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Warrior Athlete: Body Mind Spirit
Drawing on his extensive experience as a coach and world champion athlete,bestselling author Dan Millman reveals a path to success not only in sports but in any life endeavor that requires training and the integration of the body and mind - from golf and tennis to playing the piano.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Dan Millman
116 books1,203 followersDaniel Jay Millman is an American author and lecturer in the personal development field. He is best-known for the movie Peaceful Warrior, which is based on his own life and taken from one of his books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
November 17, 2008
“Whether you are a world-class competitor, weekend athlete, or fitness enthusiast, this book will help you overcome self-created hurdles and reawaken the natural athlete—the body mind master—inside you. Body Mind Mastery provides a clear map to a less stressful, more meaningful approach to practicing sport and life. It’s not about dedicating your life to your training but dedicating your training to your life.”
“Allow rather than resist what arises in the present moment—inside or out. Let it be interesting rather than good or bad.”
~ Dan Millman from Body Mind Mastery
Dan Millman is a former world-champion athlete and gymnastics coach at Stanford and UC Berkeley. He’s also a really cool, wise guy.
If you’ve read his classic, semi-autobiographical book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior (that was recently made into a cool movie starring Nick Nolte as Socrates), you know how Dan brilliantly weaves Western and Eastern thought into a practical philosophy for our modern lives.
This book is all about integrating our Body and Minds to create a deep sense of wholeness.
As Dan says: “You are a dynamic whole greater than the sum of your parts. By integrating your body, mind, and emotions through training, you reshape your life.”
Let’s take a quick look on some of the Big Ideas:
1. Vigor, Vitality & Activity - A matter of activity.
2. The Fear of Failure - A vicious circle.
3. Rockin’ It - Baby-style.
4. The Moment of Truth - Is NOW!
5. Backing Up - To get a running start.
As they say, one can have no greater or smaller mastery than mastery of oneself and how you do anything is how you do everything. I say we get out there and shine!
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w68LW...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
“Allow rather than resist what arises in the present moment—inside or out. Let it be interesting rather than good or bad.”
~ Dan Millman from Body Mind Mastery
Dan Millman is a former world-champion athlete and gymnastics coach at Stanford and UC Berkeley. He’s also a really cool, wise guy.
If you’ve read his classic, semi-autobiographical book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior (that was recently made into a cool movie starring Nick Nolte as Socrates), you know how Dan brilliantly weaves Western and Eastern thought into a practical philosophy for our modern lives.
This book is all about integrating our Body and Minds to create a deep sense of wholeness.
As Dan says: “You are a dynamic whole greater than the sum of your parts. By integrating your body, mind, and emotions through training, you reshape your life.”
Let’s take a quick look on some of the Big Ideas:
1. Vigor, Vitality & Activity - A matter of activity.
2. The Fear of Failure - A vicious circle.
3. Rockin’ It - Baby-style.
4. The Moment of Truth - Is NOW!
5. Backing Up - To get a running start.
As they say, one can have no greater or smaller mastery than mastery of oneself and how you do anything is how you do everything. I say we get out there and shine!
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w68LW...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
April 18, 2019
It's a fine book, I'm just not privy to (nor a fan of) the self-help genre. Millman's content is broad enough to be interpreted in a myriad of ways (I'm a musician and I felt some of the material was of benefit). His reasoning is very much a "back to basics" approach, of which he explains very clearly, oftentimes in bullet-point format. Overall, though, I think athletes and performing artists who have "field experience" and who have already thought deeply about their craft will find many of his themes redundant. His words of wisdom are already part of our learned experience; thus, the ideal reader for Body Mind Mastery is the pre-specialist, the aspiring athlete/artist.
