Meditation helps to concentrate says GT3 race driver Bar Baruch
Guy Rosenberg used his meditation techniques to improve the athlete’s concentration as a unique strategy that can advance at a professional level. Their target is to introduce top professional sportsmen and women in the country to this method, and Bar Baruch, a GT3 race driver, after he met Guy in 2019, has developed some concentration exercises through his experience as a driver and with his meditation elements. Baruch has come to Sri Lanka to practice, especially as our country is currently going through difficult times, and seeking foreign aid remains a main priority.
Rosenburg was a champion 100m runner during his youth in Israel, he enjoyed surfing as a hobby and would practice at one of the best destinations to surf in Europe, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.
“I used to surf powerful waves until a few years ago and I always challenge my techniques, the ability to meditate and concentrate are key elements when you’re under pressure, first of all, to survive huge waves by diving immediately to catch 10-15 metres down a reef and stay for one or two minutes under loads of pressure. I had a lot of confidence in how to train and build a system aimed to improve professional athletes. This is exactly what Bar Baruch does in a race.
Throughout his 20-year journey, he has gained a lot of extraordinary insights into the thought process and techniques of concentration, meditation, and focus of the mind.
Bar Baruch, who is 26 years old, said his main ambition is to race in Formula One, also naming Austrian F1 driver Nikolaus ‘Niki’ Lauda as one of his main inspirations. He started racing cars when he was 15. Baruch was not familiar on the concept of meditation when he was first approached but obediently agreed to meet Guy.
“We did a simple breathing exercise and immediately after five minutes, I felt blood in my head like I was completely focused. I felt there is something in this way. We did a lot of practice, all of them not belonging to cars. Every exercise I did has given me full control of my mind, especially during the last part of the race. For example, when you’re driving racing cars, you drive at a very high speed because you have to use the maximum potential of the car. We do not use air conditioning and we’re not allowed to open the window because it slows down the speed. We have to deal with the big heat inside the car. With this condition, we have to also manage ourselves with the other competitors and how to define your position. Especially during the last 10 minutes of the race, you have to maintain balance with your mind and physical endurance. I think I have a big advantage. .
In 2018 with Official Audi, he finished third overall in the Italian Grand Turismo Championship winning four races and getting four third places. He was chosen as the fastest 11 drivers in the world from 400 candidates during a test for the Formula BMW Talent Cup Academy in 2013.