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Archive for August, 2012
 Utamaro Kitagawa, Bijin Combing Her Hair, 1750-1806 The key to create a wind-down period before bedtime is to create some space between your busy day and sleep time. “You can’t just work until 9 at night, and then stick your head on the pillow and fall asleep,” Khalsa says. So turn off the television, computer, and radio. Cut down on or eliminate evening classes and exercise that leaves you feeling amped up.
When you come home, honor this transition by playing relaxing music, lighting candles, or putting on your favorite pajamas and set your Zen Alarm Clock. Think of the yoga precept of pratyahara: Withdraw your senses in order to turn inward.
Our unique “Zen Clock” features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings the meditation session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal.
adapted from yogajournal.com ‘Sweet Slumber’ by Nora Isaacs
 Zen Alarm Clock for a Gentle Awakening with a Bowl Gong
Now & Zen’s Chime Timer
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, mindfulness practice, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Sleep Habits, Ukiyo-e, Well-being, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers
 Combing Beauty by Goyou, 1920 For a relaxing bedtime beverage, Donald Yance, an Oregon-based clinical herbalist and certified nutritionist, suggests combining several herbs as follows: Passionflower and skullcap soothe agitated nervous systems and can help with mental chatter; oat seed strengthens the nervous system and helps people who are too tired to sleep; and chamomile provides a gently relaxing base.
 relaxing bedtime beverage 1 chamomile tea bag
30 to 60 drops passionflower tincture
15 to 30 drops skullcap tincture
15 to 30 drops milky oat seed (Avena sativa) tincture
Pour boiling water over tea bag and let steep for five minutes. Remove tea bag, and add drops of tincture to tea. Stir in a touch of honey if desired. Sip and enjoy. Then set your Zen Alarm Clock and crawl into bed.
 Zen Alarm Clock with Progressive Chime, set your clock as part of a relaxing bedtime routine adapted from Body + Soul, May 2008 by Sarah Schmelling
Now & Zen’s – The Zen Timer Shop
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(800) 779-6383
Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks
 yoga downward dog pose This multipurpose pose stretches and releases tension in key parts of your body (shoulders, legs) while at the same time strengthening and toning them. Make it part of your regular practice and feel your energy soar.
Here’s How To Do It
Start on all fours on a yoga mat, with your hands aligned with your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. The tops of your feet should be on the mat.
Inhale, curl your toes under, and spread your fingers. Exhale, raise your tailbone, and push into the mat with your hands. Elongate your spine, and straighten your legs. Keeping your head neutral and your back flat, activate the muscles in your arms and legs. Push your heels down toward the floor. Hold for four to five breaths. Bend your knees and relax. Set your Zen Yoga Timer to 30 seconds.
Refine Your Technique
As you incorporate the pose into your practice, use the following strategies.
1. Spread your fingers as wide as possible, pressing the base of your index fingers into the floor.
2. Keep your head between your arms or let it hang, whatever feels more comfortable.
3. Lengthen your spine, lifting your sitting bones up; imagine someone pulling your hips and back.
4. Keep your knees straight, but not locked. Hold the outer thigh muscles firm, and roll the upper thighs slightly inward.
5. Your heels may or may not reach the floor; keep stretching them, but don’t strain.
6. Hold your shoulder blades firm, drawing them in and down, toward your tailbone.
adapted from Body + Soul Magazine, November 2009 by Tania Hannan
Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga Timer. It features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings your meditation or yoga session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. Our Yoga Timer & Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation or yoga session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life. Bring yourself back to balance.
 Digital Zen Alarm Clocks, yoga timers with a chime
Now & Zen – The Yoga Chime Timer Store
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(800) 779-6383
Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Chime Alarm Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, mindfulness practice, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Well-being, Yoga Timer, Yoga Timers by Now & Zen
 Utamaro Kitagawa, A Mother Dozing While Her Child Topples a Fish Bowl A recent poll at the McGraw-Hill Companies posed this question to a few thousand employees: if there were more hours in the day, would you work, sleep, relax, socialize, or play? For the overwhelming majority, the answer was a no-brainer: sleep.
This is serious news: the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences reports that sleep-related fatigue costs U.S. businesses $150 billion annually in absenteeism, accidents, and lost productivity. Charles Czeisler, M.D., a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, has found that pulling an all-nighter or sleeping as little as four to five hours daily for a week produces the level of cognitive impairment experienced by a person who is legally drunk. Yet we glorify people who sacrifice sleep.
The U.S. is not the only sleep-deprived nation. As globalization takes its toll, cities in Spain are seeing the disappearance of the siesta due to long commutes that make a midday trip home impractical.
The problem even has Japan taking snoozing seriously. High school teachers in some areas are dimming the lights to give students a power nap. And in Bangkok, Thailand, last November, civil servants were encouraged to take naps at lunchtime in a room where cell phones are banned.