January 10, 2014
This book was amazing. It was the true guide to success in sports and any activity. The author, Dan Millman, expressed the 3 true aspects to train; physically, emotionally and mentally, and how we must direct our focus into our weaker areas, which are commonly our mental and emotional fitness areas. He gave easy to follow explanations and examples and even little activities to begin to improve these areas. I always felt pressure in competitions and so after reading this book, I learnt the truth to why I felt pressure. It was me; me trying too hard. He explained how we mustn't 'try' activities but rather do them, how we mustn't 'try' to do our best but actually do our best. He states that when we try we are creating a mental opponent that we try to compete against. He further states that we shouldn't view our opponents as the opposition but rather as teachers. They will show us our flaws, where we must improve, what we lack and our job is to show them the same. Even though we may be the best at a competitions, it doesn't necessarily mean we have the perfect skills, technique and fitness components(in all 3 physical, emotional and mental areas). We can still learn from even those we beat. Maybe we lack good sportsmanship, the ability to lose but not get overly upset. He explains that we must set our goals to break times, to improve and to obtain and learn skills and qualities. We mustn't aim, or shouldn't aim, for a placing but rather a mental or emotional goal that we have set ourselves. And we mustn't get put off when we don't reach our goals. We just need to work harder. We have to stay motivated - an emotional fitness component.
In developing our physical skill, Dan Millman states that there are 4 aspects to work in; strength, suppleness, sensitivity and stamina. By strength, Millman explains that we mustn't only look to develop muscle but also to learn how to control them, how to relax them, how to tense them, how to use them correctly. He explains that tensing muscles that don't need to be tensed can result in the incapability to perform certain movements, injuries and/or incorrect techniques forming as habits. Next, he explains the importance of being supple. That we must be flexible to avoid injury, we must be able to easily move between stages of activities and not have to jolt. Although, he highlights that the most part of suppleness that athletes don't possess is being tension free. As we grew older, we became more acquainted with guilt, anger, sorrow, etcetera. These emotions are then stored in the body as tension. Millman explains how we must try remove this tension and to do so we must develop and obtain a relaxed mental state. Dan Millman tells us the importance of relaxed stretching to remove this tension and also to increase flexibility. He states that aggressive stretching leads to more tension. The next section that is talked about is sensitivity. In this subsection, Dan Millman talks about the importance of listening to our senses. We must learn to feel our muscles mover and listen to them. We must become aware of our body, what it's doing and what it needs. This reflects onto the mental section of gathering awareness where we must become aware of everything, our body, our needs, our surroundings. Although, he makes us dive deeper into developing over sensitivity skills when he introduces balance, co-ordination, the vertical reflex (being able to tell when you are out of the vertical 'line of gravity'. This 'line' allows for a more relaxed body), timing and rhythm, individual and joint control over muscles and muscle groups and reflexes. When he talks about all of these, we become overwhelmed at to what we must learn, however, he says we must only focus to develop one and the rest will follow. He also states that to be sensitive we must loose tension. So once we begin to develop suppleness we are ultimately developing our sensitivity as well. The final subsection of the physical section is stamina where he talks about using time and energy to learn and obtain technique, skills and qualities. He states that stamina is of the law of accommodation - that a demand over a period of time creates a specific development. He says that if we place a demand on ourselves, we will accommodate.
In developing our mental talent, we must obtain mental clarity. This us achieved by accepting failure, overcoming self-concept, translating destructive criticism into criticism and developing one-pointed attention. This are all pretty self explanatory but Dan Millman gave great explains of the power behind accomplishing these and simple activities to gain these qualities. In developing our emotional talent, we must overcome tension and have complete motivation. Dan states ways to release tension and also why it is important. He says that the body is the vehicle and we must obtain mental clarity to begin to move and our emotional talent fuels the fires in the engine. Its a great illusory picture.
Overall, this book was amazing. It really showed the importance behind developing all areas to truly soar in your activity.
