Mantra meditation in sport: a scoping review of its use as a mental training and coping strategy for psychological well-being

Overview

The purpose of this study was to conduct a scoping review to map the existing literature on the use of mantra meditation in sport contexts, clarify its conceptual distinctions from related constructs such as self-talk, and identify directions for future research. This study employed a comprehensive literature search, combining electronic database searches (including Web of Science, Psychology & Behavioural Sciences Collection, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus) with manual searches, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. The search initially identified 17,346 articles electronically and 324 articles manually. After a four-step screening process - duplicate removal, primary screening, secondary screening, and expert consensus - a total of four articles were initially included, with two additional articles added through a manual search by the first author, resulting in six articles for review. These studies were categorised into two main domains: mantra meditation as a mental training strategy and mantra meditation as a coping strategy. The findings provide preliminary insights into how athletes describe using mantra meditation in sport contexts. Across the included studies, athletes reported using mantras to regulate attention, maintain pace or rhythm, cope with fatigue and psychological stress, and support their sense of spiritual meaning and mental well-being. However, the limited number of available studies highlights the early stage of research in this area. Further high-quality empirical and intervention-based research is needed to clarify the mechanisms and potential effectiveness of mantra meditation when applied as a mental training strategy and as a coping strategy in sport contexts. What is already known about this topic: (1) Psychological strategies are widely used in sport to enhance performance, support mental well-being, and facilitate athletes’ adjustment following injury. (2) Mindfulness-based interventions have shown beneficial effects for athletes, including injured athletes, particularly in relation to stress regulation and psychological adaptation. (3) Sleep disturbance, attentional deficits, and emotional dysregulation are common psychological challenges associated with sports injury and rehabilitation. What this study adds: (1) This study provides the first scoping review of the empirical literature on mantra meditation in sport, mapping how it has been conceptualised both as a mental training strategy and as a coping strategy. (2) Findings suggest that athletes reported using mantras to regulate attention, maintain pace or rhythm, cope with fatigue and psychological stress, and support psychological well-being during sport participation. (3) Existing studies indicate that mantra practices have been used by athletes across different sport contexts, including training and competition.

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Source

• Mantra meditation in sport: a scoping review of its use as a mental training and coping strategy for psychological well-being. — Australian journal of psychology