Sara Mednick, Ph.D., author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life, says that napping is also catching on in New York City, where MetroNaps, with its space-age-style sleep pods, offers respite at its location in the Empire State Building, and Yelo, a sleep salon on West 57th Street, provides hexagonal sleeping pods.
Meanwhile, the Medical Journal of Australia sang the praises of the 10-minute power nap, and the Australian organization SIESTA (Society for the Introduction of Extra Sleeping Time in the Afternoon) quotes specialists from the Adelaide Institute of Sleep Health on the mental and physical benefits of the nap. They join Harvard and Columbia studies suggesting that napping helps the brain process information and reduces accidents at work and on the road. Just tell that to the boss when you doze off! Be sure to set your Zen Alarm Clock to waken you gradually and gently so you can get back to work refreshed and altert.
 Chime Alarm Clock with Soothing Sounds Boulder, Colorado—an innovative company has taken one of life’s most unpleasant experiences (being startled awake by your alarm clock early Monday morning), and transformed it into something to actually look forward to. “The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure. Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime. When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong. Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later. The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper.
adapted from Spirituality and Health Magazine, May 2007 by Swaha Devi
 Zen Chime Clock with Japanese Maple Leaves in Honey Finish Now & Zen’s Soothing Alarm Clock Store
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Sleep Habits
 The Plum Orchard by Hiroshige (1857), ukiyo-e woodblock print Chai Tea recipe from Beth Baker, principal cook at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California:
1 1⁄2 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons fresh cardamom pods
1⁄2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 dash allspice
3/4 teaspoon licorice root (optional)
Good-quality black tea
Grind the coriander seeds and cardamom pods in a spice grinder.
In a bowl, mix the ground spices, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and optional licorice root.
Pour the chai mix into a clean jar and the black tea in another jar. Tie a note around them with the following instructions:To make an herbal chai you can sip all day, follow step 1 below, strain, and add extra hot water as necessary.
Chai mix
2 cups water
1/3 cup ginger, finely chopped
3 cups milk
2 or 3 tablespoons black tea leaves
2 to 3 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or sugar
1. Bring the chai mix, water, and ginger to a boil.
2. Lower heat, add milk, and cook until it reaches a low boil. Stir continuously so as not to scorch it.
3. Add black tea and simmer for 5 minutes, use zen timer by Now & Zen
 - Digital Zen Timer, good for timing tea
Now & Zen’s Chime Timer Shop
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(800) 779-6383
Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks
 still the mind Despite the oft-heard instruction to “still the mind,” a meditation practice is not meant to help you get rid of all your thoughts—and you wouldn’t want it to. Your ability to think is, after all, one of the greatest gifts in life, something to truly cherish.
When you start a meditation practice, you are simply training yourself to become more aware of your thoughts and, more important, of how you relate to them—a process that can change the very landscape of your life.
Using a kitchen timer or beeper watch is less than ideal. And it was with these considerations in mind that we designed our digital Zen Alarm Clock and practice timer. This unique “Zen Clock” features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings the meditation session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal.
adapted from Yoga Journal, ‘Presence of Mind’ by Janice Gates
 Bamboo Zen Timers, a meditation timer Now & Zen’s Chime Meditation Timer Shop
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Well-being, Yoga Timer, Zen Timers
Just Breathe
 meditation, just breathe Find a comfortable seated position and begin by observing your natural breath. Notice the texture, length, and rhythm as the breath flows in and out of your body. Feel the temperature of the air as it touches your nostrils. Take note, too, of pauses between breaths.
As thoughts arise, note them, but then allow them to float by like clouds, gently bringing your attention back to the breath. If you find it difficult to concentrate, try silently counting. For example, inhale 1, exhale 1, inhale 2, exhale 2, up to 10, and then repeat the cycle. After a while, you can stop counting and just focus on your natural breath.
Although meditation can be done in almost any context, practitioners usually employ a quiet, tranquil space, a meditation cushion or bench, and some kind of timing device to time the meditation session. Ideally, the more these accoutrements can be integrated the better. Thus, it is conducive to a satisfying meditation practice to have a timer or clock that is tranquil and beautiful. Using a kitchen timer or beeper watch is less than ideal. And it was with these considerations in mind that we designed our digital Zen Alarm Clock and practice timer. This unique “Zen Clock” features a long-resonating acoustic chime that brings the meditation session to a gradual close, preserving the environment of stillness while also acting as an effective time signal. The Digital Zen Clock can be programmed to chime at the end of the meditation session or periodically throughout the session as a kind of sonic yantra. The beauty and functionality of the Zen Clock/Timer makes it a meditation tool that can actually help you “make time” for meditation in your life.
adapted from Yoga Journal, ‘Presence of Mind’ by Janice Gates
Zen Alarm Clock with Progressive Chime Now & Zen’s Mindfulness Timer Store
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, mindfulness practice, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Yoga Timer, Yoga Timers by Now & Zen, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers
 how to get back to sleep One minute, you’re in the deep REM zone. The next, it’s 3 a.m. and you’re wide awake, eyes flung open, heart pounding, mind racing like a runaway train — “Will I meet that deadline?” “Did I turn off the stove?”