In developing our physical skill, Dan Millman states that there are 4 aspects to work in; strength, suppleness, sensitivity and stamina. By strength, Millman explains that we mustn't only look to develop muscle but also to learn how to control them, how to relax them, how to tense them, how to use them correctly. He explains that tensing muscles that don't need to be tensed can result in the incapability to perform certain movements, injuries and/or incorrect techniques forming as habits. Next, he explains the importance of being supple. That we must be flexible to avoid injury, we must be able to easily move between stages of activities and not have to jolt. Although, he highlights that the most part of suppleness that athletes don't possess is being tension free. As we grew older, we became more acquainted with guilt, anger, sorrow, etcetera. These emotions are then stored in the body as tension. Millman explains how we must try remove this tension and to do so we must develop and obtain a relaxed mental state. Dan Millman tells us the importance of relaxed stretching to remove this tension and also to increase flexibility. He states that aggressive stretching leads to more tension. The next section that is talked about is sensitivity. In this subsection, Dan Millman talks about the importance of listening to our senses. We must learn to feel our muscles mover and listen to them. We must become aware of our body, what it's doing and what it needs. This reflects onto the mental section of gathering awareness where we must become aware of everything, our body, our needs, our surroundings. Although, he makes us dive deeper into developing over sensitivity skills when he introduces balance, co-ordination, the vertical reflex (being able to tell when you are out of the vertical 'line of gravity'. This 'line' allows for a more relaxed body), timing and rhythm, individual and joint control over muscles and muscle groups and reflexes. When he talks about all of these, we become overwhelmed at to what we must learn, however, he says we must only focus to develop one and the rest will follow. He also states that to be sensitive we must loose tension. So once we begin to develop suppleness we are ultimately developing our sensitivity as well. The final subsection of the physical section is stamina where he talks about using time and energy to learn and obtain technique, skills and qualities. He states that stamina is of the law of accommodation - that a demand over a period of time creates a specific development. He says that if we place a demand on ourselves, we will accommodate.
In developing our mental talent, we must obtain mental clarity. This us achieved by accepting failure, overcoming self-concept, translating destructive criticism into criticism and developing one-pointed attention. This are all pretty self explanatory but Dan Millman gave great explains of the power behind accomplishing these and simple activities to gain these qualities. In developing our emotional talent, we must overcome tension and have complete motivation. Dan states ways to release tension and also why it is important. He says that the body is the vehicle and we must obtain mental clarity to begin to move and our emotional talent fuels the fires in the engine. Its a great illusory picture.
Overall, this book was amazing. It really showed the importance behind developing all areas to truly soar in your activity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2013
One of the better sports psychology books I have read. This guy comes from a completely different perspective altogether. His methods and techniques are both down to earth and applicable.
Sometimes the answers seem so simple they are intuitive, but yet, reading them and all the information he puts together in one place makes the entire process of succeeding in sports and then how that success translates directly to your life outside of sports is fantastic.
There is a part in the book that goes a little too much into stretching and meditation for my taste. I know why he put it in there, but I think that he went a little too overboard on it. I believe that most elite coaches can take this book and apply the lessons and thoughts presented in the book to their athletes and students in a very practical way without having to go too far down the road of Eastern religion to find the answer for the problems in their game.
That was really my only qualification for the book, otherwise, it was filled with excellent advice that I give to the kids that I teach and try to relate the own advice to my daily living outside and inside of the sports arena.
Sometimes the answers seem so simple they are intuitive, but yet, reading them and all the information he puts together in one place makes the entire process of succeeding in sports and then how that success translates directly to your life outside of sports is fantastic.
There is a part in the book that goes a little too much into stretching and meditation for my taste. I know why he put it in there, but I think that he went a little too overboard on it. I believe that most elite coaches can take this book and apply the lessons and thoughts presented in the book to their athletes and students in a very practical way without having to go too far down the road of Eastern religion to find the answer for the problems in their game.
That was really my only qualification for the book, otherwise, it was filled with excellent advice that I give to the kids that I teach and try to relate the own advice to my daily living outside and inside of the sports arena.
