Mindfulness Teacher
George Mumford
Mindfulness teacher, performance coach, and author
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- Mindfulness for athletic performance
- Focus, flow, and concentration
- Performance coaching
- Mindfulness in recovery
George Mumford is a mindfulness teacher, performance coach, and author best known for bringing meditation and mindfulness to elite athletes. After his own athletic career at the University of Massachusetts ended in injury and a long recovery from addiction that he credits meditation with helping him overcome, he trained in Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and went on to work with coach Phil Jackson and players including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He is the author of The Mindful Athlete and Unlocked, books that translate contemplative practice into everyday performance and well-being. Below you'll find George Mumford's practices and teachings shared on Mindfulness Exercises.
Mumford studied at the University of Massachusetts, where he played basketball before injuries ended his time in the sport. He later trained in Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and worked alongside Kabat-Zinn in community settings, including efforts to bring stress reduction to underserved populations. This grounding in MBSR shaped a teaching style rooted in present-moment awareness, breath, and the steady cultivation of attention.
Beginning in the 1990s, Mumford partnered with coach Phil Jackson, to whom he was introduced through Kabat-Zinn, and worked with several of the teams Jackson coached. Players such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have credited him with helping them strengthen focus, composure, and leadership under pressure. Over time his work expanded beyond basketball to other athletes, executives, and people in recovery, and he became a sought-after speaker on mindfulness and performance.
His approach centers on using mindfulness to access what he describes as a calmer, clearer state of mind, so that skill and effort can flow more freely. He is the author of The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance (2015) and Unlocked: Embrace Your Greatness, Find the Flow, Discover Success (2023), both of which present mindfulness practices for performance and personal growth that apply well beyond sports.