It's exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece's progressive tones, you'll never want to meditate any other way. It serves as the perfect meditation timer. Kiyonaga Torii, Bonsai Vendor

It’s easy to see the good in others if that’s what you decide to do

I believe that in the same way physical exercise can change your body, regular mental exercises can change how you see and engage with the world and the people you love.

Last September, I attended a meditation workshop. The meditation was this: Sit for 11 minutes with your hands in front of your heart, palms facing each other a few inches apart. We were to see the person we loved inside the space between our hands. We were to think of them happy, to see them bathed in light, to see them as their best selves. We were given a little song to sing during the meditation, but the song wasn’t the point. The point was to see the person you loved as happy for 11 minutes every day.

It was a 40-day meditation, and if you missed a day, you had to start over at day one. So every day I sat down and thought about my husband as happy. I pictured him on a boat or sleeping with our dog or laughing on the phone with his mother. We had a good marriage to start with, and now the small traces of impatience or judgment I had brought to our relationship fell away. I no longer cared if he neglected to unroll his socks before dropping them in the wash. I felt a heightened sense of joy when he came home from work. Again and again I pictured him at his best, and I responded to that best self accordingly. I remembered how grateful I was to be married to him, and then I remembered how grateful I was to even know him. The more goodness I saw in him, the more goodness he showed me. He even started going to the gym, feeling better about work, doing more to help other people. He asked me often about the meditation, and thanked me for it.

At the end of 40 days, I asked the teacher if people ever decided to push on. She told me that 40 days requested a change, 80 days formed a new pattern, and 120 days sealed your intention. I pressed ahead. It’s easy enough to find fault with people, but it’s equally easy to see their radiance if that’s what you decide to do. I didn’t change my husband, I changed myself, and in doing that I opened my eyes to what had been there all along.

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.

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.

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.

adapted from Prevention by By Ann Patchett

Now & Zen – The Meditation Timer Store – Clocks & Timers with Gentle Sounds

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

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.

Once you experience the Zen Timepiece's progressive tones, you'll never want to meditate any other way. It serves as the perfect meditation timer.

When you focus on new details in everyday activities and encounters, you’re much more engaged, are viewed as more genuine, and, consequently, are more attractive to others. In a study by Ellen Langer, PhD, a Harvard psychologist and author of The Power of Mindful Learning, participants were asked to sell magazines either mindfully or mindlessly. Everyone memorized a sales pitch so they could recite it by rote. One group was asked to repeat the pitch verbatim with each new customer (i.e., mindlessly); the other group was told to change the script in subtle ways, such as pausing in different places (i.e., mindfully), so that only they knew how it differed each time. When the customers were asked their opinions of the salespeople, they judged the script changers (the mindful group) as more charismatic, says Langer.

A recent study from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill found that mindfulness techniques improve personal relationships as well. Couples who completed separate 8-week courses in traditional mindfulness-based techniques felt significantly more satisfied with their relationships than before; they also reported less stress within the relationship. These results were still in effect 3 months
later.

It's exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs.

Try This Technique: Say Hello–Mindfully (10 minutes)

The next time you get together with good friends, make every effort to notice new details about them (what they’re wearing, the color of their eyes) and observe their physical reaction to you–and yours to them. Do you feel yourself retreating or opening toward the others? Do you sense they’re defensive, or eager to foster greater intimacy? Later, take a few moments to review what you’ve learned and how that new info has altered your perceptions of your friends.

Live in the Moment

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation 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.

adapted from Prevention by By Nicola Nieburg

It serves as the perfect meditation timer. Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo.

Now & Zen – The Gong Meditation Timer & Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

why meditation works

By MAIA SZALAVITZ

The image of the ancient but youthful-looking sage meditating on a mountaintop might be closer to reality than you think, according to a new study that found that after a three-month stay at a meditation retreat, people showed higher levels of an enzyme associated with longevity.

The study is preliminary and didn’t show that meditation actually extends life, but the findings suggest a possible means by which it could.

