The development of mind and spirit might not be the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about the benefits of sports, but researchers have found that many sports are very effective in the development of mind and spirituality. This article will look at the most popular sports for developing your mind and spirituality.
Sports primarily focused on mental ability
Generally, the best sports to develop one’s mental capabilities are sports that are dependent on intelligence or understanding of the game or other players. With the increasing connectedness of people through the internet, online games keep rising in popularity. Some people argue that these games can’t be classified as sports due to the lack of physical ability required, but officially games played online or on a computer can classify as sports due to there being a clear winner in these games.
Chess
Chess isn’t a new sport by any means, but it can be now played online with the internet. This has led to a massive increase in its popularity among people of all ages as it is an easy game to learn but has many complexities to make it an exciting competitive sport. It’s very easy to play chess online through many websites, where you can play chess tournaments online and compete against other players.
Chess requires a deep mental understanding as it allows you to read patterns and plays on the board alongside reading your opponent. Chess is a great sport to develop one’s mental capabilities. Chess also teaches us to be thoughtful about every move and be wary of the consequences, just like one might do in real life.
E-Sports
E-sports, also known as electronic sports, has seen a massive rise in popularity over the last decade. Despite many people disregarding e-sports as an actual sport, it is a very competitive and growing scene. Most games that are played competitively are played as a team and require a lot of cohesion between all team members. Like other traditional sports, E-sports has a lot of skill involved in getting to the top without the physical aspect. The sole focus on using your skill to outplay your opponents makes it a mental battle a lot of the time.
Traditional sports
The former mentioned sports might be rising in popularity, but it is still much less than how popular traditional sports such as football and basketball are. There is a lot of strategy and thinking involved in these sports, but they aren’t generally thought of as sports requiring a lot of mental intelligence. In reality, athletes who play these sports and excel have to be knowledgeable about their field. Intelligence in these athletes cant be measured in a general way, like an IQ test, but instead must be looked at with relevance to what they do. The ability to make snap decisions on the football field or knowing what play might bring the most chance of success is what can be the difference in the sport. Spirituality and self-belief are also major factors in excelling in these sports. Many researchers have found that to be successful in these sports; one must have a level of self-actualization and drive to become better. This, in turn, helps in mental and spiritual development.
Spiritual exercises
The most popular spiritual exercise in the world is yoga. Despite not having any form of competitiveness in it, yoga is still recognized as a sport by the Olympic committee due to the extreme physical requirements it has at times. Yoga is meant to relax a person, and it allows spiritual growth in that person.
There are many other ways people like to achieve spiritual growth, like meditation and working out at a gym, but these exercises are not recognized as sports on their own. Working out is done by many athletes, but it is not a sport.
Sports allow people to have a good time with themselves or with other people, so it’s great that they also help in spiritual and mental growth. Be it children or the elderly; everyone can reap the benefits of this.
