Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Muse headbands allow you to track data and set goals in your meditation practice.

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TL;DR: The mindful Muse and Muse 2 brain-sensing headbands are on sale, saving you $30.

Tons of people make New Year's resolutions centered around physical health, but as we all know, mental health is just as important. Might we suggest adding "taking time for mindfulness" to your resolution list if it's not already there?

Actually tracking your mindfulness and mental health can be tough, but there are tools to help. For example, the Muse brain-sensing headband provides real-time neuro feedback that takes the guesswork out of meditation. So, what exactly does that mean?

First of all, to use Muse, place it on your head and around your ears, making sure the sensors are touching your forehead. Put in earbuds, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in the sounds provided by the Muse mobile app. As you meditate, Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active. It then translates that into weather sounds so that you're able to recognize what state your mind is in.

After each meditation session you're able to review data and set goals to continuously improve your practice. The Muse headband regularly costs $149.99, but right now it's on sale for $120, saving you $29.99.

If you want to step it up a notch, there is the Muse 2. It does everything the original does, but with some bonus features. This model has heartbeat feedback that gives you awareness to regulate how quickly your heart beats. The Muse 2 also teaches you how to control your breath to find calmness and reduce stress and there are motion sensors that help you discover full-body meditation.

The Muse 2 is a bit pricier with an MSRP of $249.99, but it's also $30 off, dropping the price down to $219.99.

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Muse meditation headbands are on sale for $30 off - Mashable

CONWAY Chris Nourse will join Ellen Schwindt to play Beethovens sonata for Violin and Piano Opus 30 No. 1 on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 5 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway as part of the Music as Meditation series.

Schwindt says that the interplay between instruments in this piece, mirrors the balance needed in life.

Practicing Beethovens music requires a receptivity to patterns large and small and to their variations, Schwindt said. An understanding of this masters patterns makes his notes easier to learn; all the same, it isnt until Ive learned many, many notes that larger patterns in the music emerge.

Music as Meditation is a monthly gathering of listeners and artists interested in the spiritualthough not necessarily religioussource of art and music.

Music as Meditation in February takes the form of an organ recital by Christ Churchs own Nancy Farris. Upcoming events include visual art combined with classical and folk music offerings.

The gatherings take place on the first Sunday of each month at 5 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in North Conway. Admission is free.

Donations toward the upkeep of the Steinway piano are gratefully accepted.

For more information, email Schwindt at ellen.m.schwindt@gmail.com or call (603) 447-2898.

Read more from the original source:

Beethoven-themed Music as Meditation on Jan. 5 | Outdoor Concerts - Conway Daily Sun

With anxiety and stress affecting more and more of us, it's no wonder the practice of meditation has also become more common. The idea is to calm your mind, and in doing so, your body. Which sounds pretty simple when you put it like that, but how do you actually know if you're doing meditation right?

"Its a good question," says the founder of meditation app Headspace, Andy Puddicombe, when I put it to him. And then he clears it up for me.

According to Andy, "theres no such thing as good meditation or bad meditation", which is a relief. Because it means, really, there's no such thing as doing it right or wrong.

Instead, the meditation expert explains, "there is only awareness and unawareness, distraction and non-distraction." And like every practice, the more you do it, the more skilled you become.

"To begin with theres a lot of distraction and not a lot of awareness. Over time theres more awareness and less distraction. That is just the process of it." Andy compares it to riding a bike. "At the beginning theres lots of falling over; youre not riding the bike, youre falling off the bike. But you practice and practice, and you start to ride the bike and become more confident at it.

"I think its really important that, as much as possible, we dont judge our meditation because then were doing the opposite of non-judgemental awareness, which is judging ourselves. Also, were just creating more thinking," Andy says, making a very valid point.

"Often people sit there during their meditation, thinking, 'Am I doing this right? Is this going well? Is this going to make any difference?' But thinking that somehow that thinking is bad, and all the other thinking isnt, isn't the case."

You know the score; your mind wanders, wondering what you're going to have for tea tonight, or which Netflix series you should binge next. And then you think, 'Oh, I shouldnt be thinking that. I need to be thinking about meditation'. But, says Andy, "Its all just thinking.

"Any kind of thinking needs to be treated in the same way: you see it, you let it go, and you come back to it again, even if its about the meditation itself. If you can do that then youre meditating right."

So it seems what Andy is really trying to say is that attempting to banish thoughts isn't what meditating is about. It's about allowing the thoughts to come and go - as they will - and being accepting of that.