Researchers led by Tonya Jacobs of the University of California-Davis compared 30 participants at a meditation retreat held at the Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado with matched controls on a waiting list for the retreat. Participants meditated six hours per day for three months. Their meditation centered on mindfulness — for instance, focusing solely on breathing, in the moment — and on lovingkindness and enhancing compassion towards others. (More on Time.com: Empathy Beats Bullies)

After the three-month intervention, researchers found that the meditators had on average about 30%* more activity of the enzyme telomerase than the controls did. Telomerase is responsible for repairing telomeres, the structures located on the ends chromosomes, which, like the plastic aglets at the tips of shoelaces, prevent the chromosome from unraveling. Each time a cell reproduces, its telomeres become shorter and less effective at protecting the chromosome — this, researchers believe, is a cause of aging. As the chromosome becomes more and more vulnerable, cell copying becomes sloppier and eventually stops when the telomeres disintegrate completely. Telomerase can mitigate — and possibly stop — cell aging.

“Something about being on a retreat for three months changed the [amount of] telomerase in the retreat group,” says Elizabeth Blackburn, a study author who has won a Nobel Prize for her previous work on telomerase. “We didn’t prove that it was meditation [that caused the change]. A lot of things happened during the retreat. But the interesting thing was that the changes we saw tracked quantifiably with the change in people’s psychological well-being and outlook.”

meditating on a rock

In other words, people with higher levels of telomerase also showed more increases in psychological improvement. In retreat participants who showed no psychological change, telomerase levels were not any higher than in controls. (Researchers were unable to compare telomerase levels in the groups both before and after the retreat for logistical reasons.)

“It’s a very good study with interesting results in terms of health implications,” says Alan Marlatt, a professor of psychology at the University of Washington who has studied meditation for decades but was not associated with this research.

Of course, the relationship between health and telomerase is complex. In a recent study in mice by Harvard researchers, they found that boosting levels of telomerase reversed signs of aging, restoring graying fur and fertility, increasing brain size and sharpening scent perception. Too much telomerase activity can also be a problem, however. A cell that reproduces endlessly sounds like a good thing at first — that cell would be immortal. But this is exactly what happens with cancer cells — infinite replication. “If telomerase levels go too far up, that’s [associated with] cancer,” says Clifford Saron, associate research scientist at the University of California-Davis Center for Mind and Brain and a co-author of the new paper.  He notes, however, that the difference is one that is orders of magnitude higher—so that meditation could not possibly cause cancer*.

Woman meditating on the beach at sunset

So how does meditation affect the machinery of cellular reproduction? Probably by reducing stress, research suggests. Severe psychological stress — particularly early in life and in the absence of social support — has been linked with poorer health, increasing risk for heart disease, stroke and some cancers. This is likely due to the negative effects of high levels of stress hormones on the brain and body. By reducing stress hormones, perhaps meditation contributes to healthier telomeres.

In a study published a few years ago in Lancet Oncology, researchers compared 30 men before and after adopting lifestyle changes following a diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer. The patients started meditating, switched to a healthy plant-based diet, exercised and attended a support group. Like the new study, the Lancet Oncologypaper found increases in telomerase linked with reduced psychological distress.

“The mind has a big influence on the body. If you get anxious, your heart beats faster and your stomach churns,” says Blackburn. “But we don’t know yet [if meditation is linked to] a reduction in stress hormones. The physiology is very complex.”

Recent evidence supports a connection: a study published this month in the Archives of General Psychiatry showed that mindfulness meditation can reduce relapse in patients who recovered from depression just as well as antidepressants.

Of course, the increases in telomerase seen in the current study could be due to some other unknown factor that separates the meditators from the controls. That’s another reason why it’s too early to suggest that stress-reducing mind-body interventions like meditation be prescribed as a treatment for any diseases or disorders. The study also did not show that meditation actually extends life, only that it may increase the activity of an enzyme that is associated with longevity.

Still, research on meditation is expanding dramatically, with studies finding it helpful for pain, depression, addiction and many other conditions. “There’s a very exciting dialogue going on,” Marlatt says of the research. “It works for many different kinds of clinical problems. It’s very promising.”