July 4, 2025
Body Mind Mastery is a truly inspiring and practical work. It’s a book that not only invites deep reflection but also encourages meaningful, conscious action. Dan Millman explains the connection between body and mind in a way that is both clear and powerful, making his teachings easy to apply in daily life. It’s especially valuable for artists, athletes, therapists, or anyone seeking balance and personal growth. His writing is accessible, direct, and deeply encouraging.
This book lifts your spirit, even when you’re not in a good place or lack motivation; somehow, it gently brings you back to movement and presence. One of the passages that stayed with me appears on page 49: ‘So be gentle with yourself; show yourself the same kindness and patience you might show a young child — the child you once were. If you won’t be your own friend — who will be? If, when playing an opponent, you are also opposing yourself, you will be outnumbered.’ That kind of wisdom has real and lasting power.
Rather than chasing perfection, this book teaches you to embrace steady, conscious progress. Every book I’ve read by Millman has left a positive mark, and this one is no exception.
This book lifts your spirit, even when you’re not in a good place or lack motivation; somehow, it gently brings you back to movement and presence. One of the passages that stayed with me appears on page 49: ‘So be gentle with yourself; show yourself the same kindness and patience you might show a young child — the child you once were. If you won’t be your own friend — who will be? If, when playing an opponent, you are also opposing yourself, you will be outnumbered.’ That kind of wisdom has real and lasting power.
Rather than chasing perfection, this book teaches you to embrace steady, conscious progress. Every book I’ve read by Millman has left a positive mark, and this one is no exception.
Read
December 27, 2012I read this in my early twenties~ I had to read it because I loved Dan's first book so much. This book was a wonderful journey because as my spiritual path consumed the rest of my life, I began running and dancing and the practice of mindfulness in everything became electric! I was ecstatically possessed. The book was a fantastic support for this~
May 9, 2007
A bit flaky, perhaps, but Dan Millman understands the workings of the human body like few others do. Want a healthy body? Turn off your cheese-meter and read this book with an open mind, a mug of green tea and a grain of salt.
July 12, 2022
A lot of good ideas I should apply to my training and daily life.
November 24, 2025
Wasn’t a bad book, but at times got a little hippie for me.
I really enjoyed learning new learning techniques and how to apply them with athletes.
I really enjoyed learning new learning techniques and how to apply them with athletes.
May 14, 2011
C+ Eh. I wasn't AS into this…some good info on how to be a warrior athlete, but some stuff geared towards kids, towards exercises I won't do…and at times, a little tedious.
October 17, 2023
This book is so much more than giving advice to athletes. It can help anyone in any situation in their life.
October 5, 2018
After reading the Journey of Socrates I was looking for another of Millman's books. I'm glad this was the one I ended up on. It is an incredibly practical and directed dictation of many of the themes that I found myself reaching for in the Journey of Socrates. Yet it's written for athletes. It's simple, has examples and even bullet points. It helped put some tangible practices into work for me. I think this could be a bit of a gateway book for many who are looking to engage a bit more in the mental conditioning that is needed to be competitive in any setting. Physical-Emotional-Mental strength are all connected. The idea is your practice all three and sure your be a good athlete, but more importantly, you will be on your way to becoming a better person.
January 26, 2022
An guide to approaching sports and athletics with the whole body (emotions, thoughts, and physical body) and with a focus on relaxation and mindfulness.
Millman combines both Western and Eastern philosophies regarding motivation and training. He provides exercises, stretches, warm-ups for the reader to incorporate into their sport; and he shares his thoughts regarding competition, the evolution of sports, and how athletes can adjust as they age.
Millman combines both Western and Eastern philosophies regarding motivation and training. He provides exercises, stretches, warm-ups for the reader to incorporate into their sport; and he shares his thoughts regarding competition, the evolution of sports, and how athletes can adjust as they age.
