Three hours before the Michigan Wolverines took on the Washington Huskies in the College Football National Championship game Monday, you may have seen starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy sitting on the field with his back to the goal post—legs crisscrossed, shoes off, number-nine hood up, and eyes closed.
McCarthy has meditated for about 10 minutes before every Michigan game, in addition to between 30 to 40 minutes each day in the morning, according to MLive. He also relies on Bob Marley tunes to pregame.
Meditation can help people with emotional regulation and garnering a deeper perspective. Taking time to breathe slowly and limit distractions can lower the heart rate and instill a sense of calm. Especially under pressure, meditation is key to getting in the zone, or what McCarthy calls his “tune-up” time.
“You’re teaching yourself to be nonjudgmentally aware of the present moment,” Elizabeth Seng, an associate professor of psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, previously told Fortune. “We want them to be more focused on what’s going on right now than regretting what happened in the past or worrying about what will happen in the future