That noise you hear in the background? Millions of new meditators chanting, “Om.”

adapted from Time Magazine, Dec. 2010

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.

meditation timers with singing bowl chime

Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Perfect Gift Alarm Clock - Zen Chime Clock

“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 if the perfect gift for those who are hard to find presents for…

Perfect Gift Alarm Clock - Makes Waking a Soothing Experience

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Steet

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

It's exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece's progressive tones, you'll never want to meditate any other way. Harunobu Suzuki, Beauty at the Veranda

Think again! You can channel some Zen with a technique that fits your personality:

We get it. Telling you to meditate is a whole lot easier said than done. Sure, research links it to all kinds of health benefits—stress relief, improved memory, and better blood sugar, to name a few—but that won’t do you much good if your blood pressure spikes just thinking about sitting still for five minutes. The good news is that this doesn’t mean you can’t meditate; you just haven’t found the right fit.

“Everyone can meditate,” says Sarah McLean, a meditation teacher in Sedona, Arizona, and author of Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks With Meditation (May 2012; Hay House). “Any activity can become a meditative experience if you’re really present in the moment and engage your senses.

How? Simply slowing down and being mindful of what’s happening right now—rather than, say, thinking about what you ate for lunch yesterday or whether you remembered to put your clothes in the dryer—can calm your nervous system, says McLean. You mind will drift, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. “It’s like training a puppy,” says McLean. “Stick with it and your mind will settle down.”

t serves as the perfect meditation timer. Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo.

Here’s how to channel some inner peace with a technique tailored to your personality.

If you’re artsy…light a candle. “Concentrating on a flame can be a good way for visual types to stay in the moment,” says McLean. Sit three feet from a flame at eye level, and watch it closely for five to 10 minutes. Continue to bring your attention back to the flame every time you notice your focus starting to drift away.

If you’re a foodie…savor each bite. Focus on a small morsel, such as a raisin, strawberry, or nut, and notice its shape, size, color, texture, and scent. Place it on your tongue, enjoying the flavor and keeping it in your mouth for as long as you can, at least 20 seconds. Chew slowly. “By turning your focus inward and concentrating on sensations such as taste and smell, eating can feel like a new, exciting experience,” says McLean.

If you’re athletic…take a hike. Try walking for 10 minutes without the iPod. As you stroll (no rushing!), stare at the ground about three feet in front of you. Notice the sound of your breath, focus on the physical sensation of the air on your skin, observe the texture of the ground in front of you. “Over time, walking meditations can train your brain to better focus on the here and now,” McLean says.

The Healing Power Of Mindfulness
If you’re a word lover…find a mantra. Sometimes your mind just needs a place to rest. Repeating calming words can give your mind that opportunity to chill. Find a quiet place and sit with your back straight but not rigid. Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, and repeat words that will help settle—rather than stimulate—your mind. Try saying “Let” on an inhale and “go” on an exhale, either out loud or silently to yourself. “It can help interrupt the monologue in your head and naturally settle down your thinking process,” says McLean.

adapted from Prevention, by By Holly C. Corbett

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga & Meditation 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.

It's exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs.

Now & Zen – The Gong Meditation Timer

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Orders@now-zen.com

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.

Waking up in the morning should be as pleasant as falling asleep at night. The Zen Alarm Clock's gradual, gentle awakening is transformative. Kitagawa Utamaro Ukiyoe by YukiSakuma

Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and envision the space where you feel the greatest sense of joy and calm. Is it a spare, expansive beach? A lush garden? A tranquil forest? More than likely, that’s your ideal bedroom.

“If the place you feel the most peaceful is in the mountains, then include things like a photograph of mountains, essential oils of fir or juniper in a diffuser, or a bowl of pine needles,” says feng shui teacher Denise Linn, author of Sacred Space. “You won’t be able to re-create the exact environment, but there are aspects you can incorporate.”

Reinventing your bedroom as a place of beauty and serenity sets up a lasting source of renewal and replenishment, both spiritual and physical. “The bedroom is the most important place in your home for enhancing your sense of well-being,” says Linn.

No need for an expensive, time-draining makeover. Here are 10 simple ways to create a dream bedroom that nurtures your health and refreshes your spirit.

1. Soften the Colors
Bedrooms are meant to be “yin rooms,” which facilitate passive, feminine spirit rather than generate active, masculine yang energy. “Yin rooms should be calm, so you can walk into them and relax,” says Susan Levitt, author of Taoist Feng Shui. She suggests painting walls in pastels such as lavender, beige, or off-white, or in muted flesh tones like cream, taupe, and rose.