You lie there flustered, tossing and turning, until finally you give up — and spend the next few hours zoned out on the couch watching infomercials.
While you can’t ignore late-night anxiety, you can find calm by facing it head on. “Mindfulness makes you aware of the uncomfortable physical sensations that bubble up when your brain refuses to rest,” says stress and relaxation expert KRS Edstrom, creator of the Sleep Through Insomnia meditation CD. “It helps break up those I-can’t-fall-back-to-sleep thoughts, and lets your mind know it doesn’t have to panic anymore.”
When insomnia strikes, she suggests briefly getting out of bed (get a drink of water, gently stretch) to break the initial agitation. Then lie back down and, using the following visualization technique, focus your attention on how you feel. By observing the tension in your body, you’ll be better able to let it go and catch those precious remaining hours of rest.
Meditation How-To
1. Lie on your back, close your eyes, and take three deep, slow breaths through your nose.
2. Turn your attention to where the panic or tension resides in your body. Is it your head? Throat and neck? The pit of your stomach?
3. Observe the sensation. Does it feel dull, sharp, prickly, hot? Describe it to yourself objectively, without trying to make it stop or go away.
4. Now imagine drawing a circle around that spot with a marker.
5. Breathe deeply in and out for a few moments, watching the circle expand and shrink. Notice whether the intensity swells, plummets, or changes shape over time. As you relax, begin to envision the circle slowly melting away.
6. As the circle dissolves, let your body grow heavy; imagine that your bones are made of lead, sinking deeper and deeper into the bed. Feel a wave of relaxation flow over you, washing away your remaining anxiety, like sand being drawn out to sea.
7. Drift blissfully to sleep.
The Digital Zen Clock and Meditation Timer serves as a countdown and interval timer for yoga, meditation, bodywork, etc.; and it can also be set to chime on the hour as a tool for “mindfulness.”
adapted from Body + Soul Magazine, September 2008
 Natural Sounding Alarm Clocks, The Digital Zen Alarm Clock in Solid Walnut Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Shop
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
(800) 779-6383
Posted in intention, Meditation Timers, mindfulness practice, sleep, Sleep Habits, Well-being
 Mt Fuji Ukiyo-e by Hiroshige, woodblock print
Meditation is a holistic discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation is a component of many religions, and has been practiced since antiquity. It is also practiced outside religious traditions.
Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual goals—from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.
wikipedia.org
Our Zen Timepiece’s acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock is the world’s ultimate alarm clock, practice timer, and “mindfulness bell.”
 Singing Bowl Meditation Timer and Alarm Clock
It fills your environment with beautifully complex tones whenever it strikes. In the morning, its exquisite sounds summon your consciousness into awakening with a series of subtle gongs that provide an elegant beginning to your day. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece’s progressive awakening, you’ll never want to wake up any other way. It also serves as the perfect meditation timer. Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo.
 Meditation Timer with Singing Bowl Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Store
1638 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Well-being, Zen Timers
Create a simple and restful nighttime routine for you and your children
 Create calm and relaxing bedtime rituals Sat Bir Khalsa, a Kundalini Yoga teacher who’s also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a neuroscientist at the Division of Sleep Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is studying how a form of Kundalini Yoga breathing called Shabad Kriya helps people with insomnia, offers good news: “Treating the arousal should treat the insomnia.” By creating a routine of soothing rituals, you can bring your nervous system back into balance and transform your sleep patterns for good.
Rituals for Relaxing
Whether it’s yoga to reduce muscle tension, breathing to slow the heart rate, or an herbal massage to calm a racing mind, a hot bath to sooth your tired body, or a bedtime story to slow you and your children’s minds, creating a simple routine can be the most effective way to get a better night’s sleep. Maintaining consistency will help you and your children keep your circadian rhythms—the biological changes that happen every 24 hours—steady. Eventually, your body will naturally understand and crave sleep during these hours. Set your Zen Alarm Clock as part of your bedtime routine.
By Nora Isaacs Yoga Journal
Wake up refreshed, love your alarm clock, transform your mornings with The Zen Alarm Clock’s progressive awakening with gentle chimes.
“The Zen Alarm Clock,” uses soothing acoustic chimes that awaken users gently and gradually, making waking up a real pleasure. Rather than an artificial recorded sound played through a speaker, the Zen Clock features an alloy chime bar similar to a wind chime. When the clock’s alarm is triggered, its chime produces a long-resonating, beautiful acoustic tone reminiscent of a temple gong. Then, as the ring tone gradually fades away, the clock remains silent until it automatically strikes again three minutes later. The frequency of the chime strikes gradually increase over ten-minutes, eventually striking every five seconds, so they are guaranteed to wake up even the heaviest sleeper. This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.
 Zen Alarm Clock by Now & Zen Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Store
1638 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80302
Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Sleep Habits
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