Referencing an analogy he uses in the Headspace app, which compares thoughts to cars speeding past you on the side of the road, Andy says: "If you are sitting on the side of the road, the cars kind of have nothing to do with you. If you can get that level of distance, theyre just cars passing by."

Just like cars passing by, thoughts are just thoughts passing by. Once you've got the hang of that, you've nailed meditation. Now just wait and see the calmness of mind that it can bring.

You can find out more about the Headspace app for iOS or Android here.

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How to meditate and make sure you're doing it right - cosmopolitan.com

What do you usually do when waiting for a film to start in the cinema?

At one screening of Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (One Day We'll Talk About Today), moviegoers were encouraged to meditate while waiting.

Held on Jan. 2 at CGV Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta, the event titled "Mindful Screening Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (NKCTHI) X Riliv" was said to be the first in Indonesia to combine meditation and film watching. It was the result of collaboration between online meditation and counseling app Rilivand the film.

Prior to the screening, an audio cue signaled the start of the meditation session with information explaining the process. The lightsinside the movie theater were slowly dimmed until the room was completely dark.

Sitting on their seats, the audience was asked to relax, close their eyes and focus on their breathing rhythm.

If its still hard for your mind to focus [on the breathing rhythm], dont worry. Its normal, said the voice on the audio playback. Slowly get your focus back to the rhythm.

A few seconds later, the audience was asked to count their breathing and enjoy each physical movement upon inhaling and exhaling. They werealso encouraged to imagine themselves standing on a green hill with a fresh breeze, which was expected to bring a sense of tranquility, while still focusing on the tempo of their breathing.

The theaters quiet ambience helped immensely for the audience to concentrate on their meditation, which took around 8 minutes.

Additionally, the meditation session invited the audience to acknowledge their problems and slowly brought them back into their breathing rhythm.

Daffa Widaad Effendi from Jakarta said she felt calm after the session. I was encouraged to focus and to loosen up, Daffa said.

Read also: 5 apps for better mental health

[Riliv X NKCTHI] Feel The New Experience! Film NKCTHI akan rilis sebentar lagi nih! Eits, selain bisa mengambil banyak pelajaran dari filmnya, Riliv mau mengajak kalian semua untuk merasakan pengalaman baru nonton film dengan melakukan Mindful Movie Screening bareng @auroramanda95 & @ardhitopramono , nih - Apa sih Mindful Movie Screening? Jadi, Riliv mengajak kalian semua nonton bareng film NKCTHI dan bermeditasi bersama-sama pada : : 2 Januari 2020 : 19.00 WIB : CGV Grand Indonesia Jakarta HTM : Rp. 50,000 Untuk pemesanan dapat menghubungi, Aima (088235832600) - Nah, dengan Mindful Movie Screening kalian nggak hanya akan menikmati filmnya tapi juga bisa lebih mendalami makna dari pesan-pesan yang disampaikan dalam film NKCTHI. Menarik, kan? - Jangan sampai kehabisan ya, karena kuotanya terbatas first pay first get ya, Dear!

A post shared by Riliv-Meditasi & Curhat Online (@riliv) on Dec 30, 2019 at 5:35am PST

The meditation practiced at the event was the first session of Rilivs Meditasi Dasar 1 (Basic Meditation 1) series for beginners. Available on the app, the session can also be done at home.

Fandi Andrian of Riliv, told The Jakarta Post that people often forget that one of the most important things in meditation is being conscious of their breathing.

He added that meditating before watching a movie helps the mind to stay focused. People [usually] watch movies after work and they may still be thinking about various problems on their mind either about work, relationships or family. We wouldlike to calm them down by preparing their mind before watching a movie, so they can be more focused to receive the movies message," Fandi said, adding that similar events may be held in the future.

For those who are interested, Fandi suggested practicingmeditation at least once a day in their spare time, such as before watching a film or before going to sleep.

Launched in 2015, Riliv aims to spread the benefits of meditation in maintaining mental health and to tackle the stigma that meditation can only be done in certain religions.

The app, which has around 150,000 active users, offers two services named Hening (tranquil) for meditation and Lelap (sound asleep) to help its users sleep using soundscapes and story-telling the latter is dubbed Cerita Lelap (bedtime stories).

Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini is based on a book by Marchella FP.

