Before bed most nights, Jeremiah Tilmon plugs headphones in his ears and closes his eyes. He lets rap music wash over him. He focuses on his thoughts, brushing off the temptation to check his phone. He feels calm.
Though he uses Headspace, a guided meditation app, Tilmon doesn’t consider this exercise meditation. He says it’s a way to slow his mind down, to regain the focus he sometimes loses.
Tilmon, a 6-foot-10 sophomore on the Missouri basketball team, credits his nighttime routine with helping him on the court. He finds he’s calmer when he plays than he was last season.