October 16, 2023
Wanted to connect more with this book but I just wasn't feeling it. Am still pondering this quote: "Self-concept is no more real than the shadow of a shadow. It is an illusion imposed on you long ago. Yet this illusion can limit your every endeavor until you can see it for what it is and cut through it. You transcend self-concept through understanding - by seeing through it - opening your talent for body mind mastery."
June 10, 2018
After reading Millman's "Way of the peaceful warrior", my sister offered to let me borrow this book. It started off a little slow and closed very strongly. I wasn't as engaged in this book as peaceful warrior, for many reasons. The primary of these reasons is that this is more of an eastern mysticism focused instructional text where the other was told through a story. I prefer stories ;)
June 8, 2023
Addresses the mental and physical benefits of sports, and how to pursue sport (and life) with more awareness and less resistance. Useful, but not the inspired effort of Millman's better-known The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.
Pair with any (or... [see the rest on my book review site.]
Pair with any (or... [see the rest on my book review site.]
February 26, 2021
One of the best books I've read. Tons to extrapolate if you're looking to master any field. Helps identify how to make training and natural laws complement one another, the power of presence, and reinforces how mastering one thing will help you master everything.
May 1, 2023
Definitely inspired me to get back to having more mindfulness in my training. Loved the quotes, imagery, and the overall “zen” theme of the book, which illustrates how essential our minds are in enabling us to bring out the best of ourselves—both in sport and life.
January 1, 2019
I will definitely keep this on the shelf to re-read. Practical discussion of how to relax and release tension so you can perform your best.
January 7, 2021
Well written about the relaxation needed for better achievements in sports and state of the mind. Some exercises mentioned. Not practical enough.
July 27, 2021
I liked it. Read it and take the information and apply it to your craft. My opinion is meaningless to you☮️
May 17, 2022
So far, one of the best books I've read that capsulated the mind body connection. It is integrative into sports and daily life. Will keep and read again.
February 17, 2026
A few promising bits but overall really poor
March 15, 2018
This is a beautiful book which if you read carefully, you will remember it for lifetime. Lessons shared in this book are something which should be taught from childhood but unfortunately we are novice when it comes to something like Body mind mastery. I am glad i have read this book at the time when i have just been blessed with a baby. I will try to pass on these teachings to my son and would love to see him taking advantage of these valuable lessons. Must read if you want to achieve peace in life !!
February 28, 2011
Body Mind Mastery: Creating Success in Sport and Life was an amazing book. It gave me insight on what it takes to be an accomplished athlete. From the physical challenges and preparations to what it takes mentally and emotionally. Dan Millman is an x athlete that knows what it takes to be great at something. He tells us about his experiences and how we can relate to them. This book gives excellent detail on how you have to train your body and mind in order to become successful in sport life.
This book actually changed my life. It may be crazy to say. But I learned so much from reading this book i couldn't believe it. As an athlete myself I try to learn the best ways to do things. This book taught me techniques I would have never known otherwise. I learned all the different kinds of natural laws that apply to your body and your mind. I learned that you have to follow these laws which I did not know of before.
This book helped me understand the mental focus it takes and how to stay focused. Also what it takes to be and stay determined. The book explains that when you are being active and trying to focus do not bring reality into what you are doing. Separate the two worlds. Everybody has both positive and negative energy. These energy's have to be separated. The negative energy can sometimes be used to create positive energy in a sport.
Emotional problems ruin focus. When you have an emotional problem you are constantly thinking about then your concentration is narrowed or lost. Emotional problems create imbalances in life. Natural laws say an imbalance is when you have more negative energy than positive. When the negative energy overcomes the positive it then creates stress and unwillingness to be active.
I was able to apply everything I read to my own knowledge. It helped me tremendously when it came to understanding what it takes to be great or excel at a sport. I learned what it takes mentally, physically, and emotionally. I did not know how much it actually took before reading this. And after tacking what i learned and applying it to my life and in the gym it has definitely helped me become more successful. It has allowed me to raise my performance and results by an outstanding amount. I am more focused and aware of the goals i am trying to accomplish.