Directed by Angga Dwimas Sasongko, the film narrates the story of relationships between siblings Angkasa (Rio Dewanto), Aurora (Sheila Dara) and Awan (Rachel Amanda) with their parents. Premiered on Jan. 2, the film also features Oka Antara, Donny Damara, Susan Bachtiar, Niken Anjani and Ardhito Pramono.

Riliv has also launched a special edition ofCerita Lelap narrated by actors from the film, namely Sheila Dara, Ardhito Pramono and Rachel Amanda. (wng)

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'Mindful Screening': When meditation meets the movies - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

STARTING AGAIN A Meditation on Calendars, New Years Resolutions, and Possibility

Delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim

5 January 2020

James Ishmael Ford

The year turns. 2019, of lamentable memory, is gone. And, now, 2020 has its turn around the fiery globe. You may have noticed things are not beginning all that well. Who knows whats going on with Iran? Or, for that matter throughout the Middle East. Or in North Korea. Well, with much of the world.

Disasters associated with climate change are popping up here and there across the planet. And of course. Of course. The rich continue getting richer. And the poor, well, to hell with them appears to be the order of the day.

It sure feels like lots of chickens will be coming home to roost. In the givens of that proverbial curse, we certainly live in interesting times.

And. But. Also. That great fact that we need not continue on the way things have been going. That amazing truth: we can change.

With that I find two things rising in my mind. And, I believe theyre connected. One is just the fact we have calendars. And, that they all have beginnings. If you think about it, what a strange and interesting thing that is.

A bit of digging around the web reveals the earliest recorded celebration of a new year took place in Mesopotamia somewhere in the neighborhood of two millennia before our common era. So, about four thousand years ago. They picked the vernal equinox, or, at least close to it. And, of course thats the earliest evidence, not at all likely the earliest time. I understand most inhabitants of the ancient Near East, foremost among them the Egyptians, started their new years on the autumnal equinox. While the Greeks preferred the winter solstice.

Chinese culture and much of the far East observe lunar calendars, and so, the New Year floats. India never seems to have established a common counter for the sub-continent. Although dates associated with the spring seem most popular. Africa has a similar lack of a continent-wide date, although in North America and elsewhere within the African diaspora the Yorba Odunde festival, which takes on the 2nd of June is increasingly popular. Similarly, the indigenous peoples of the Americas have no commonly accepted date, although spring is perhaps the most popular option. One exception to that general rule is the Pueblo peoples, who mark the 22nd of December, which is close to the winter solstice.

As to January 1st, there is some speculation that this follows a tradition that goes to 153 before the common era when the Romans started dating years from the inauguration of the term of the two consuls who ruled for a year beginning on that date. It was also the festival of Janus, the two-faced god of doors and beginnings. Whatever, the 1st of January was then enshrined in Julius Caesars reformed calendar, which would eventually become normative throughout the empire, and therefore much of Europe and the Near East.

Although as a bit of an aside March happening somewhere in the neighborhood of the equinox gave January 1st a bit of a run for its money for quite a while. That said, January 1st was finally established for Europe and anywhere Europe exercised its muscle in 1582 with the Gregorian reform of the Julian calendar. And from then it has never lost its place as the great marker of the new year for Western civilizations.

It appears for a number of reasons, not least the near world dominance of European colonialism up until relatively recently has made the Gregorian calendar the calendar and January 1st the beginning for the world, writ large.

With the notable tweak internationally of dropping the term AD, Anon Domino, in the Year of our Lord, and with it, BC meaning Before Christ in favor of the more neutral Before the Common Era, and After the Common Era. This has been helped along by the fact the dating going back to Jesus birth is generally considered to be off by somewhere between four and six years and never had anything to do with the first of January.

Still, for some this common dating is a bitter pill. It is hard to miss the colonialist implications of continuing the Gregorian calendar. The always practical Chinese probably show how it is going to play out. Theyve incorporated the Gregorian calendar into their governmental and business usage, while reserving their traditional calendar for calculating most holidays. And that might in fact be a pointer to our future as a global people, some overarching lingua franca in various areas, for example here with the continuing of a slightly tweaked Gregorian calendar, but with lots and lots of local enrichment

Could work. And, me, I like cultural mashups.

So, with all that, history and flexibility. For me, this little meditation becomes a looking two ways, like for Janus. That look back at calendars shows a couple of things. One, even the past isnt exactly fixed. But, more so, within the spiral of existence, we also have the possibility of change in our hands.

