Dead Center: Nishkama kama in the Bhagavad Gita and elite athletic performance

Abstract

This thesis aims to uniquely contribute to our understanding of how the central idea of the Bhagavad Gita, nishkama kama, may be most beneficially integrated into global sports performance psychology to help unlock the mindset and mental framework behind some of the most successful performers on the global stage. Concepts of desirelessness, non-attachment and duty can play a fundamental role for athletes but remain understudied. This study of the rich dimensions of nishkama kama aims to travel to corners rarely visited by scholars in the field to date who have mostly focused on influencing thoughts rather than detaching from them entirely and articulating values rather than defining a greater sense of personal purpose, duty or sacrifice towards a greater cosmic being, God or otherwise. Dimensions of desirelessness, non-attachment and sacrifice in service of duty can be found present among some of the highest athletic achievers of the last century, but scholarship incorporating them in a framework for peak performance has yet to be significantly developed. The thesis hypothesizes that employing these dimensions to athletic endeavors can be linked to achieving extraordinary results. Contemporary meta-studies and systematic studies of the sports psychology landscape were surveyed to understand the state of the art. From this, two dominant models were extracted to act as base line comparators for the hypothesis, Positive Psychology and the Mindfulness Acceptance and Commitment models. Various interpretations by leading scholars of nishkama kama were then surveyed before applying the most appropriate interpretation for our purposes. A Nishkama Kama Model for Peak Performance is then presented, supported by evidence from leading practitioners, both athletes and coaches, in the field. The notion of staying 'dead center' (as Kobe Bryant puts it) as well as underscoring the power of a larger purpose behind an athlete’s ‘why’ are potentially powerful techniques to enhance the elite sports psychology landscape that warrant more research and understanding to continue to advance the field.