Deep relaxation which leads to recuperation from workouts is the most neglected factor of the bodybuilding equation. Many do not realize that the body only grows during complete rest. This happens in sleep, especially the first four hours. I tack on another one or two hours to this during the night and then do a deep relaxation technique for one half to one full hour during the afternoon or early evening.
The biggest obstacle to overcome in practicing these “manual” meditation and visualization techniques (no apparatus or equipment is required) is to keep doing them every day without fail. Most people who take up meditation and learn to do it don’t continue to practice on a regular basis, so not much progress is made. Do you think you could build your body if you only trained sporadically? It’s the same with acquiring the relaxation response from meditation. Use it or lose it.
I realized the importance of meditation at an early age and have been practicing it for over 50 years but not on an extremely regular basis. The effects are wonderful, but there’s the effort of “not doing, shutting your mind off, mastering the art of boredom” that is a constant challenge.
Our minds keep talking to us, shaping our perception of our world, entertaining us. Is there an easier way to overcome this barrier? Training the brain to produce the relaxation response in the body as being analogous to a workout to build your muscles. I call it “Building Mind Muscle.”
You can build your muscles without using weights, doing pushups, chin ups, leg raises, one legged squats and calf raises…but it’s not easy. If you use weight training equipment, barbells, dumbbells, and Meditation Machines you will acquire superior development much more quickly.
Using audio tracks and a Mind Muscle Machine is like modern weight training compared to training the muscles without weights. Training the muscles without weights is analogous to meditation which involves no equipment. I’m not saying “manual” meditation isn’t good, it just isn’t easy, especially to keep doing it for extended periods of time. It’s much easier when you meditate with audio tracks intended to relax the body, stimulate the brain, and implant positive suggestions. Combine the recordings with a Mind Muscle Machine and you have a powerful “Mind Gym” to use and get the benefits of mediation and visualization.
I’ve been using different electronic devices which combine light and sound for more than 20 years. They rely on “entrainment” or “frequency following response”;
- When resonant or vibrating systems come in contact with a stronger vibrating stimulus ,they get in sync with it and follow it.
- Nature’s creations (except man) and mechanical vibrating systems use it naturally as a means to conserve energy.
- But when a light/sound stimulus is introduced, these systems align with it and adopt a common denominator frequency according to the frequency following response of physics.
- The Mind Muscle Machines glasses have LED lights on the inside, so that with closed eyelids you experience a kaleidoscopic light show in sync with a pulsating sound.
- Faster frequencies tend to stimulate alertness (beta waves 14 to 30 pulses per second), medium frequencies (alpha waves 8 to 13 pulses per second) enhance relaxation and visualization, slower frequencies (theta and delta waves 7 down to 0.5 pulses per second) bring on drowsiness.
- I use d green LED for a soothing/ relaxing effect. So depending on what behavioral effect I’m looking for, I use the machine programs for falling asleep, meditating and visualizing, increasing alertness, or managing stress. I often ride stationary bike with one to make the time go quicker.
We have begun marketing a new unit we call Frank Zane’s Mind Muscle Meditation Machine. It is one of the most advanced audio visual stimulation devices available. It is compact and very easy to use. The glasses and earphone block out external light and sound so it is a great traveling companion to keep you relaxed on trains, planes, and automobiles (but not while driving).
There are two Frank Zane Mind Muscle Meditation bundles available one comes with “eyes closed” glasses and the other one features both the “eyes closed” and also “eyes open” – Zane Experience Glasses. I especially like the Zane Experience Glasses which are used with eyes open and produces brilliant colors while listening to relaxing/ stimulating audio tracks. The regular glasses are used with eyes closed.
It has 69 built in programs designed to accelerate, meditate, mind art for visualization, night voyage for sleep and dreaming, rejuvenation, and trance formation. I am more impressed with this machine than any I’ve use before and highly recommend it. I’ve received requests to teach meditation from people and to them I say ‘get one of these units.
You can check them out here: Frank Zane’s Mind Muscle Meditation Machine.
You can also learn more about meditation, mantras and mindset in my newest book Zane Bodybuilding Manual which is the Ultimate reference guide.
