The Inner Game series of books, launched in the 1970s, are still selling, and still growing. Selling to the Point is I think the most recent. 50 years, and still going strong.

Tim Gallwey recently started training people to be Inner Game workshop facilitators, and has created a number of instructional videos for it that training. He is passing on his wisdom and experience while he still has his marbles, while he still can. And it is an impressive body of knowledge, especially about how to coach people in the art of increasing their self-awareness.

Awareness heals. It also teaches, as Tim discovered one day when he saw a player improving his game by simply watching himself in a mirror. “Damn!” thought Tim. “Now I can’t take the credit for his improvement!”

Self-knowledge, knowledge of the self, is the greatest knowledge, as so many great teachers and sages and saints have said.

“Know thyself” was Socrates’ famous dictum which has withstood the test of time.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Very old Sanskrit texts refer to “Vijay”, victory over the self.

The Inner Game is in line with those traditions, although not aligned with any one of them, because it aims at coaching or teaching by helping the performer or player to increase his or her own self-awareness – awareness of their physical body (position of feet and arms, straightness of posture, balance or imbalance, angle and height of arm, shoulder, knee, etc) – and awareness of their own inner processes.

Of crucial importance in this process is non-judgemental observation. Observe what your body and your mind are doing, but don’t judge. Just notice. The judgemental inner critic we all have can derail the learning that naturally takes place when the mind is quiet and focused.

I recently came across a video by Anthony Metivier, who is a “memory expert” and in this clip he talks about exactly this negative self-talk. He also talks about activities to focus the mind in order to expand awareness and to keep that negative self-talk at bay – exactly what Inner Game prescribes, too. What an odd coincidence!

This isn’t “just” positive thinking. It’s not just the negative thoughts we need to be aware of, but also the fake positive thoughts, especially those that are born of the ego: “I did that, I did this! How great I am!” As British poet Rudyard Kipling wrote in his famous poem “If”: 

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
    And treat those two impostors just the same"

The result of this increased awareness cannot be defined as it differs according to the person and the situation, but in Tim’s experience he observed many people’s performance improved as a result. In addition, their enjoyment increased, as well as the efficiency of their learning.

Below is an invitation from Inner Game co-facilitator, Renato Ricci, to the next Inner Game facilitator training, which will take place March 20-21. Check it out:

The Inner Game Train The Trainer program is confirmed, starting next March 20th online.

Tim Gallwey will present to the group our new The Inner Game Methodology Program.

The main goal of this program is to prepare facilitators to deliver it in different countries and areas.

It will be a great opportunity to connect with The Inner Game method created by Tim, who is recognized as the father of modern coaching.
   I would like to invite you to visit our webpage and see how the program works :https://theinnergameinstitute.com

Renato Ricci
Co-founder The Inner Game Institute by Tim Gallwey

https://theinnergameinstitute.com