Whatever hue you choose, make it nontoxic. Many paints contain volatile organic compounds, which produce hazardous fumes when wet and may continue to release those fumes for years after drying. Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Home Safe Home, recommends buying a water-based paint that’s low in VOCs. “Brand-name paint stores such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore carry their own nontoxic paints,” says Dadd, who also suggests sleeping elsewhere for three or four days after painting a bedroom.

Another option is using Anna Sova Luxury Organics wall finish, manufactured with up to 99 percent food-grade ingredients (from $49 a gallon; annasova.com). To enhance the soothing effects of your new colors, add a bottle of Anna Sova’s Organic Aromatherapy formula ($12). Stirred into the wall finish before painting, these essential-oil-based blends scent your room with lemon, vanilla, orange and clove, or sandalwood.

2. Clear the Clutter
You needn’t sleep in a Zen den, but a clean, open space allows you to rest better at night. Throw out—or put away—items you haven’t read, worn, or looked at in a few years. “If you don’t love it and you haven’t used it in several years, get rid of it,” says Linn. “Reducing clutter is modern-day alchemy. Anything you don’t love only drags you down.”

And don’t try to hide the clutter under your bed—even if your frame has built-in drawers, store only bedding and pillows there, Levitt advises.

Bookworms may want to keep beloved novels at hand, but too many tomes can be overwhelming. Instead of having piles everywhere, keep one or two books out in your bedroom and store the rest on a book shelf, says Levitt. Don’t pack them too tightly; leaving a little free space gives you room to grow and symbolizes the acceptance of new things in your life.

3. Purify Your Pillows
One of the best ways to purify your sleeping space is also the cheapest: Replace your current pillow with an organic cotton or wool pillow or cushion from Abundant Earth (abundantearth.com), Real Goods (realgoods.com), orRawganique.com. “Your nose is right there breathing in fumes from the foam,” says Dadd. “For less than $60, you can make a significant change in your health.” Wool offers additional benefits to allergy sufferers, since it’s naturally resistant to dust mites.

4. Tame the Decor

The Zen Alarm Clock transforms mornings, awakening you gradually with a series of gentle acoustic chimes Once you use a Zen Clock nothing else will do

Displaying photos of loved ones brings positive energy into a bedroom, as long as the wall decor is kept simple. “Don’t put up too many pictures,” says Levitt. “One per wall is plenty.” And avoid art with violent or chaotic imagery. “In feng shui, the first thing you see when you wake up is very important,” notes Linn. “If it’s a great piece of modern art, but the imagery is jagged, that’s not great for your energy.”

Some consultants advise against mirrors in the bedroom, but Levitt says they can open up the space. “Just make sure they’re not cracked, glazed, or tiled,” she adds. “Cracks show breakage and flaws; glaze doesn’t reflect clearly; and tiles break up your image, as though it’s hard to bring together different aspects of your personality.”

5. Dim the Lights
Street lamps and other outdoor lighting can wreak havoc on your sleep cycle because melatonin, the hormone that helps govern sleep, responds to light and darkness. For soundest snoozing, dim your bedroom at night with a thick, dark cotton canvas, and let in the morning sun when it’s time to wake; this will help you stay synchronized with your own body rhythms.

Lighting defines a room’s aesthetics as well. Overhead lights lack atmosphere, so install a dimmer switch or use small lamps. “Overhead lighting doesn’t belong in the bedroom,” says Dadd. “I prefer gentle lighting that puts you in an inward-looking frame of mind.”

6. Send In the Scents
Filling the air with a luscious yet subtle fragrance makes your bedroom nearly spa-like. Linn suggests adding a few drops of calming essential oil like neroli, rose, or jasmine to an aromatherapy diffuser (available from Aura Cacia for $15; frontiercoop.com), while Levitt recommends chamomile, lavender, or clary sage.

7. Clear the Air
Keeping your windows open works wonders toward purifying indoor air of dust, mold, pet dander, and chemicals from household cleaners. “Fresh outdoor air is essential for good health,” says Dadd.

