[ MINDFUL STRENGTH TRAINING ]

Introduction

Mindful strength training* integrates various meditation, visualization, and breathing techniques. By tapping into the unlimited power of human intention and consciousness, we can build much stronger bodies and minds than ever thought possible.

Our method is designed so that it can be layered on top of virtually any workout regiment (not necessarily strength training). As a result, you will inevitably find your workouts becoming progressively more dynamic, efficient, and infinitely more enjoyable.

* Mindful Strength Training is a practice where you vividly focus and connect with the muscles you're training—to be fully and consciously aware of your movements. And conversely, to use movement as a vehicle to arrive at a higher level of awareness.

Two Points to Consider

1. MEDITATION HELPS YOU GET STRONGER: Studies show that people who meditate get stronger, faster, and have more fulfilling workouts.

2. STRENGTH TRAINING HELPS YOU TO MEDITATE: Studies show that people who train regularly have richer, deeper meditation experiences.

Pre-Workout: Mental Preparation (5 minutes)

• Intention: Start out by deciding what the main purpose for today's workout is and/or remind yourself of a fitness goal that you are striving for (i.e. gain 10lbs. of muscle, or lose 10lbs. of fat, etc).

• Mindfulness Meditation (5 minutes): For the next few minutes, focus your attention to your breath and the subtle sensations going on in the body until you feel completely relaxed. When your mind wanders, slowly bring your attention back to your breath. Lastly, bring your full awareness to your intention from step one and hold it there for about a minute while being mindful of the flow of energy in your body. The primary objective here is to quiet the mind.

What is the purpose of this ritual involving intention and meditation before the workout? This preparatory process allows you to tap into the deeper realms of your consciousness, and with practice it will increase focus, connection, and the chance of inducing Flow*

* Flow can be defined as a heightened state of consciousness in which you're completely focused on, and absorbed in what you're doing—to the point where mind and body seem to function in perfect harmony without conscious effort. This is also known as being in a "Flow State" or being in "The Zone."

Workout: Maintain Mindfulness (30-45 minutes)

While training, maintain an intense, but relaxed focus on the muscles being worked. Instead of paying attention to moving the weight from point A to point B, solely use your mind to become aware of the flow of energy in your muscles. Be present in the Now, moment to moment to moment.

To familiarize yourself with this nuanced technique, start by performing your sets with VERY slow, controlled movements. After a few weeks you should have the ability to execute a training session in a mindful fashion, and can move onto a pace of your choosing. Like with all training techniques it's important to implement variety because after a period of time our bodies will inevitably adapt (plateau). To get optimal results, change it up and have both slower and faster paced sessions.

After the set is complete, pull back to a relaxed state of mindfulness and perform 12-15 controlled breaths, drawing the air first into your abdomen, then filling up your chest.

Post-Workout: Reconnect and Recover (10 minutes)

• Intention: Focus your mind and dedicate this meditation to heal the muscles that were stressed/damaged during the workout.

• Mindfulness Meditation (10 minutes): For the few minutes, focus your attention to your breath and the subtle sensations going on in the body until you feel completely relaxed. When your mind wanders, slowly bring your attention back to your breath.

The post-workout doesn't necessarily have to be done immediately after training. You can do this step later in the day when you have time. On occasion you may not have time for both the pre- and post-workout segments. No worries, just omit the post-workout for that day.

Meditation

There are many styles of meditation, and we encourage you to play around with some of them and journal your experiences. The goal would be to discover and create a practice that you'll get the most out of. As you may have noticed, we use a particular practice called "mindfulness meditation" for mindful strength training.

For more information, pease visit our section on meditation by clicking here.

Coming soon...

OK, so we've been holding back... this is a just a taste of what's to come in the near future. The next evolution will be an eBook, which will expand upon the overview we just presented and include MUCH MORE information. It is scheduled to be released in a couple months. If you would like to get a free copy (for a limited time only), join our mailing list and we will reserve your copy and notify you when it becomes available. Just enter your email* below:

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