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Archive for the 'Natural Awakening' Category

Sleep is for the Thrifty – Choose the Most Calming Alarm Clock

Sounder Slumber with Natural Chime Alarm Clocks

Sounder Slumber with Natural Chime Alarm Clocks

There’s a growing body of evidence linking sleep deprivation to poor physical health. Now there’s a study that suggests sleeplessness can hurt your fiscal fitness too.

Researchers at Duke University have found out that sleep deprivation boosts the part of your brain that tends toward optimism,; it also leads the part of your brain that processes negative outcomes to pipe down. As the news releases noted:

Sleep-deprived individuals in the study tended to make choices that emphasized monetary gain, and were less likely to make choices that reduced loss.

Although the study examined the way people in casinos behaved, it’s worth pondering how sleeplessness could be affecting your everyday financial decisions.

It’s one thing to be a sleep-deprived new parent and pony up for the Cloud b Sleep Sheepbecause you are desperate for the baby to sleep anywhere other than your arms ( … um. Not that I speak from personal experience. Or am bitter it didn’t work).

But is it possible that the chronically sleep deprived might be more prone to false thrift because they’re focusing more on the perceived financial benefits than on the realistic and likely drawbacks? Or perhaps their fiscal discipline is napping while they’re still up. In the bookNurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman write:

Sleep loss debilitates the body’s ability to extract glucose from the bloodstream. Without this stream of basic energy, one part of the brain suffers more than the rest — the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for what’s called “Executive function.” Among those executive functions are the orchestration of thoughts to fulfill a goal, prediction of outcomes, and perceiving consequences of actions.

Working toward goals, thinking through consequences — those sound like two of the governing mechanisms that help people manage their spending and saving.

Perhaps somewhere Benjamin Franklin is smiling. After all he is the one who said, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

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

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

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.

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.

adapted from sfgate.com by Lisa Schmeiser

Now & Zen – The Chime Alarm Clock Store – Downtown Boulder

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Orders@now-zen.com

The luxurious awakening provided by the Zen Alarm Clock is part of the growing preference for things natural—natural foods, natural fibers, and now, natural acoustic sounds.

The luxurious awakening provided by the Zen Alarm Clock is part of the growing preference for things natural—natural foods, natural fibers, and now, natural acoustic sounds.

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Chime Alarm Clocks, Natural Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits


Gong Clocks & Timers with Chimes for Meditation

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossoms

Beyond the psychological inquiry into dreams or the self-improvement techniques of affirmations lies the ancient and sacred practice of meditation.  Some form of meditation is practiced in every major world religion.  Yogis, Christian mystics, Zen Buddhists, Quakers, practitioners of the Kabbalah, and Secular Humanists, all experience the benefits of meditation.
A Moment of Stillness in Nature

A Moment of Stillness in Nature

The Zen Timepiece is an exquisite “accoutrement to meditation.”  It can be used in a variety of ways to aid your practice and encourage you to “make time” to meditate.  The first and most basic use of the Zen Timepiece in your meditation practice is as a signal of the end of your allotted meditation time.

If you want to meditate for twenty minutes, simply set our Chime countdown timer for twenty minutes and begin your meditation.  When the countdown timer reaches zero and the bowl/gong is struck, you can choose to end there or continue your meditation for about three and a half minutes until the next bowl strike, or even longer.  Many meditators find that a “three and a half minute warning” is a perfect interval in which to gradually conclude their longer meditations.  The first strike signals the final phase of the meditation and the second strike its conclusion.  The beauty of the brass bowl/gong is that it complements rather than disturbs the meditative state while acting as an effective timer.  No matter how you use it, the sonic clarity of the brass bowl provides an appropriate conclusion to your stillness.

