Toyohara, Kunichika, 1835-1900 Saruwaka-cho Kogiku

Too frazzled to focus at work? Meditation may help hone your attention — even if you’re new to the practice. In a University of Pennsylvania study, a group of 17 beginners showed great improvements in focus after meditating for a half-hour, five times a week for eight weeks. Regular meditation also enhanced their ability to manage tasks and stay alert while working.

To ease into a practice, find a quiet place every day, set your Zen Meditation Timer and simply focus on following your breath. “Even if you’re doing five minutes, three times a day, it can help a lot in getting your body accustomed to slowing down,” says Vandita Kate Marchesiello, director of the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association. For more guidance, she recommends picking up a meditation book, CD, or DVD, or attending a local class.

Our Mindfulness Clock & Timer, called The Zen Clock  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, October 2007

Black Lacquer Zen Alarm Clock and Meditation Timer

Now & Zen’s Mindfulness Clocks and Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Harunobu Suzuki, A Girl Collecting Chrysanthemum Dew by the Stream

Meditation is often credited with helping people feel more focused and energetic, but are the benefits measurable?

A new study suggests that they are. When researchers tested the alertness of volunteers, they found that the practice proved more effective than naps, exercise or caffeine.  The results were presented at a recent conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

The researchers, led by Prashant Kaul of the University of Kentucky, took 12 students who did not meditate and taught them the basics in two short sessions.

Then, over a series of weeks, the students were asked to come in and take a test devised to measure skills like reaction time. The tests involved a series of visual cues on a display screen that the volunteers had to react to by pushing the correct button.

The students were asked to take the tests in mid- to late afternoon, when people tend to be sleepiest. They did so before and after 40 minutes of meditating, napping or exercising, or after taking caffeine. Napping produced poor results, presumably because of “sleep inertia,” the researchers said.

Caffeine helped, and exercise was unpredictable.

Earlier studies have found that people are awake while meditating but that their brains undergo changes similar to patterns found in sleep. Some studies have found that people who meditate a lot report sleeping less, so the researchers were curious to see if meditation could serve the same function as sleep. The results support the idea that it can.

In fact, when some of the students were asked to skip a night’s sleep and then take the test, the researchers said, meditation was even more helpful.

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 The New York Times, October 2006 by Eric Nagourney

Digital Zen Alarm Clocks, meditation timers and alarm clocks with chimes

Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

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

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

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.

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

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

Singing Bowl Meditation Timer and Alarm Clock

Meditation Timer with Singing Bowl

Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO 80302

Ryoanji Zen Garden, Kyoto, Japan

Steve McIntosh, Inventor of the Zen Clocks and Tehya (his wife) were most fortunate to visit the Ryoanji Zen Temple in Kyoto, Japan before their son, Peter McIntosh was born.  It was a most peaceful and memorable trip.  Below is a description of the ancient site:

Ryōan-ji is a Zen Temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan.  The garden consists of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.

Ryōan-ji

Japanese gardens are a living work of art in which the plants and trees are ever changing with the seasons.  As they grow and mature, they are constantly sculpted to maintain and enhance the overall experience; hence, a Japanese garden is never the same and never really finished. The underlying structure of a Japanese garden is determined by the architecture; that is, the framework of enduring elements such as buildings, verandas and terraces, paths, tsukiyama (artificial hills), and stone compositions. Over time, it is only as good as the careful maintenance that it receives by those skilled in the art of training and pruning. Part of the art is to keep the garden almost static, like a painting.

Ryōan-ji Temple Bell

Zen Timepiece Inspired by Ryōan-ji Temple Bell

The Zen Timepiece – a Gong Meditation Timer is the result of ten years of product evolution at Now & Zen, and we trust that you will find it a delight and a pleasure.  The Zen Timepiece’s greatest beauty is in its sound.

Once you take a moment to adjust the strike force and position of the bowl/gong to your liking, your ears will be treated to the lovely tones of the bowl’s long-resonating ring. We recommend you set the clock so that the bowl is sounded in the lower end of its range, because this is where it sounds the sweetest.

Gong & Chimes

Zen Clocks & Timers

Aaron Hoopes talks of meditation as being an avenue to touching the spiritual nature that exists within each of us.

“At its core, meditation is about touching the spiritual essence that exists within us all. Experiencing the joy of this essence has been called enlightenment, nirvana, or even rebirth, and reflects a deep understanding within us.

The spiritual essence is not something that we create through meditation. It is already there, deep within, behind all the barriers, patiently waiting for us to recognize it. One does not have to be religious or even interested in religion to find value in it.

Becoming more aware of your self and realizing your spiritual nature is something that transcends religion. Anyone who has explored meditation knows that it is simply a path that leads to a new, more expansive way of seeing the world around us.”

adapted from wikipedi.org

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.

Chime Meditation Timers

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.

Meditation Chime Timer by Now & Zen, Inc.

Zen Alarm Clock, Ukiyo-e Hokusai Wave Dial Face

Now & Zen’s Chime Meditation Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Utamaro Kitagawa Ukiyo-e Print - Now & Zen, Inc., 1638 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302 (800) 779-6383

Incessant mechanical bleating breaks your sweet sleep, and the morning is spoiled before it has even begun.  Anyone who has relied on an alarm clock to get them out of bed can relate.  Thank Buddha, for this jangling sunrise ritual can be transcended.  Now &  Zen offers a soothing alternative with the gentle Zen Alarm Clock.

This line of solid maple and walnut clocks uses chimes that emulate Tibetan bells to gently and gradually awaken users over a period of ten minutes.  The chimes can also be used for meditation and yoga.   To practice zen and the art of waking up, visit Now & Zen’s Headquarter Store in Boulder, Colorado.

Excerpt from Attache Magazine (October 2002) – US Airways by Kelly Cunningham

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Solid maple and walnut clocks use chimes to emulate Tibetan bells to wake you