Not claiming adjusting our lives is ever easy. The tides around us ae always strong. Look at how hard it is to keep New Years resolutions. But, we can change.

Martin Luther King Jr, one of my deepest heroes, had a couple of tropes he revisited constantly in his sermons and speeches. One was that compelling line We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Here is the primary intuition, I believe, of our deepest interconnectedness, of the secret heart of what is. And he constantly returned to the ills of our lives and invited a need to feel maladjusted to those ills. This is critical.

There is a unity of experience; each moment is the way things are. And, within it, there is some dynamic, some possibility. We are not condemned to endlessly be who we are. Change is also part of the deal. Another of my heroes, Shunryu Suzuki phrased the situation a bit differently, but to the same point. Each of you is perfect just as you are, he taught. And you can use a little improvement. Here, with the way both the minister and the Zen master joined mutuality and a sense we do need some changes, and, a belief we can change.

Part of the difficulty is who we are is never a completely private thing. We are, as Dr King reminded us, wrapped up together in that garment of destiny. We are bound together, we are all in this mess together. And while perfect in some ways, it is also a perfection that includes hurt, for many considerable hurt. And looking at the world in this dawning decade, I personally feel some urgency.

John Tarrant, a very important spiritual director for me, had something to say about all this I think relevant to this point, of our deeper interconnectedness. It includes the fact that brokenness comes with the wholeness. And that we, each of us have a place within that fractured whole.

This is what I want to draw your attention to as we begin this new year. I want to draw your attention to the moment. Right here. Right now. And how we can become agents of transformation. And here we come to New Years resolutions.

It appears in Mesopotamia, that some four thousand years ago, when they thought up the idea of a New Year, at the very same time they cooked up New Years resolutions.

And, I suspect theyve always been as hard to keep as they are today. So, becoming the Buddha of this moment that is waking up to our connections, the perfections, and the hurt as a New Years resolution is not likely to be easy.

If youve ever tried a practice of presence, you know, perhaps painfully so, we are actually rarely consciously here in this moment. We tend to live in the future, planning and scheming. Or, we live in the past, regretting or wishing. And when we do consider the moment, it is usually more like the scholar Mark Unno, another wise teacher, observed. Where we live for the moment rather than in the moment. For, as in its time to scrub out the grime behind the refrigerator. But today may be the last warm day of the year and Im going to the beach. As opposed to in moment, which is rolling up our sleeves and pulling the fridge out, and scrubbing.

Mark Unno once described the moment I mean, the one that opens us to the possibility of change. He told about taking a walk with his elderly father. It was a lovely walk in the Pacific Northwest woods, misty and beautiful, filled with smells and birds and small animals.

In that moment being with his Dad, he also recalled somewhere in his body how much this man had given him, and how much he meant to Mark being the man he had become. And also, somewhere in Marks body knowing just as deeply, how frail his father had become and how soon, so very soon he would die.

This is the moment full. In this moment everything is there, including the fact that as soon as it births into the world, whatever it is, you, me, everyone one, everything, it is dying. Everything births and lives and is dust and memory and even completely forgotten, right here, right now. All here: beautiful, tragic. And, this is critical, full of potentiality.

Each moment births a new situation. So, theres also hope. We are the stuff the cosmos and what we do determines not only you and me; but the fate of nations, and beyond that, the fate of the world itself. So, heres my thought. How should this realization we are what we do manifest in our interactions with each other? How could this inform how you and I meet in our next encounter? In this next year? What would be our new rules of engagement if we thought this all might really be true?

Perhaps a New Years resolution?

How about if we try hard to meet each other as relatives, as stuff of the same stuff? How about we see each other as family? It has the advantage of being true, so why not? How hard would that be? And what would it look like? Would we cut each other a little more slack? Would we care a little more deeply? Would we take a little more time for each person if we thought that person really was a relative?

This is my practice.

I fail at it, at least as much as I succeed with it. But its continuing, its trying over and over. For me the commitment is to hold on just a breath or two longer than is necessary. To listen just a tiny bit more closely than I have to. To be just a hairs breadth kinder than the situation calls for. And to hold in the back of my head, in the back of my heart with whomever Im meeting, the belief this person is some kind of relative. Some, maybe closer, another perhaps a bit more distant: but all relatives.

This knowing opens us to the world. In the ancient scriptures of the West blood dripping from his hands, Cain asks, Am I my brothers keeper? Well, you know the answer. I know the answer. The answer is yes. We are our brothers keeper. We are our sisters keeper. Thats the deal. Do we live up to it or not? Here is the whisper of maladjustment; here is the possibility of change.

