Four of the Best Meditation Assistants to Help Monitor & Improve Your Meditation
In the midst of our busy chaotic lives, the pull and to-do lists and the tension of every day stress takes it’s toll in ways unseen and unknown on almost all of us. As we rush from activity to activity, from work, to school to job to gym, in our attempt to do all and be all, we rarely have time to slow down enough to really take stock and review where we are and where we are heading in our lives.
As meditation becomes more and more recognised for it’s many tangible benefits, it also becomes more mainstream and acceptable, no longer being limited to just spiritual seekers and yogis. And despite the seeming simplicity of just taking time out to quiet your mind, meditation is actually a challenging state of mind to achieve (the key of course is really coming to terms with accepting and simply observing your thoughts rather than trying to ‘push’ them away).
That being said, a number of devices have been designed and created in order to help us achieve a calmer quieter state of mind. Most of these devices work as sensing headbands coupled with ear phones and most are supported by a mobile phone app, which will track and record progress allowing you to review and consistently improve your practice.
Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband
- Muse is your personal meditation assistant
- Sometimes your mind is calm and sometimes it’s active. Muse will guide you to a calm mind
- Put on the Muse headband, put on your earbuds, start the app, and close your eyes. Immerse yourself within the sounds of a beach or rainforest.
- While you meditate, Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active, and translates that data into weathers sounds.
- When you’re calm, you’ll hear peaceful weather sounds. When your mind wanders, the weather will intensify, guiding you back to a calm state.
- After each session, review your data, set goals, and build a deeply rewarding meditation practice that gets better every time.
NeuroSky MindWave Mobile BrainWave Starter Kit
- Learn about your brainwaves, train your meditation, and develop your own applications with the Mindwave Mobile Wireless Headset
- Compatible with iOS, Android, PC, and Mac.
- Detects raw-brainwaves, EEG power spectrums (Alpha, Beta, etc.), eSense meters for Attention, Meditation, and future algorithms
- More than 100 brain training games and educational apps available from the NeuroSky App Store
- Uses a single AAA Battery (Not included) for 8-hour battery run time
Spire Mindfulness and Activity Tracker for iOS and Android
- Requires a compatible iPhone or Android smartphone
- Spire measures your breathing and provides feedback for a more focused and calm day.
- When your breathing indicates tension, a gentle notification reminds you to stop and take a deep breath.
- The included smartphone app can guide you in short, simple exercises or mini-meditations to increase focus, calm and productivity.
- Clip the Spire stone unobtrusively onto your pants or bra to track steps, calories and respiratory patterns.
- Incorporates wireless charging, up to 7-days of battery life and thoughtful washer-proof design.
- NOTE: Spire measures breathing to give you insight into your state of mind. It is not a mood tracker or medical device.
App Screen Grabs That You May Find Helpful
Pip – Stress Management Biosensor + Apps
Measure, understand and learn to manage everyday stress level with Pip.
- Pip trains you to better manage everyday stress
- Powered by science, Pip detects electrodermal activity (EDA) in your fingertips to accurately determine when your body’s relaxing or stressing
- Pip comes with a suite of Apps which use your changing stress levels to control your in-app progress, letting you visualize stress and try different techniques to learn to control it
- Light, portable design. Apps compatible with Smartphones and Tablets (iOS and Android)
App Screen Grabs That You May Find Helpful