Now & Zen Headquarter Store, Boulder, CO
Now & Zen Headquarter Store, Boulder, CO

The bowl that comes with the Zen Timepiece is made from the following five metals: copper, zinc, lead, iron, and tin.  It has been formed using the same forging techniques that have been used in Asia for two thousand years.  Unlike hand-hammered Himalayan-style bowls, our Zen Timepiece’s rin gong bowl is made using methods which first appeared in Japan in the first century.  Following these traditions, your bowl’s long-resonating tone has been carefully selected to bring beauty and harmony to your environment.

Clocks and Timers with Gentle, Soothing Chimes

Clocks and Timers with Gentle, Soothing Chimes

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

Home of The Zen Alarm Clock & Zen Timepiece with Singing Bowl

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302
(800) 779-6383

Posted in Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, Yoga Timers by Now & Zen, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers


A Soothing Alarm Clock Can Make a Difference – Americans Get Less Sleep Than They Think

Choose a Soothing Alarm Clock - Kitagawa Utamaro, Komuraski of the Tamaya, House After a Bath, 1795

Choose a Soothing Alarm Clock - Kitagawa Utamaro, Komuraski of the Tamaya, House After a Bath, 1795

Getting enough sleep? Probably not.

A new study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine finds that people tend to overestimate — not underestimate — the amount of sleep that they get.

The finding could add weight to the idea that Americans already skimp too much on sleep. And since many of us may be sleeping even less than we think, our lack of shut-eye may go largely unnoticed.

“People are losing sleep,” says lead author Graciela Silva, assistant professor, college of nursing and health care innovation, at Arizona State University. “Although seven and a half to eight hours are recommended, people sleep, on average, six hours each night,” she said.

But the surprise lay in the fact that most of the time, people were unaware that they were getting so little sleep.

“What is innovative and unexpected is that the older adults overestimated their sleep, rather than underestimated it,” said Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the sleep disorders center at Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill.

“As for the issue of sleep in our society, it looks like we are sleeping even less than we thought — which is often insufficient for mental and physical health to begin with,” said James Olcese, associate professor of the department of biomedical sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine in Tallahassee, Fla.

The findings of the study are further driven home by its sheer magnitude. A total of 2,113 participants, aged 40 years or older, participated in the study. Rather than taking a sample from a patient population known to have sleep problems or illnesses, this study examined a population largely representative of the general population.

American don't get enough sleep -- a soothing alarm clock with gentle chimes can make all the difference

American don't get enough sleep -- a soothing alarm clock with gentle chimes can make all the difference

And participants did not even have to leave their own bed. Unlike previous studies that required participants to be present in the sleep lab to undergo tests, in this study, researchers, instead, followed subjects into their own homes.

There, the technicians hooked participants up to a polysonogram, a sleep test that measures brain waves to determine the amount of sleep they are actually getting.

The Morning After

The next morning, participants were asked to report how much sleep they felt they routinely enjoyed, as well as how many hours of sleep they believed they had the previous night.

What researchers found was that participants consistently overestimated the amount of sleep they actually got. They estimated that they typically slept seven hours, but the polysonogram recorded a modest six.

Olcese said the results suggest that researchers may be better off conducting objective tests like polysonograms, rather than patient questionnaires, when it comes to figuring out exactly how much sleep a person is getting.

“Simply put, this study reminds us that what people say that they are doing is not always exactly correct,” he said. “Personal subjectivity usually biases the results of questionnaires somewhat, so don’t believe everything you hear, unless there is objective confirmation.

“These findings draw attention to the need for objective measures of sleep parameters, rather than using subjective evaluations.”

However, the findings were not shocking to everyone.

“This really does not surprise me,” said Dr. Nancy Collop, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, in Baltimore. In her sleep studies, she has found that patients routinely misperceive how much they sleep, often stating “I didn’t sleep at all.”

Not getting enough sleep may be so pervasive within our society that many may not view it as a big problem.

However, missing out on sleep is more detrimental than many may realize.

“As we have progressed, people are losing sleep time,” explained Silva, who is concerned that a sleep deficiency may affect daily functioning. This, she said, underscores the implications of her research for the thousands of physicians who routinely ask patients about their sleep habits.

