Seeking Stillness in Sport – Start Here
First steps into the newsletter world – musings on sport psychology, photography and other good stuff. The what, why, and who. Here goes nothing.
Hi there, it’s great to have you here. Welcome to Stillness in Sport!
I’m Shaantanu Kulkarni, and I enjoy sport, sunlight, stories, and simplicity. In my time as a competitive soccer player, student, and now a sport psychology graduate researcher and practitioner, I have been seeking stillness – to be in the eye of the storm. Becoming composed to have the confidence and clarity to take on challenges and experience life closely – by just being.
I thought I’d write this short piece to set the scene for Stillness in Sport so you have a clear idea of what this space is about. I’m thrilled to have launched my personal newsletter and I would love for you to join.
Mission
Stillness in Sport is an exploration of sport psychology, photography, culture, and other topics that interest me, written in an accessible, engaging, and applied way. Through personal essays and informative and perspective articles, the goal is to share what I (un)learn and experience, and add value to your journey in the sport, performance, and exercise environments, or beyond.
Who is Stillness in Sport for?
Everyone in the sport realm — from athletes, coaches, sport science professionals and students to parents of athletes, if you’re interested in learning about how you can leverage sport psychology principles, practices, and research for varied purposes (check out the Purpose of Sport Psychology pyramid below).
Anyone with a penchant for photography and culture.
No matter what our role is in sport, be it an athlete or a professional, chances are we may have had mostly momentary and a few permanent pursuits in search of stillness – to feel calm, grounded, alive, excited, confident, and determined about our path and goals.
What to expect?
Stillness & Sunshine
The newsletter has two broad paths. Musings and articles about sport psychology applied and research areas and experience come under Stillness. There is a dedicated space for sport psychology and mental training resources and tools. They are straightforward, comprehensive, and intentional, and can be found at The Stillness Huddle.
Sunshine explores the different experiences, perspectives, processes and things (rarely) I encounter that guide me to stay on the path towards simplicity. Imagine photo essays, observations on culture, and musings on anything else in between.
What is my relevant experience in all this?
Research & Teaching
As a PhD student in Human Kinetics at Laurentian University, my current qualitative research revolves around exploring media narratives of motherhood in elite sport, support avenues, and gender equity. Alongside my research, I have been privileged to work as a Research Assistant and a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
Explore more about my research interests, research and teaching experience, publications, and knowledge translation (KT) products.
Sport Psychology Practice
Over the last four years as a sport psychology practitioner, I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with athletes and teams in India from amateurs, semi-professionals to professionals, playing soccer, cricket, badminton, (table) tennis, swimming, and shooting. I have also collaborated with coaches, sport science professionals, and parents for workshops on integrating sport psychology practices into their roles. The common psychological areas I have encountered are pressure, anxiety, stress, motivation, and things of that nature. But the common purpose and question throughout has mainly been one – “how can I or my athlete be calm?” — in times of stress, pressures, and anxiety felt across sport and exercise environments, school, work, and life.
Professional sport is predominantly about performance and results. But thankfully, conversations have recently focused on recognizing the value of and working towards positive mental well-being – as a goal in itself, and as a conduit for reaching performance excellence.
Curious to know how mental training supports athletes to become mentally stronger? Learn more about the process, key psychological areas, my guiding vision, and services.
The road to excellence passes through stillness.
Recent posts
If you made it this far, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy the newsletter. All good things start with going with the flow – just being. Subscription is free, and more importantly, always appreciated!