Once winter rolls around, however, letting in that oh-so-cold fresh air may not seem as appealing. “But even if you crack open your window just an inch, it can help,” says building biologist Athena Thompson, author of Homes That Heal. “If you have one or two people sleeping in a closed room for eight hours, it depletes the air of oxygen and increases carbon dioxide, so you wake up feeling sluggish and headachy.” Add an extra blanket or two on chillier nights.

8. Power Down
Television picture tubes, wireless Internet connections, electrical wiring, and cellphones emit electromagnetic fields that may contribute to frequent waking, aches and pains, and muscle spasms, according to Lawrence Gust, a building biology consultant in San Marcos, Calif. To reduce your EMF load, remove electric cords and devices from the bedroom—or at least from within 8 to 10 feet of the bed—and disconnect Wi-Fi and multi-handset cordless phones.

“The time that you spend in your bedroom should allow for your body to be more connected with its own electromagnetic fields, rather than those coming from electronic devices,” says Dadd.

9. Modify the Mattress
“The bed is where you go to spend your key rejuvenating time—it’s where you wipe the slate clean,” Thompson says. But do you know what’s underneath you?

A typical foam mattress is made from petrochemical derivatives with fire retardants and other chemicals added, all of which can be absorbed through the skin. Thompson prefers mattresses made of organic cotton, pure grown wool, or natural rubber. Try Janice’s Superior Organic Cotton Mattress ($1,495 for queen-sized; janices.com) or Lifekind’s Natural Rubber Mattress ($1,595 queen;lifekind.com). If you’re not ready for such a major purchase, place a barrier cloth (available from Janice’s; queen-sized organic barrier, $269.95, or organic cover, $189.95) over your existing mattress. “It will give you a layer of natural fibers, which is more comfortable and helps you sleep better,” says Dadd.

10. Remake Your Bed

Wake up with gradual, beautiful acoustic chimes. The Zen Alarm Clock transforms your mornings and gets you started right, with a progressive awakening

When shopping for new bedding, look for 100 percent natural fibers–ideally organic cotton or organic hemp—at retailers like Gaiam (gaiam.com), Coyuchi (coyuchi.com), and Rawganique.com. To avoid chemically treated linens, make sure your purchases aren’t labeled “permanent press,” advises Dadd. “If you shop at stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, the kinds of sheets that are untreated will be the jersey and flannel sheets,” she adds. For colors, opt for soothing shades like sage green and powder blue, says Levitt.

Even the purest fabrics expose you to chemicals if you launder them in perfumed detergents. “Commercial ‘fragrances’ represent anywhere from 10 to a few hundred chemicals, many of which have never been tested on humans,” says Thompson. “If you’re washing your bedding with fragranced detergents and drying them with fragranced dryer sheets every week, you’re going to be sleeping on another layer of chemicals all night.”

Clean your linens “the old-fashioned way, with baking soda or vinegar,” suggests Thompson. Or select detergents that are fragrance-free or have natural ingredients like orange peel.

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.  This gentle, ten-minute “progressive awakening” leaves users feeling less groggy, and even helps with dream recall.

adapted from Naturalhealthmag.com By Elizabeth Barker

Wake up refreshed, love your alarm clock, transform your mornings with The Zen Alarm Clock's progressive awakening with gentle chimes.

Wake up refreshed, love your alarm clock, transform your mornings with The Zen Alarm Clock's progressive awakening with gentle chimes.

Now & Zen – Alarm Clocks with Gentle Sounds

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

One of the ultimate Zen like experiences is waking-up from a great slumber refreshed and energized.

A simple variation of yoga nidra (yogic sleep) taught by Swami Rama can help you restore your energy.

When travel (or everyday life) wears you down, a simple variation of yoga nidra (yogic sleep) taught by Swami Rama can help you restore your energy. This practice helps you settle into a profound state of rest while remaining alert at a deeper level of consciousness. By drawing your attention to your heart center, you will become a silent witness to your sleeping body and mind.

