Integrating Mindfulness into Your Fitness Classes & Personal Training

Hello hello! Welcome to The Mindful Fit Pro blog. This space is dedicated to helping fitness instructors and personal trainers seamlessly incorporate mindfulness into their teaching.

In this post, we’ll explore three different types of mindfulness meditation and how using any of these three techniques can be a powerful tool to enhance focus, clarity, and mental well-being within both gyms and studios alike.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness meditation as a practice has its roots thousands of years ago in Buddhist tradition. And it’s still very popular today. There are many different definitions of mindfulness out there but for today we’ll focus on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition:

“Mindfulness is awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Within this definition, we can see the three different methods of practicing mindfulness: focused attention, awareness of the present, and non-judgment guided by compassion.

Let’s delve into these three methods of mindfulness meditation first then I’ll share how you can integrate them into your classes and private training sessions.

3 Types of Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is often practiced with one or more of three foundational approaches. The first method is focused attention, which involves concentrating on a single object, repeatedly, to train the mind’s awareness to focus on the current moment. You may have heard of or practiced this type of mindfulness when using the breath or a mantra as an “anchor” to the present. Whenever one notices the mind’s spotlight of attention shining on something from the past or looking into the future, the “anchor” of the breath or a mantra helps gently nudge the meditator’s focus back to the present.

The second approach focuses on open awareness or monitoring. This involves paying attention to whatever may be present at this one point in time, which is changing continuously since time is always passing by. Allowing your emotions to come and go, focusing on whatever feelings may be present, and letting your thoughts freely come to mind, are all examples of open monitoring.

The third way to practice mindfulness meditation is with an approach called loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is a compassion-based form of meditation that aims to cultivate a sense of kindness and positivity towards both yourself and those around you.

Now let’s look at how these three different types of mindfulness meditation can be incorporated into a workout, effectively making your fitness classes and personal training sessions moving meditations.

3 Ways to Infuse Mindfulness into Your Teaching

1. Focused Attention: Elevate the experience of class-goers and personal training clients by including elements in your workouts that require concentration and focus. Imagine guiding your clients through a session that not only strengthens their bodies but also sharpens their minds. Focused attention and precision is a perfect fit for achieving this. You can take a simple cue like “extend your legs” and turn it into “reach with your legs, try to touch the bar in front of you…” Offering an external point of reference and a single point of focus can help clients keep their mind from wandering away from what they’re doing in a workout. Of course, there’s a balance you’ll find between easy-to-understand direct cues and elaborative cues that help paint a picture for your clients. There’s a need for both concise and clear cues along with directions that can promote mindfulness, creativity, and imagination. As another example, you might encourage your clients to concentrate on a single point of focus, such as their breath, and gently guide them to return to it whenever they notice their minds start to wander. As a fitness instructor, incorporating focused attention doesn’t necessarily mean calling out for the recruitment of specific muscles but rather promoting greater concentration on a variety of different elements during exercises (i.e., the breath, heart rate, sensations of stability, points of contact with equipment).
2. Open Awareness: Present-moment awareness is quite challenging when you really think about it. There’s just so much going on in one moment it can be overwhelming. Music playing, keeping track of where other people are in the room, noticing that person who walked into the studio to inquire about memberships, or the person who arrived late and is hustling to get to their favorite bike, and then of course they’re also trying to listen to your cues and follow your choreography. Just as you guide your clients through physical exercises, you can also lead them through the act of open monitoring. This practice involves observing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations as they arise in the present moment, without judgment or attachment. Consider incorporating brief moments of open monitoring during exercises or between sets. Encourage your clients to notice their thoughts without becoming entangled in them. Teach them to recognize when they’re tempted to ruminate about past experiences (“I’ve never been able to do this…”), judgment (“I suck at this, I’ll never get it right…”), or get drawn into other thought spirals (“I’ll always struggle with motivation to workout…”). This approach can help clients accomplish what people often refer to as getting out of their head and into their body. Help clients focus on how physical sensations and feedback from the body changes from moment to moment. Developing the skill of open monitoring definitely takes practice, so you may need to remind the people in your classes or private training sessions that it’s more about the process than the end goal. Once your client becomes familiar with the technique, they may notice it not only enhances self-awareness but can also help reduce stress associated with trying to control ones thoughts and emotions, ultimately creating a more harmonious mind-body experience.
3. Loving Kindness and Compassion: Nurturing community and connection amongst everyone who attends your fitness classes or enters your gym, is one way to promote loving-kindness and compassion. Help clients and the people in your classes get to know one another. Help them work towards goals together during class by including partner work or exercises that require teamwork. Inclusive cues, accessible classes, and evaluation of the affordability of your services are all ways you can put compassion into action. You could also introduce loving kindness by dedicating a few minutes before or after class where clients can practice embracing feelings of gratitude. You can instruct them to reflect on and appreciate what their bodies and minds are capable of, to note any times they were surprised by their own strength in class, or acknowledge all the people who showed up to class to support one another. As a group fitness instructor, you can encourage clients to extend loving kindness to their bodies by honoring what they feel is best for their bodies rather than pushing themselves to the max in every single class. Fostering a sense of warmth and kindness in your gym or studio environment can transform the way your clients perceive their fitness journeys. Upholding values of non-judgment, minimizing competition among members or class-goers, and focusing on the overall benefits of movement (not just those related to weight loss or aesthetics) can help create a gym or studio culture where everyone uplifts and motivates one another.

As a fitness instructor or personal trainer, you have the remarkable opportunity to enhance not only the physical well-being of your clients but also their mental and emotional health. By integrating mindfulness meditation techniques into your gym or studio sessions, you create an environment that promotes focus, self-awareness, and compassion. Whether it’s weaving focused attention into guided breathwork, incorporating open monitoring during cooldowns, or nurturing loving kindness at the beginning or end of sessions, the benefits of mindfulness can transform your classes.

Your dedication to helping clients find balance and well-being extends well beyond physical exercise. You not only nurture self-love but also help clients find a deeper sense of community among their classmates and other gym/studio members.

By integrating these three mindfulness techniques into your fitness classes and personal training, you’ll offer a space where clients’ mind-body connection and mental wellbeing can flourish, and your clients will leave not only with stronger bodies but stronger minds as well. With mindfulness-based fitness, your gym or studio can become a sanctuary of holistic growth.

For more insights and strategies on infusing mindfulness into your fitness instruction, explore The Mindful Fit Pro podcast and our new mentoring program. Explore the rest of this website to learn more about resources designed exclusively for fitness professionals seeking to make a mindful impact.