“Physicians should take into account that people overestimate their sleep time,” Silva said.

Zee agrees, and added that doctors often rely on subjective reports. “So, doctors need to be cognizant that older adults may be overestimating, and if they are actually getting less sleep, [it] may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, metabolic conditions that have been associated with short sleep duration.”

The Alternative Soothing Alarm Clock - Choose from Chime Clocks or Gong Alarm Clocks - Boulder, CO

The Alternative Soothing Alarm Clock - Choose from Chime Clocks or Gong Alarm Clocks - Boulder, CO

More ZZZZs, Anyone?

Fortunately, there are steps that those wishing to maximize their sleep, or improve its quality, may take. These include refraining from heavy meals, hot baths, or vigorous exercise close to bedtime.

Caffeine lovers should avoid caffeinated beverages late in the day, and technology connoisseurs should relocate all of their noise-making gadgets — including computers and televisions — out of the bedroom.

If all else fails, and you are not rested after sleeping, Collop suggests actively trying to get more sleep.

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

Our Zen Timepiece’s acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock is the world’s ultimate soothing alarm clock.

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock - The Soothing Alarm Clock for a Peaceful Morning

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock - The Soothing Alarm Clock for a Peaceful Morning

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 (shown).

adapted from abcnews.go.com by By STEPHANIE TODD, M.D.

Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

orders@now-zen.com

The best soothing alarm clock -- alternative clocks with gongs and chimes

The best soothing alarm clock -- alternative clocks with gongs and chimes

Posted in Insomnia, Natural Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits, wake up alarm clock


The Only Alternative Alarm Clock – Sleep Experts Call for Siestas

Choose an Alternative Alarm Clock - Ukiyo-e Toshi Yoshida Sanbu Zaki Cherry Blossoms

Choose an Alternative Alarm Clock - Ukiyo-e Toshi Yoshida Sanbu Zaki Cherry Blossoms

Imagine a long leisurely lunch with a nap instead of a cold sandwich in front of your computer.

“It makes absolute sense,” said Dr. James Parish, medical director for the Sleep Disorder Center of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. “Sleep research has recently and repeatedly shown us what we have known for a long time and that is that sleep deprivation is an epidemic in this country.”

A new global Internet survey by the U.K.-based Sleep Council, a non-profit organization that advocates more sleep, calls for implementation of the siesta. The survey, released Sunday, asked people when they felt most alert and productive. Of 12,000 respondents, mostly from the United States and Europe, 41 percent said in the morning, while 38 percent said they hit felt most alert in the evening.

“The implication is that the majority are not fully alert in the middle of the day — the traditional time for a siesta in hot countries,” sleep expert Chris Idzikowski, a professor at Surrey University who conducted the two-year sleep study, told Reuters.

A Sleep Deprived Nation

Sleep deprivation usually manifests itself in feeling especially drained in the afternoon, say sleep experts. It’s the time of day when serotonin and dopamine levels, which regulate mood, sleep and emotion, naturally dip. And if you are already sleepy, this dip is even more dramatic.

“This feeling of drowsiness is sometimes associated with the mid-day meal,” said Dr. Michael Smolensky, author of The Body Clock Guide to Better Health and professor of environmental physiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. “But it really has a lot more to do with natural changes in the brain at this time in the afternoon. The body clock naturally governs itself and it includes this natural dip in the afternoon.”

Many European countries and others with hot climates have long implemented an afternoon down time, or siesta, when stores close, business shut down and residents go home for a nap, or take a long rest at a cafe or restaurant.

Experts say that with a rest during the afternoon hours when the serotoninergic system in a person’s brain slows, workers might perform better at their jobs, and even be more safe.

