Meditation Kept the Trapped Thai Soccer Team Calm and at Peace
Millions of people all over the world waited and watched the news to find out what was happening with the soccer team and their coach who were trapped deep in a flooded cave. The story captivated so many people because it seemed impossible that all the boys and their coach could be rescued and all of them would come out alive after such a terrible ordeal.
Perhaps if they had not been trapped with a former monk who still practice meditation, the outcome would have been a lot different.
Highligts of the Real Life Story
The 12 boys ranging in age from 11 to 16 and their 25-year-old coach are known as the Thai Wild Boars soccer team. They were trapped deep in a flooded cave for 18 days.
The team went missing on June 23 after soccer practice. It was 10 days before they were discovered. During that time, they had no contact with the outside world. It was another eight days before divers brought all of them out to safety on July 10.
The 25-Year-Old Soccer Coach
Ekapol Chanthawong, the 25-year-old coach of the 12-player Wild Boars soccer team has been credited with helping the boys stay calm while they went through the worst ordeal of their young lives.
Chanthawong is a former Buddhist monk. He had devoted more than a decade living as a monk. During that time, he practiced meditation. His meditation skill kept himself and the soccer team calm and in good spirits while trapped underground.
On the very day when the British divers found them, the entire group was meditating.
There is tremendous power in meditation.
People who saw footage of the boys when they were discovered after 10 days couldn't understand how calm they seemed. One of the parents thought the same thing.
Aisha Wiboonrungrueng, the mother of the youngest boy there noticed and spoke out about it. Not only did her 11-year-old son Chanin appear to be very calm, but all the boys gave that same impression.
Aisha mentioned that the boys were all calm and were just sitting there waiting. She added that no one was crying and that was astonishing.
How Meditation Helped
Those who meditate consistently know how valuable the skill is especially in dangerous and tragic situations.
Leah Weiss is a Standford expert on meditation. She was taught by the Dalai Lama. She told CNBC that meditation played a major part in keeping the group alive. The expert explained that meditation is mental training that improves focus and calmness.
Most Buddhists practice meditation often but more so in times of danger or distress.
Because the boys had limited food to eat, they were forced into a fast. Therefore, fasting and meditation went hand in hand.
Keep in mind that you do not have to be a Buddhist monk to meditate. You do not have to be involved in Buddhism at all to use the skill and get major results from it.
So, what is meditation and how is it beneficial for anybody?
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a very precise technique associated with thinking and concentrating on what is good. It is not a religion, but it helps in any religion. One of the main techniques of meditation is to remain still, not just in your body but in your mind as well.
Meditation is a practice where an individual focuses on a particular object, thought or activity, to gain a mentally clear and emotionally calm state.
Some of the things meditation does include the following effects:
- It creates calmness by slowing down the heart rate.
- It slows down breathing.
- There is a change in a person's metabolism.
- Meditation lowers the levels of cortisol and oxygen utilization.
- A person who meditates emit less carbon dioxide than a person who does meditate.
- The practice leads to lower stress levels.
- Meditation helps a person stay positive no matter how bad the situation looks.
- People who meditate appear to be more creative than does who don't.
- Those who meditate tend to have a clear focus and better outlook on life.
- Meditation is a good shield against depression.
After determining that meditation helped the trapped soccer team and their coach stay calm, the practice is getting some good coverage. More and more people will begin using the technique during some of the worst times of their lives.