And, a New Years resolution?

So, what specifically is the project? To what do we give our attention? Another of my heroes is the late Ken Jones. He outlines the project perfectly, I feel, when he tells us there are three great moral imperatives of our time to heal the violated planet, and to enable both the underclass at home and the wretched of the earth to win dignity and freedom. Thats all. Nothing more. And, of course, nothing less. Help the homeless and outcast, the immigrant and prisoner here at home. Help to make our country a little better place, particularly for those dealt a bad hand. And, not to stop there. But to help those of other countries across the globe. And, not to stop there. But to help tend to this planet, our sacred mother.

A New Years resolution.

We remember we are all related, and we find ourselves creating a new world. Well, except when we forget. But, thats why its called spiritual practice. Emphasis on practice. Trying. And trying again. And what might happen out of such a perspective? Well, perhaps hell becomes heaven. And the many beings are saved. And the garden and the wild become one, and the earth is healed. This I believe, from the bottom of my heart, is the life and work to which we were all called from before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Nothing less.

And with that. Welcome to another chance. Welcome to a New Year.

Welcome.

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STARTING AGAIN A Meditation on Calendars, New Year's Resolutions, and Possibility - Patheos

HomeOpinionOp-EdTaking care of our mental health

There appears to be a fact which applies equally to everyone on the globe, near and far: the success and happiness we find in our lives is tied closely to the state of our minds. This would seem to be such an obvious truth that it is one of the most easily missed, like water to a fish.

But it does seem to be a truth with significant ramifications on all our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Evidence and testimonials appear in texts both ancient and modern, sacred and secular, from mental health professionals to congresspeople to Jesus Christ.

In his unique 2012 book A Mindful Nation, Ohio congressman Tim Ryan explores the links between the mind and personal well-being, and shares his experiences in the growing field of mindfulness meditation. The themes in his book are relevant to us all, whether we identify as liberal or conservative. And to add an ancient perspective to the conversation, let us not forget the words of a certain Nazarene prophet who is recorded as having said who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?

Long-term research at major institutions, such as Duke, suggest more and more that meditative and contemplative practices can serve as a key to open greater pockets of happiness and peace in our lives. It is common to hear objections to meditative practices based on their perceived association with the New Age, and with Eastern religious traditions.

I assure you based on my own experiences, however, that work on the mind is distinct from religion, and need not interfere with religious life; as a matter of fact, meditation can serve to unlock a spiritual and religious life of greater personal depth, peace and love. At its most fundamental, meditation is simply the art of quieting the mind.

As an individual with past experience of depression and anxiety, and one whom has found a light at the end of the tunnel, I heartily recommend for us all to take the simple action of becoming more aware of our mental lives, for personal awareness is the most fundamental step toward dealing with whatever unconscious issues we may be living with.

The stigma around mental health is obsolete and should be treated as such. To be human is by necessity to deal with mental and spiritual challenges. Our greatest freedom is in realizing that we are not bound to our hardships, nor defined by them.

Although it is not always easy to afford in this age of outlandish healthcare costs, I take it upon myself to make visits to a mental health professional just the same as I take my car for oil changes and go to the dentist for cavities. It adds a depth to my mental life that is worth noting; it helps me to be more productive, energetic, and able to accomplish my goals. In a word, it makes me more able to appreciate life without as much interference from negative thinking.

Taking it upon ourselves to seek professional help, therefore, is not an admission of weakness, but an act of love and faith in the goodness of life.

Happy 2020!

Garrett Whipkey is a Sampson County native with a BA in music from Western Carolina University. He can be reached at [emailprotected]

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New programs for spring 2020

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Taking care of our mental health - Sampson Independent

The flute-like tool promises to reduce stress and anxiety

Inhale, exhale. These are words often heard at yoga or meditation classes and retreats, whispered calmly by an instructor in a serene ambience, as practitioners focus on their breath and aim to clear their minds of clutter, tension and stress. The Lovetuner, a miniature pipe worn as a pendant, which was designed to provide the same de-stressing function, has now landed in the UAE.

