In a situation where claustrophobia can lead to panic, the soccer boys trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave for 12 days received a valuable lesson on how to remain calm while awaiting rescue. And they seem to be benefiting from their newly acquired skill.
The team's coach, 25-year-old Ekkapol Chantawong, a.k.a. "Coach Aek," taught the boys – from ages 11 to 16 – how to meditate in order to conserve their energy.
Prior to becoming a coach to the 12 boys, Chantawong spent a decade as an affron-robed Buddhist monk after the death of his parents and brother. According to his aunt, Umporn Sriwichai, meditation could serve them well.
She told The Australian that Chabtawong could keep the boys calm.
He loves those boys very much because he lost his father when he was very young.
He taught the boys in the cave to do their meditation. The first time the English divers found them, the boys were meditating. The students told the rescuers that Ake taught them how to do meditation to preserve the energy in their bodies.
The team entered the caves after a soccer practice on June 23, but rising flood levels left them trapped inside the cave's labyrinthine tunnels.
Various rescue tactics are being considered, but the threat of the coming monsoon season could leave them trapped for months.
Footage from rescuers' first contact with the boys showed them in a weakened state, but their resourcefulness in drinking naturally filtered water from within the cave walls and their sense of calm are keeping them very much alive.
Thanks to Chantawong's expertise, their newfound method in meditation could keep the boys safe until rescue divers find a way to extract them safely.
Meditative efforts aren't being restricted to a subterranean environment. The world is expressing their concern for the boys and doing whatever they can to send some positive energy, including meditation.
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