“Simply put, it’s mindful weight training. My workout still begins with a mental preparation ritual where I concentrate my attention and focus my intention. This includes dedicating the training to something or someone else to bring in some force. For example, right now my father is very ill, and I’ll use that as a dedication. You can only push yourself so hard for your own good. But if you put it in a context of greater good for the world, or for someone else, it’s a different story. You can literally double the output of the exercise. As I warm up, I go through visualizations of universal energy pouring through my body at the gross, subtle, and causal levels. Then, during the routine, I alternate back and forth between two states of consciousness—from a highly focused intensity to a receptive or recovery state of broad awareness. I use a rhythm of engaging and disengaging fully on each set, lifting the weights in a very quiet but intensely focused state of calm, imagining beams of light running through the muscle into infinity. The energy is all single-pointed, flowing through a spot at the center of the muscle being activated. After the set is complete, I’ll pull back to a recovery state of open, mindful awareness and perform ten or fifteen centering breaths. Then I’ll do three intense charging breaths, establish conscious contact with the ground, and discharge the energy with an explosion of commitment as I engage back into the next set. And I always end with a short meditation.” - Shawn Philips