Invented in California in 2014 by luxury accessories designer Sigmar Berg and Tom Rohner, a self-described spiritual lightworker, the device comes in several shades and is strung on a ball chain, beads or leather cord. The instruments pitch is calibrated to 528 Hz (known as the love frequency), claimed by its creators to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and align the water molecules in your body. Users are advised to inhale deeply and exhale smoothly into the Lovetuner to deliver a long, steady note at a low volume, and to practise tuning cycles of at least five deep and gentle breaths.

Maria Haggo, founder and chief executive of coaching company Little Miss Wellness, became the exclusive distributor of Lovetuner in the Middle East this year, after Berg and Rohner hired her to help spread their message in this part of the world.

Haggo cites a study at the medical school of Jutendo University, in Tokyo, that suggests the 528-hertz frequency has a significant effect on the nervous and endocrine systems. It indicated that both cortisol decreased and oxytocin increased in participants who listened to the frequency for even a short period of time, she says.

Haggo, who is pursuing a masters degree in psychology and the neuroscience of mental health, is a firm believer in the power of the tool. I was immediately intrigued by the concept. I am a big believer in meditation and the benefits it provides, and I love sound healing and music in general.

She says she owns the Lovetuner in several colours to match different outfits, and wears one every day. Its the first thing I put on in the morning and the last thing I take off at night. I start my day with five to 10 breaths of Lovetuning. Then I use it before going into my meditation practice for 10 to 20 breaths. I also use it for a few breaths during the day, whenever I feel stressed or unfocused. Then at night, before going to sleep, I use it for five to 10 breaths. It has become an anchor for me, and I take it with me everywhere. My husband wears it, too.

With a conventional musical instrument, tuning is performed to adjust the pitch of its tone. In the same way, the Lovetuners makers claim it enhances the users energy, uplifting the spirit and removing negative vibes. Jason Momoa has been spotted wearing one, and the Lovetuner has even been endorsed by doctor, author and self-help guru Deepak Chopra, while its instructions pamphlet features the words: Caution: may cause miracles.

Haggo explains that the Lovetuner is an effective product to help promote mindfulness and while this has become something of a buzzword in recent times, many people are unaware of what it means. Mindfulness is all about being in the present moment without judgment or without the need to change anything. When we heighten our awareness, we automatically become more mindful. This can be done by focusing on our breath, on our surroundings, on how our body feels in a specific moment of time this awareness of the moment is what we call mindfulness, she says.

Mindfulness is all about being in the present moment without judgment or without the need to change anything. When we heighten our awareness, we automatically become more mindful.

Maria Hago

Other benefits of regular tuning, says Haggo, are that it enables you to start a beneficial daily ritual and can connect you with others. Through Little Miss Wellness, she runs group sessions at which Lovetuner owners can come and tune together as a group, and she has started marketing the product to businesses through their HR departments.

I would love to see Lovetuners used at the beginning of a busy day with the team in the office, for all teachers to have Lovetuning sessions with their students every day, for families to use them when they come together after a busy day, for children and teenagers to use them to help them study and manage their emotions, and for government employees to lead their teams, Haggo says.

She adds that in the UAE, where fast-paced lifestyles are the norm, residents have rising stress levels and will benefit from using the Lovetuner to help slow down the pace. So far, she has secured placement deals with yoga centres, spas and concept stores in Dubai, including Zaaz Wellness & Beauty, Naya Yoga & Pilates, Just Be Holistic and Six Senses Spa at Renaissance Downtown Hotel. The gadget is also available at Littlemisswellness.net, for Dh270.

If the movement does pick up here as strongly as it did in Malibu, and you observe any friends, family or colleagues taking a minute to blow into a flutelike contraption hanging from their neck, make sure to tune in as well after all, Haggo claims the sound of the calming pitch can benefit bystanders, too.

Updated: January 7, 2020 02:26 PM

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Meditation pipe Lovetuner launches in the UAE - The National

TAMPA, Fla. There are many reasons Alex Killorn is playing the best hockey of his career.

Theres the Lightning wings chemistry with recent linemates Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli. Theres his increased opportunity on the leagues top-ranked power play. Theres the 30-year-olds decision to be more of a leader in the dressing room, which coach Jon Cooper believes has translated onto the ice.

But a lot of it, Killorn admits, is in his head. Increased confidence. Matured mentality. Narrowed focus.

And part of what has helped is meditation.

You heard that right. Killorn said he picked up meditating in the past couple of years through a book he read and a suggestion from team psychologist Ryan Hamilton. The former Harvard University star will spend 10 minutes a day in his Tampa home using the Headspace app on his phone, zoning out during a guided meditation audio session thats targeted specifically...

