Hello and welcome to Ablaze.
Today's focus is all about training the mind.
So like we always do,
We're going to take a little bit of time to shed away the outside world and get ourselves mentally and physically prepared to better ourselves.
So let's start by finding a comfortable position,
Maybe seated or lying down,
Spine tall,
Make sure your body is supported.
We can start to close our eyes down,
Start to deepen our breath,
Taking a slow inhale through the nose,
Hold briefly at the top,
And exhale through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale,
Intentional,
Exhale,
Controlled.
This is not a break from training.
This is the training.
Bring your awareness to your body.
Notice the contact points,
Whether it's your feet,
Your legs,
Your hips,
Your back.
Feel all those little points of contact supporting your body.
Now I want you to scan through your body,
Notice any tension we're holding,
Anything we're holding from what's going on in a day to day basis.
Maybe it's something that's been there for a while.
Find where we carry that tension,
That stress,
Whether it's in your jaw,
Your shoulders,
Your hands,
Maybe your stomach.
We all carry it in different spots.
So if you can find those spots,
I want you to squeeze into those areas,
Tense up that muscle group,
And then exhale and release all that tension.
Just as in physical training,
You begin with a warm up and setting your base.
Stability first,
Then progress.
Now I want you to reflect on how you train your body,
How you show up,
Accepting discomfort,
Trusting the process,
Knowing that you're breaking muscles down to build them back up stronger.
We don't expect strength overnight.
We don't abandon training because one session feels off.
Progress comes through repetition.
Now ask yourself,
Why should the mind be any different?
Our mind responds to practice,
To intention,
To deliberate effort.
Mental strength is built,
Not discovered.
Just as we don't expect ourselves to hop off the couch randomly one day and bench 315 pounds,
We can't expect our minds to be at its sharpest on a daily basis if we don't hone those skills and abilities.
Now bring your attention to your breath again.
Inhaling deeply,
And exhaling.
Each time your mind wanders,
Gently bring it back.
This is a rep.
Noticing distraction,
And returning.
Again,
And again,
And again.
No judgment,
No frustration.
Just like a rep in the weight room,
The return is what builds strength.
We live in a world where we get pulled in so many different directions.
On a daily basis,
On an hourly basis.
It's always go,
Go,
Go,
On to the next thing.
When we do that every single day,
Our brain learns from that.
It gets really good at being efficient and being able to switch gears really quick.
But we don't always want that.
Sometimes we need to be more laser focused,
And patient,
And dialed in on a specific task.
Anytime you start to notice your mind wander,
Maybe it's in this exercise,
Maybe it's in everyday life.
You being able to bring yourself back trains that mental fortitude,
That mental focus that you need to be a high achiever.
I want you to silently repeat to yourself,
I train my attention.
I train for focus.
Feel the quiet effort of that practice.
It might not feel like work at times,
But you're flexing that muscle in your brain to be a little bit better,
A little bit stronger,
A little bit sharper,
Little by little.
Just like we do with any muscle group in our body.
Now notice any restlessness,
Any urge to check out,
Any resistance.
This is mental load.
And just like physical strain,
This is where adaption happens.
Instead of avoiding it,
Stay with it.
Breathe through it.
Just like we do when we're bench pressing.
Just like we do when we're squatting.
The exercises that we want to avoid,
That are hard,
Those are the ones we need to focus on.
The ones we need to be intentional about.
Discomfort is not a signal to stop.
It's a signal that growth is occurring.
Growth does not occur in our comfort zones.
That's why we push ourselves every single day.
Be a little bit more uncomfortable each day because we know we're bettering ourselves for the day ahead.
Now let yourself sit inside this for a little bit.
Steady,
Present,
And focused.
And if you feel your mind start to wander or go to other places,
Acknowledge that.
Bring your focus back to your breath.
And continue those reps for the next minute or so.
If we're not used to sitting in silence,
Sitting with our own thoughts,
It can be uncomfortable maybe.
It can be difficult.
That's exactly why we do it.
Now I want you to reflect on identity.
You don't become strong by lifting once.
You don't become calm by focusing once.
You become disciplined by returning.
Ask yourself,
What kind of mind am I building through my daily habits?
Focus is trained.
Resilience is trained.
Confidence is trained.
Every moment of awareness reinforces who you are becoming.
Now begin to widen your awareness.
Feel your body again.
The space around you.
Take another deep breath in.
And exhale fully.
Know this.
You don't rise to the level of intention.
You fall to the level of training.
Carry this practice forward.
Train the mind with the same respect,
Patience,
And discipline you give the body.
What's great about our breath is it's always with us.
We don't notice it at all times,
But it's always there.
So we can train our focus,
Our intention,
Anytime we want.
If we're feeling stressed out.
If we're overwhelmed.
We can always bring our focus and awareness back to our breath.
When you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
You can go about your business on a daily basis.
But know that you can always train these abilities.
Have a great day.
