'It is not merely mechanical, it is not only spiritual; it is something of both, on a different plane and a more remote one.'-golfer Arnold Palmer

'The body, by force of the soul, can in fact be converted to a luminous fluid.'-dancer Isadora Duncan

'I was rising above myself, doing things I had no right to be doing.'-decathlon champion Bruce Jenner

Remarkable and mystical things sometimes happen to people during sports. These astounding occurrences are rarely reported in the sports pages. Combing 6,500 sources for stories from both professional and amateur athletes, Michael Murphy and Rhea A. White explore this hidden dimension of sports, recounting moments of illumination and ecstasy, out-of-body experences, altered perceptions of time and space, and exceptional feats of strength and endurance spanning almost the entire spectrum of sports and physical adventure, including football, basketball, tennis, sailing, mountain climbing, parachuting, and running.

The authors also draw striking parallels between these uncanny experiences and those of mystics and yogis to show how the religious heritages of both East and West provide a basis for understanding spiritual experiences arrived at through physical activity. In the Zone will enhance the understanding and enjoyment of sports fo athletes and sports fans alike.

Contents

Introduction
1 The spiritual underground in sports
2 Mystical sensations
Acute well-being
Peace, calm, stillness
Detachment
Freedom
Floating, flying, weightlessness
Ecstasy
Power, control
Being in the present
Instinctive action and surrender
Mystery and awe
Feelings of immortality
Unity
3 Altered perceptions
Altered perception of size and field
Alterations in time perception
Extrasensor perception
Out-of-body experiences
Awareness of the 'other'
4 Extraordinary feats
Exeptional energy
Energy reaching out: Psychokinesis
The invisible barrier
Mind over matter
5 Sport and mysticism
The spiritually evocative elements of sport
The perennial philosophy
Extraordinary powers
6 Mind/body training
Elements of a mind/body training program
7 Evolutionary possibilities
Bibliography (extensive)
Acknowledgments
Index