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Alex Killorn fan Q&A: How meditation has played role in Lightning wing's career season - The Athletic

Does your Apple Watch keep reminding you to breathe? Youre not alone. People all over the world are interrupted by the Apple Watch reminding them to breathe every day even if theyre already breathing. So what gives?

One of the most common misconceptions about Breathe alerts is that they are related to stress. The idea is that the Apple Watch detects when you need to take advice from Taylor Swift and calm down.

How would that work exactly? The confusion is around heart rate detection. The Apple Watch measures your current heart rate every few minutes (and more frequently when logging workouts). It also logs this data to create a trend line for your average heart rate.

But the Apple Watch doesnt assume that a sudden change in heart rate is related to stress. It can use that data to provide helpful heart health information!

It would be a cool feature though if the Apple Watch really coulddistinguish uninvited stress from intentional exercise or other real life scenarios that cause your heart rate to increase.

Full disclosure: I did not tell my mom it was a coincidence the first time she told me her Apple Watch reminded her to breathe after a stressful meeting. Her enthusiasm was too much. I dont think she reads my work.

Okay, but what if youre already breathing? I totally understand. I do that too. Just not as far as the Apple Watch is concerned.

It has sensors that detectwhen youre working out, and it can even detect a sudden fall and call emergency services if youre unresponsive. Apple Watch doesnt measure how long you can hold your breath however at least not yet.

So maybe the Apple Watch does want you to calm down, just not only when youre flustered.

Apple includes an app called Breathe that introduces Apple Watch users to guided meditation. An animating flower gently grows and shrinks over the course of several seconds. The app instructs you to take a deep breath and hold it when the flow increases, then exhale when the flower shrinks.

Frankly, its mesmerizing. Just talking about it is calming. There are even Apple Watch faces dedicated to the app and its visuals not to mention this 10 hour YouTube video of the animation thats been viewed almost 15,000 times.

Breathe is customizable too so each session doesnt have to be the same. You can set the number of breaths per minute to adjust how long each deep breath should be, the duration of the session before you begin, and whether or not the app remembers your last session length.

At the end of the meditation session, the Breathe app will display your current heart rate too. Ideally, its lower than when you started, but thats not the main goal of the app.

Using the Breathe app doesnt just help you collect your thoughts and focus on whats important to you. The Apple Health app on the iPhone can log data from meditation sessions with a metric called Mindful Minutes.

This helps you realize insights like whether or not guided meditation helps you sleep, eat healthier, or remember to exercise.

Meditation, great, but what about those nagging alerts? You can turn down the number of meditation reminders you receive or disable Breathe notifications altogether.

Open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Breathe from the My Watch tab, then tap Breathe Reminders.

If you like the idea of guided meditation but Breathe reminders are stressing you out, you can receive just one reminder per day. If you already logged a session, you wont receive an alert that day.

Breathe reminders also wait for moments when no movement or exercise is detected so it doesnt catch you at a bad time, although your mileage may vary.

You can also disable or have notifications sent to Notification Center (swipe down from the watch face to access) by swiping left and tapping the button from the alert.

Want to go nuclear on Breathe? Take a deep breath, press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch, then press and hold on the green flower icon for the Breathe app (or swipe left if youre in list view) to remove the Breathe app. You can always add it back from the App Store on Apple Watch.

If youre still reading this or youve scrolled to the bottom of this story, youve discovered my motivation for writing this piece in the first place.

I love learning how people use the Apple Watch so Im constantly searching for ways regular people experience it. This search, specifically on Twitter, has pointed to one meme over and over again, and Apples Breathe app on the Apple Watch is at the center of it.

Checking an Apple Watch alert for a new message, and hopelessly realizing its just a Breathe reminder.

Just search Twitter for apple watch vibrates breathe to see what I mean. There are probably earlier instances of this based on when the Breathe app was introduced, but my quick search goes back to this March 2017 tweet that fits the criteria:

Then in June 2017:

Followed by a similar tweet for July, August, and September2017.

Lots of people turn to Twitter to publicly declare that they will not breathe in defiance of their Apple Watch, but further inspection usually reveals additional tweets that suggest they actually continued to breathe.

Okay, those are just fun. But seriously, a lot of people are being misled by Breathe alerts on the Apple Watch.

Remember those original tweets from 2017? There was one per month for a while, then they fizzled out. Seems normal.