This book actually changed my life. It may be crazy to say. But I learned so much from reading this book i couldn't believe it. As an athlete myself I try to learn the best ways to do things. This book taught me techniques I would have never known otherwise. I learned all the different kinds of natural laws that apply to your body and your mind. I learned that you have to follow these laws which I did not know of before.
This book helped me understand the mental focus it takes and how to stay focused. Also what it takes to be and stay determined. The book explains that when you are being active and trying to focus do not bring reality into what you are doing. Separate the two worlds. Everybody has both positive and negative energy. These energy's have to be separated. The negative energy can sometimes be used to create positive energy in a sport.
Emotional problems ruin focus. When you have an emotional problem you are constantly thinking about then your concentration is narrowed or lost. Emotional problems create imbalances in life. Natural laws say an imbalance is when you have more negative energy than positive. When the negative energy overcomes the positive it then creates stress and unwillingness to be active.
I was able to apply everything I read to my own knowledge. It helped me tremendously when it came to understanding what it takes to be great or excel at a sport. I learned what it takes mentally, physically, and emotionally. I did not know how much it actually took before reading this. And after tacking what i learned and applying it to my life and in the gym it has definitely helped me become more successful. It has allowed me to raise my performance and results by an outstanding amount. I am more focused and aware of the goals i am trying to accomplish.
August 9, 2012
I listened to the audi version of thos book and actually found it really fun and a good read, a great reminder of how success in linked between the mind and body, the author really digs deep into the theory and something ive been noticing in my own life recently - although its says 'success in sport' the truth is this can be applied to anything from financial goals, business goals and more
To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog
👆🏼 P.S -
If you found this review helpful - I’d like to invite you to discover more on our blog. Where the community share some of our most important insights to level up each others knowledge 💡- from experience in studying books like this, training programs, podcasts and much more - visit the blog link above to find out more.
P.P.S 😅 - You probably noticed from my profile that I’ve reviewed a LOT of books over many years now - if you love seeking knowledge like me I’d love to connect with you further as a like minded person (send me a friend invite! 😀) - Also if you are curious - here is my preferred and recommended resource for seeking timeless wisdom - Check it out via the website invite link below 👇🏼 (You’ll be able to claim some awesome books for free 📚)
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To Our Continued Success!
Seemy
https://Waseem.tv/Blog
👆🏼 P.S -
If you found this review helpful - I’d like to invite you to discover more on our blog. Where the community share some of our most important insights to level up each others knowledge 💡- from experience in studying books like this, training programs, podcasts and much more - visit the blog link above to find out more.
P.P.S 😅 - You probably noticed from my profile that I’ve reviewed a LOT of books over many years now - if you love seeking knowledge like me I’d love to connect with you further as a like minded person (send me a friend invite! 😀) - Also if you are curious - here is my preferred and recommended resource for seeking timeless wisdom - Check it out via the website invite link below 👇🏼 (You’ll be able to claim some awesome books for free 📚)
https://Waseem.tv/GoodReadsBookInvite
October 23, 2018
One of the best I've read! Complex ideas broken into thought provoking segments. Book that will challenge how you interact and observe your thoughts.
July 4, 2016
Sometimes its hard to see how its all connected and Millman distills down the connections into a few gems. I'm glad I read it, and I think it will lead to actionable improvement on relaxing and how that will play into life and athletics. It can be a little too self-helpy with some cliched statements, but there are some things that are very well said. I like the idea of multi-modal athletic improvement. Would recommend, especially if I could go back ten years and hand this to my 25 year old self.
January 22, 2012
If you are at all interested in gaining that mental edge, whether in sports or daily life this book is for you! "Millman's work combines the best of the human potential movement with the practical tools needed to reach that goal. This work is as much about mastering life as it is about the game itself.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews