“Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master and not its slave. Meditation is the gateway, through which you arrive to the world of freedom.”
-Remez Sasson
You may be wondering why the subconscious mind is so important, after all we're mainly talking about body transformation here. This is valid point, so I would like to briefly discuss WHY from a bodybuilding or physique transformation view point now.
When you understand the WHY’s you’re more likely to take action on the HOW’s.
First of all, we just learned that the subconscious mind is largely responsible for all of your conditioned behaviors, habits, and personality.
It is also important to realize that transforming your body takes a great amount of:
• Discipline to commit to intense training and a healthy nutrition regimenrn• Determination to achieve and to do what’s required to achieve your goalsrn• Persistence to continue this pursuit from day to day, week to week, and month to monthrn• Courage to face the challenges and pain of lifting heavy weightsrn• Faith or belief in yourself and your ability to make this dream a realityrn• Sacrifice and your willingness to delay instant gratification for your long term fulfillmentrn• Desire and the intense passion to transform your body and your life for the betterrn• Motivation to do what needs to be done despite how you feel at the time
Now ask yourself the following questions:
1.Do you possess all of these qualities?
2.Are these qualities fully developed in you or could you use a little more discipline, a little more motivation, and a dash of courage?
3.How would your body and life be different if these qualities were fully developed in you?
4.Are there any negative qualities, habits, or beliefs that you possess that may interfere with your goal to transform your body and life?
5.If there was a technique that you could use to instill positive qualities into your mind and release the negative qualities from your mind… are YOU willing to incorporate this technique into your daily routine?
Seriously think about this for a moment and then move on to the next reason.
Secondly, and just as importantly, we also learned that the subconscious mind is responsible for handling all of the autonomic functions of the body; like breathing, heart beat, digestion, immune system. This also includes:
• Hormone secretion (think Testosterone, Growth Hormone, Cortisol and Insulin.)
• Cellular activity (think hypertrophy or growth of muscle cells and the shrinking of fat cells.)
Now ask yourself the following questions:
1.What if it was possible to slightly influence your subconscious mind to release more testosterone or growth hormone and to produce less cortisol (a muscle eating hormone)?
2.How could this help your body to achieve the goals you’ve set?
3.What if it was possible to use your mind to influence your body to increase hypertrophy and muscle growth or to burn fat or to recover quicker?
4.Are you beginning to see the possibilities here?
I know this may sound impossible or far fetched, but is it really? We’ve all heard of meditation, correct?
There have been more than 600 scientific studies, which have been published in over 100 leading scientific journals concerning the IMMENSE BENEFITS of Meditation.
Here are just a few interesting findings that relate to our discussion here:
• Brain scans show that meditation shifts activity in the prefrontal cortex (behind the forehead) from the right hemisphere to the left. People who have a negative disposition tend to be right-prefrontal oriented; left-prefrontals have more enthusiasm, more interests, relax more, and tend to be happier.
• Promotes Deep rest- as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
• Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate- two chemicals associated with stress and thus muscle tissue breakdown.
• Reduction of free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage.
• Meditation increases circulation in beginning meditators by 30% and in experienced meditators by as much as 65% and therefore improving nutrient flow to the muscles.
“The mind leads the body. Where the mind leads, the body will follow.”
rnNow, I’m not suggesting that all of a sudden you’ll see steroid-like gains if you start meditating.
What I’m suggesting is that if you could stimulate your body even in the slightest to keep testosterone and growth hormone levels high, cortisol levels low, and hypertrophy and healing happening within the muscle cells… then baby… you’re doing something amazing!
Remember, as an ectomorph your genetics are not stacked in your favor.
1.Your body doesn’t synthesize protein as well as it could.
2.Your body doesn’t produce as much testosterone as it should.
3.Your body doesn’t release as much growth hormone as you need.
4.Your body doesn’t have the greatest neuromuscular communication.
5.Your body doesn’t recover as quickly as other body types.
In other words, you need to be doing everything you “naturally” can just to bring your scrawny butt up to a level playing field with the big boys. Capiche?
If meditating can help make you relax, which can lower your cortisol levels (a muscle eating hormone), reduce free radicals, and improve blood circulation to your muscles and thus supplying more vital nutrients in helping them to grow… why wouldn’t you incorporate that into your training?
We’re not even talking about ALL the other scientific benefits of meditation here… or even the mental or spiritual benefits!
If you haven’t been practicing meditation, then consider this your wake up call! I don’t call this the Awakened Warrior Blog for nothing!
The
subconscious mind plays a powerful role in the functionality and sustainability of your body. The experiences that have been impressed upon your subconscious mind have shaped your life, beliefs, behavior, and your personality… these experiences have made you who you are.
This is how your past can have an influential effect on your present and hence your future as well.
The more you understand about life, consciousness, and the mind/body/spirit connection, the more you can learn how to harness their power for your own gain, growth, success and personal development. This includes your quest to transform your physique!
We can use meditation to help relax and heal the body (from stress, training, and everday life.) It’s a great way to clear the mind from unnecessary thought, and open the gateway into the subconscious mind.
Brandon Cook