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Warrior Athlete: Body Mind Spirit

Dan Millman

4.08 · Rating details · 85 ratings · 6 reviews

"An innovative approach to fitness applies Eastern philosophies to the Western concepts of physical well-being and sports training. . . . Unusual among fitness books for its readability and persuasiveness, this may prove to be a valuable approach for many".--Publishers Weekly. ...more

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Paperback, 172 pages

Published September 30th 1992 by Stillpoint Publishing (first published 1992)

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Dec 27, 2012 Christina Frith added it

I 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~
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May 08, 2007 John rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fitness Buffs

Shelves: non-fiction

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.

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Jan 10, 2014 Justin rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 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. ...more

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May 11, 2014 Saraelizabeth rated it really liked it

Really enjoyed this book. It seemed more of a manual for life than just athletics. It was very interesting to read his perspective on the human body, the mind and the spirit. I learned a lot.

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Aug 11, 2012 John added it

Once again, a great book.

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Aug 04, 2010 Tom rated it really liked it

Regular exercise, athletics, running or weight training, have obvious health benefits. This book takes all that effort a step further into benefits for daily living and learning life's lessons. ...more

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About Dan Millman

Dan Millman

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Dan Millman is a former world champion athlete, university coach, martial arts instructor, and college professor.

After an intensive, twenty-year spiritual quest, Dan's teaching found its form as the Peaceful Warrior's Way, expressed fully in his books and lectures. His work continues to evolve over time, to meet the needs of a changing world.

--from the author's website ...more