1. Choose a room where you will not be disturbed. Sit on the floor against a wall, stretching your legs out and crossing one ankle over the other. Cup your palms in your lap and, with your eyes closed, either allow your head to hang forward or to rest against the wall.
2. Feel the relaxed movement of your breath, letting it flow easily and smoothly. Then observe 3 to 5 breaths at the nostrils, to center your mind.
3. Next, one by one, rest your awareness (and breath) at the eyebrow center, then at the throat center, and finally the heart center.
4. Keeping your awareness at the heart center, quietly resolve to let your body and mind sleep for a specified length of time (say, 10 minutes). Trust your mind to awaken you when that time has elapsed.
5. As you sleep, continue to be aware of the merest sensation of the breath (but no mantra). You are simply letting your body sleep, with awareness.
6. Stay in this state until your mind wakes you up. Then slowly shift your head and stretch your body. Draw your attention outward, opening your eyes into your hands and then to the room around you.

One of the ultimate Zen like experiences is waking-up from a great slumber refreshed and energized. Your mind and body are harmoniously one, both alert and focused. Having a refreshed mind and body are two keys to a natural and Zen lifestyle. Waking up in the morning should not be a loud and abrupt awakening, but rather it should be a peaceful positive experience.  The right natural alarm clock can transition your deep and tranquil sleep into a serene start to consciousness. Imagine a long-resonating Tibetan bell-like chime waking you up to a beautiful morning experience.

The right alarm clock can be the most beneficial investment for you. With our Now & Zen natural alarm clock you are awakened more gradually and thus more naturally. Now & Zen is focused on creating a naturalistic lifestyle, and our clocks are an example of our philosophy.

Your mind and body are harmoniously one, both alert and focused. Having a refreshed mind and body are two keys to a natural and Zen lifestyle.

Rolf Sovik, PsyD, is co-author of Yoga: Mastering the Basics and is the director of the Himalayan Institute of Buffalo, New York.

The Zen Alarm Clock transforms mornings, awakening you gradually with a series of gentle acoustic chimes Once you use a Zen Clock nothing else will do

Now & Zen – The Singing Bowl Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

orchid

“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
-Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

Mindfulness tools for your stillness practice

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Zen Timepiece for Meditation and Yoga

by Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche

As beginners, we must embrace the practice of meditation. Even if the discipline of meditation does not come easily, we should endeavor to practice. We have to tame our neuroses and pacify our restless minds.

Meditation

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

It's exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs.

Entrepreneurs behave just like most Americans when it come to religion — but with one spiritual twist.

They’re significantly more likely to pray several times a day or to meditate, says sociologist Kevin Dougherty, a co-author of the Baylor Religion Survey.

The survey can’t answer whether prayerful, peaceful folks are more likely to take a business risk or whether the stress of a start-up drives folks to their knees or to the lotus position, Dougherty says.

Questions on entrepreneurs were a part of the survey underwritten by Baylor’s sociology department, the National Study of Religion and Entrepreneurial Behavior and the National Science Foundation.

Either way, 34% of entrepreneurs say they frequently look up to the Lord, compared with 27% of non-entrepreneurs. Nearly as many, 32%, say they look inward in meditation while just 22% non-entrepreneurs say they practice any of the eight forms of mediation, including Christian, Jewish and Buddhist variations, on the survey.

Leading the way: Christian meditation, reported by 18% of entrepreneurs.

Leah Rampy of McLean, Va., who ran her own company as an executive leadership coach, says her prayers were often that “the spirit would work through me.”

Mindful meditation, was cited by 17% of entrepreneurs. Wendy Woods, a consultant based in Toronto shares with her corporate clients how “meditation helps me push away fear and bring in calm and creativity.”

Buddhist meditation worked for Ray Yeh, of Ukiah, Calif., who created and ran a software sales company for 20 years. He found “working 12 hours a day, seven days a week leaves you no time to think, to get in touch with your inner self.” Yeh sold the company in 1999 and now lives in a Buddhist monastery in Northern California.

Psychologist Kenneth Pargament, scholar in residence at the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, says, “Entrepreneurs have a strong sense they can take matters into their own hands. But they also face risk, unpredictability and uncertainty. Prayer and meditation can be important resources for people who are trying to achieve a lot and yet still face the reality that there is only so much they can control.”

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.

adapted from abcnews.go.com

Our Yoga and Meditation 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

Now & Zen – The Meditation Timers Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com