Mindfulness Audios Download: Lifting Weights

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Lifting Weights

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
This exercise focuses on experiencing the different sensations when lifting weights.
Try this exercise with different weights, at different speeds, for different lengths of time. Lifting weights can be tiring so this can also be useful for developing mindful awareness when you experience muscle fatigue.

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Transcript of Audio: Lifting Weights

Choose a weight that you can lift comfortably a number of times. Notice what the weight feels like when you grab it. Is it cool or warm to the touch? Notice the tension in your hands and your arms as you first lift the weight. What muscles are you using? Allow yourself to fully notice the muscle. As you change the position of the weight notice how the muscle changes as it contracts and as it stretches. Continue lifting the weight repeatedly and notice the changes in your muscle as it becomes more fatigued. Do you feel a “burning” in your muscle? Do you notice other changes in your body? Does your rate of breathing change? Do other muscles become involved as the primarily lifting muscle tires? Lift the weight until your muscle is exhausted and you can't lift anymore. When you put the weight down, do you hear a sound? What is the feeling in your muscle? Does is burn or sting? Do you feel a relief of the tension in your muscle? Allow yourself to fully experience the changes in your muscles as it relaxes after the tension of the lifting. Allow the muscle to completely relax so that it feels the same prior to lifting. Once it does try lifting the weight again and notice how it is different from the first time. You can also try lifting different weights and notice how they affect your muscles and your body.