Mindful Athletes: The Importance of Mindfulness for Special Olympics Athletes

Welcome back to another episode of the Special Olympics Edition of the IDD: Get to know me podcast!

In this episode, co-host Victor interviews Sue Hutton (a Mindfulness expert), Peter Charnish (a Special Olympics athlete), Cindy Charnish (Peter’s mom), Mark Tewksbury (a Canadian Olympic swimmer), and Natascha Wesch (a Special Olympics Canada Mental Performance Lead). They discuss the importance of mindfulness for Special Olympics athletes (and all of us!) and share tips for those just starting out in their mindfulness journey.

To learn more about this topic, see our other materials below:

Easy-Read for Athletes:

English - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-mindfulness-easy-read-pdf.pdf

French - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-health-mindfulness-easy-readfr-pdf.pdf

Tip Sheet for Family Caregivers:

English - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-mindfulness-family-snapshot-pdf.pdf

French - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-health-mindfulness-family-snapshotfr-pdf.pdf

Tip Sheet for Coaches:

English - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-mindfulness-coachs-corner-pdf.pdf

French - https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-health-mindfulness-coachs-cornerfr-pdf.pdf

Animated Video:

English - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXwTcYxj12g

French - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxoGM8Ir1u4

Resources mentioned in the episode:

- Lotus Breath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgcbIGVCK8g

- River Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViOT9kUShzM

- Annaka Harris Website: https://annakaharris.com/mindfulness-for-children/

Learn more about other important health topics such as Health Check-in, Mindfulness, Women’s Health, and Sleep on our HCARDD webpage: https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/professionals--projects/hcardd/projects/special-olympics

Email us at hcardd@camh.ca if you want to get involved with projects at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre!