Matrix Mindpower: The Health Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation Applied to Weight Training

I started writing “Matrix Mindpower” in 1995, with my good friend andco-author Dr. Ronald S. Laura .Dr. Laura was educated at Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard University and is currentlyProfessor of Education at the University of Newcastle in New South Walesin Australia. I was honored to be in such intellectual company.We hypothesized that engaging our minds fully during exercise,specifically weight training, could magnify the already published benefitsof regular physical activity. Mindfulness meditation is another phrase usedto describe the ability to fully engage our minds during physical activity.Many disciplines of exercise have been doing this for centuries as in thecase of Yoga, Tai Chi and Qui Gong, just to name a few.Given the fact that I’ve been involved in weight training since 1979 I havehad ample time to experiment with the many facets of this discipline. Onething I have learned is that many people just go through the motions oflifting weights. Rarely does anyone discover the harmonious oneness thatcan be achieved between mind and body when one fully engage theirentire being in each and every movement. Weight training, in thiscontext, is something that is enjoyable because it is the pathway thatintegrates mind and body.Matrix Mindpower details the science behind mindfulness exercise.Drawing upon the latest research on PNI (psychoneuroimmunology),which is a fascinating branch of medicine that believes the mind, nervoussystem and immune system are not separate “islands” within the body butrather constitute ONE entity. Coming from this perspective, we are notcompartmentalized beings (as the medical model sees us) but rather anorganism of harmonious oneness.In the context of exercise, our mind and body operate optimally whenintegrated as one entity. It is our belief, that once this occurs, the effectsof exercise on blood pressure, cholesterol, weight loss and aging can beenhanced or magnified.“Matrix Mindpower” also discusses the latest strategies on lowering bloodpressure, and cholesterol NATURALLY!!! Many drugs designed to loweryour blood pressure may make you more susceptible to other healthconditions. Weight loss strategies that rely on sound scientific principlesand not TRENDY diets are also discussed.The bottom line is this: The outcome of the exercise should not be thefocal point, but rather the process. What we discover about our bodiesduring exercise has far more profound effects than mindlessly chasing aftera goal such as losing those extra pounds for some upcoming event. Read more