not bother the team, they most certainly should be bothered by things that go wrong. It's that those bothers don’t go further than they need to."
He continued: "Esport athletes can benefit more directly to the practice of yoga than the average person. They are often thrust into high stress situations and hours behind a computer will take its toll. The mindfulness aspect of Yoga gives these players the tools to remain calm in emotionally charged situations."
Hill said an hour every day is a nice round number to aim for gamers (or anyone) to reap benefits.
"Although 20 minutes of movement and 10 minutes of silent meditation is definitely a good start for health. What's important is consistency and creating the habits.'"
What advice does Hill have for gamers at home?
"I would recommend taking up a light yoga practice and for the adventurous, a calisthenics practice for strength will also do wonders for your overall confidence."
What about competitive gamers at home who might not be able to access a yoga instructor?
"The first thing I would say is find a teacher. Even if it's on YouTube. There are plenty of free beginner resources to find. It’s far easier to imitate someone than to figure things out on your own. There is a sequence called Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutes) that is very simple and quite easy to make a regular practice of. I would recommend everyone begin their Yoga journey by adding 12 Sun Salutes and sitting in silence for a few minutes to their daily routine."
Those interested in delving into yoga can join Brendon’s weekly yoga class on Zoom. The class takes place at 5pm on Friday’s. You can contact him at [email protected] to find out more about the classes.