Adam Bernero, Seattle Mariners’ mental performance coach
Have you felt anxious or overwhelmed recently? Finding it hard to focus? Nowadays, our mental health has never felt more important. Former MLB pitcher and current Seattle Mariners’ mental performance coach, Adam Bernero knows about the importance of having a strong mental game.
Bernero first learned about the connection between our mindset and performance when he was playing professional baseball. “Baseball and sports, in general, teach us so much about ourselves if we are open to the lessons,” said Bernero. “The mental game is the gateway to our physical abilities. Meaning, it's harder to access your abilities without knowing how to get there. Having a strong mental game is key.”
After his professional baseball career, Bernero transitioned to being a mental performance coach. He talked about how his life’s purpose and current career align. “Something we had to do when we started our graduate program was to write our purpose down,” said Bernero. “My answer hasn’t changed from then and it's nice to reflect on sometimes. My purpose: to walk with athletes on their journey of becoming the best version of themselves.”
Even though Bernero works mainly with professional athletes in his job, his strategies and practices can be applied to your life. “I think it’s important to point out that mindfulness can exist with everything we do. It doesn’t always have to “look” a certain way.”
“I get anxious sometimes in wanting to just get through trivial things like washing clothes, dishes, or responding to emails. I've been noticing that feeling of rushing through those things and instead, breathing into the moment and learning to enjoy the time I have doing the task.”
He shared his favorite ways that you can add mindfulness practice into your daily routine:
Yoga
“Not only does this do wonders for your body,” said Bernero. “It helps you push through self-imposed limitations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a class and thought, ‘that’s as far as I can go.’ Then I breathe into that moment and I’ve reached a new limit. Yoga is a good reminder that those limits exist in our minds.”
Meditation
“There is endless research on the benefits of meditation. Don’t get bogged down with some preconceived idea of what you have to do to meditate. I meditated in my car for three minutes today. Find a style and learn as you go.”
“In meditation, we move not just from conscious mind to subconscious mind, but also from selfish to selfless…from being someplace to being no place, from being in time to being in no time…Meditation takes us from survival to creation; from separation to connection; from imbalance to balance; and from the limiting emotions of fear, anger, and sadness to the expansive emotions of joy, freedom, and love.”
– Joe Dispenza
Fasting
“Yeah, I said it. Does it suck? Yes, but so does getting pulled in unwanted directions by your mind. It also puts you squarely in touch with your mind. Something a lot of us don’t really have a strong relationship with unfortunately.”
Being in Nature
“Remember the last time you went for a hike and got to the top? Did you notice the calm you felt? The earth has a frequency it emits. When we are in nature, we get more in tune with that frequency. Babies sync their heartbeats with their mothers, sync yours with our mother!
I do this every morning in my routine by walking outside barefoot for ten minutes before I meditate.”
Breath Work
“It’s the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do before we die, and yet we are often unaware of it. Read a book or listen to the many resources on breathing correctly. The book I’m currently reading is Breathing for Warriors by Belinda Vranich.”
Dance
“Can you think of anything else that puts you in the moment more than dancing freely?”
Remember You Have a Choice
“Ultimately, we have control of our minds. We are always at choice. Being negative or being positive is on you.”
If you’re looking to expand your mindfulness practice, Bernero recommends the following apps:, Insight Timer, Ten Percent, Calm, and Headspace. “All of these are good and offer similar things but have different variations of learning.” For mindfulness related reading, Bernero’s favorites include anything written by Mark Nepo, The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great by Joshua Medcalf, and Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
When asked about how he’s adjusting his mindfulness practice over the last few months, he replied, “My formal practice of meditation has stayed consistent. The only thing I’ve adjusted is being more aware of my thoughts and actions. Being in public during this time has offered a new way of being mindful of social distancing and other people in general. I think people struggle with the idea of mindfulness when they are outside of their homes. The practice of mindfulness is teaching us how to create space between stimulus and response. In that space is where the goodness is.”
We enjoyed talking with Adam Bernero at our May “Building Positivity and Strong Mental Health '' virtual event and look forward to applying his lessons to our daily lives. Follow Adam on Instagram for his latest mindfulness tips.