Fast forward to, say, 2020, and there have been nearly 20 tweets with the same message already. Were not even a week into the new year, people.

Thereissomething off about the current round of tweets though. In the trues sense of a modern meme, these tweets dont appear to be wholly original and organic.

Im not saying foreign bots or an international propaganda scheme is at play here, but most of these tweets are copied and pasted with the same format right down to the same four-letter-word-that-starts-with-an-s explicit reaction. I wont embed the bad words in case my mom actually does read my work, but again, see for yourself.

Last year alone, there were too many tweets to count that fit the search criteria. Its possible people are uniquely experiencing the same disappointment individually, or maybe the meme is really a somewhat meta quest for likes and retweets.

All I know is something changed between 2017 and 2020 probably the booming popularity of the Apple Watch and something that was tweeted a handful of times per year is now a daily meme.

Finding the deeper meaning of all of this will require more meditation. For now, remember to breathe, people.

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Apples Breathe app on the Apple Watch has been confusing people for years - 9to5Mac

The new year is a time when many consider adopting lifestyle changes to move toward better mind and body health. One change to consider is learning about meditation or mindfulness practices.

With five groups meeting in Carbondale, you can find one on almost any day of the week; in the morning or evening, and even those offering online options.

As the stressors of everyday life increase, many have sought complementary health practices to bring more balance to their lives. A report based on data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey found that U.S. adults use of meditation tripled between 2012 and 2017, from 4.1 percent to 14.2 percent.

Laura Bartels, of the Mindful Life Program, says we can train our mind and body to first relax and when we learn to release all that stuff we hold and now with a relaxed body, lets see if we can couple that with stable attention.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institute of Health, lists the benefits of meditation on their website. It is generally considered to be beneficial for reducing blood pressure as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and flare-ups in people who have had ulcerative colitis and assisting in smoking cessation. It may ease symptoms of anxiety and depression and may help people with insomnia and pain management. They caution it should never be used in place of medication or in delaying seeking medical treatment.

The Carbondale groups offer a variety of practices; some meditations are silent, while others offer guided meditation and discussion.

Linda and Russ Criswell lead a silent meditation group that Linda describes, When a group of people gets together in silence, its more silent than when youre by yourself. The silence is really powerful.

Some groups are based on Kriya yoga or Buddhist-based meditation practices.

Monica Muiz of Mountain Institute describes the Kriya meditation practice, brought here from India, as, Its not a religion, but its a spiritual science.

Ted Reed says Mindfulness Meditation Communities practice is based on 2600-year-old Buddhist teachings. A teaching for an age-old problem, he says, the monkey mind has been around as long as humans have been around.

Mountain Institute

Kriya and Lamplighting meditation, directly from Maha Avatar Babajis lineage, guided relaxation & stress relief techniques, with silent meditation & chant

Studio 2, 202 Main St.

Monday evening, 6 to 7 p.m.

Contact: Monica Muiz at 970-379-6602 https://mountaininstitute.com

Mindful Life Program

Third Street Center, 520 S. Third St., Suite 28

Monday evenings, 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., guided meditation, discussion & weekly mindfulness readings

Tuesday evenings, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., (location WoC Dharma Center in Suite 36), mindfulness for those in recovery

Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., online meditation using Zoom app

Contact: Laura Bartels at 970-633-0163

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Mindfulness Meditation Communities

Tibetan Buddhist philosophy & meditation

Carbondale Community School,

1505 Dolores Way

Sunday mornings, 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Contact: Ted Reed at 970-379-8422

Mindfulness Meditation Centers

Silent Meditation

Silent & unguided group meditation

The Launchpad, 76 S. 4th St.

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday mornings, 6:45 to 7:30 a.m.

Contact: Russ & Linda Criswell at 970-388-3597

Way of Compassion Dharma Center

Weekday mornings, except Tuesdays, 6 to 6:30 a.m., online meditation using Zoom app

Wednesday evenings, 6 to 7:30 p.m., meditation & Dharma teaching

Saturday mornings, two 24-minute groups.

The first session starts at 8:00 a.m., the second one starts at 8:30 a.m., Silent meditation & Buddha of Compassion practice

Third Street Center, 520 S. Third St., Suite 36

Contact: John Bruna at admin@wocompassion.org

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True Nature Healing Arts

Owner Eaden Shantay said they are currently not offering meditation, as he is on sabbatical.

See more here:

Find the meditation group that fits your style and schedule - soprissun.com