They are all safe now. Just yesterday, the last of the twelve Thai boys from the Wild Boars soccer team, and their assistant coach, Coach Ekapol Chanthawong (or Coach Ek), were rescued from a cave where they were trapped since June 23. The boys were exploring the cave after practice on June 23 when heavy monsoon rains flooded the cave, preventing them from leaving. They went deeper and deeper into the cave seeking higher ground. Their bikes, left outside the cave, led rescuers eventually to them.

But the most amazing thing was that the first ever video of them being found by British divers, saw the whole group calm and collected. Usually in that desperate situation, with over a week of no food, I would have expected them to be screaming, crying and asking to be let out. But no, these boys just sat there, even smiling, and looking so peaceful in the video.

What was up?

Well, as it turns out, the boys could have had no better person with them in such a situation but their own Coach Ek. From stories being pieced together now, Coach Ek used to be a Buddhist monk. His parents died when he was only 10 years old so he was sent off to a monastery where he studied to be a monk. Just 3 years earlier, he left the monastery and joined the Wild Boars’ soccer team.

An interview of a relative revealed that Coach Ek was highly skilled in mindful meditation and could meditate up to an hour. It was likely that he kept the team calm and peaceful by teaching them this skill. There are stories that he made them open one flashlight only at a time to conserve their batteries. He gave up his share of snacks for the boys. By keeping them still and close, he was able to conserve their energy, preserve their limited oxygen supply, and keep them warm. His survival skill also allowed him to teach them not to drink from the floodwaters but instead they managed to catch rainwater dripping from the sides of the cave.

 

 

Why was mindful meditation crucial to their survival?

Numerous studies have shown that once one goes into a meditative state, breathing slows down and the heart beats more slowly. Since your breathing is slower and deeper, you do not consume as much oxygen compared to one who breathes rapidly in a panic. Deep, long breathing allows whatever oxygen you take in to penetrate your cells more effectively and stay in the body much longer. It also helps to stabilize blood pressure. Deep breathing oxygenates the blood, causing the brain to release endorphins which, in turn, reduce stress. The boys, during meditation, were likely made to view their trapped situation as observers — watching, rather than experiencing. Not only does that bring them out of a fight-or-flight response, but it also gives them some mental clarity to assess the best way to survive.

I am so relieved that all the boys were rescued. I hope that the public will recognize the role of Coach Ek in keeping his boys alive all those days. More stories may come out in succeeding days but just knowing that mindful meditation was a key survival skill affirms its place in stress management.

Many times, we also feel trapped in tight situations. The body’s response oftentimes is to stop breathing for lengths of time or to breathe shallowly and rapidly. We go into fight-or-flight mode and our entire body reacts negatively to the stress. When that happens, let’s remember what kept these boys and their coach alive. Once we become aware of our stress responses, we can direct our minds to slow our breathing down and then we can do even short meditations just to clear our minds.

Namaste.