“What we see in children and adults with this loss of alertness is also a loss of hand/eye coordination in the afternoon,” Smolensky said. “Frankly, I sometimes take a short power nap in the afternoon.” Another way to feel refreshed in the afternoon, if you are not one who naps, is to take a rest, walk around the block, sit on a park bench, Smolensky says.

Less Sleep, More Bragging

“[Americans] like to brag about how little sleep they need, almost as if they are bragging about how many cars we own,” said Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Sleep Disorder Center. “We say we can get away with something like six hours of sleep. But, that’s not enough sleep. Most people need eight hours of sleep. This is why we feel tired in the afternoon and run down.”

Alternative Alarm Clock Store - Boulder, CO

Alternative Alarm Clock Store - Boulder, CO

The Council’s study suggests that workers allowed to follow their natural sleeping habits and rhythms would benefit employers by expanding working hours and production.

“It’s a very cultural thing for Americans to push themselves during the day,” said Zee. “With an economy that moves and changes quickly and rapidly, the harder you work and the longer hours you put in, you think you are more productive. But it reaches a point when you are sleep deprived, then you are just going to make mistakes and that productivity you perceive won’t matter.”

Waking up in the morning should be as pleasant as falling asleep at night. The Zen Alarm Clock’s gradual, gentle awakening is transformative.

One of the most alternative alarm clocks is called The Zen Alarm Clock.  The Zen Clock’s long-resonating Tibetan bell-like chime makes waking up a beautiful experience – its progressive chimes begin your day with grace. When the clock’s alarm is triggered, the acoustic chime bar is struck just once … 3-1/2 minutes later it strikes again … chime strikes become more frequent over 10 minutes … eventually striking every 5 seconds until shut off. As they become more frequent, the gentle chimes will always wake you up – your body really doesn’t need to be awakened harshly, with a Zen Clock you’re awakened more gradually and thus more naturally.  Unlike artificial recorded sounds coming out of a tiny speaker in a plastic box, natural acoustic sounds transform your bedroom or office environment.

adapted from abcnews.go by By Rose Palazzolo

Choose an Alternative Alarm Clocks -- The Zen Alarm Clock Store - Boulder, CO

Choose an Alternative Alarm Clocks -- The Zen Alarm Clock Store - Boulder, CO

The Alternative Alarm Clock Store - Alarm Clocks with Gongs and Chimes

The Alternative Alarm Clock Store - Alarm Clocks with Gongs and Chimes

Now & Zen – The Alternative Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800 779-6383

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, sleep, Sleep Habits


Morning Wake-Up: Set Your Zen Clock to Repeat

Wake-Up

Wake-Up

It’s often hard to find the inspiration to get out of your nice, comfortable bed when you’re still so tired. But according to Kundalini yoga, a built-in supply of energy lies dormant at the root of the spine, like a bulb that rests underground, waiting for a cue to bloom. By accessing this vitality, you’ll have the charge you need to fire up your day — without having to resort to a double latte.

“When you awaken your Kundalini energy and get it flowing up your spine,” says Maya Fiennes, a London yoga teacher and star of the DVD “Kundalini Yoga to Detox and Destress,” “you become alert and uplifted instead of sluggish and stressed.” We worked with Fiennes to develop this series of simple moves that stretch and strengthen the spine, increase vitality, reduce tension, release impurities, and improve focus — everything you need to face what lies ahead.

Camel Ride Targets
The lower spine.

What It Does
Releases lower-back tension, opens the hips, stimulates the digestive and immune systems, and promotes mental focus. “When you flex the spine,” says Fiennes, “you flex the mind.”

How to Do It
Sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands resting on your ankles. Bring your ribs and chest forward, gently arching your back, as you inhale. Then move the rib cage backward and round your lower spine as you exhale. Keep your neck relaxed and your chin parallel to the ground. Continue doing this exercise in unison with your breath for about two minutes and repeat.  Set your Zen Alarm Clock to repeat every 2 minutes so that you can concentrate on streching.

Adapted from Body + Soul Magazine, March 2008 by Kate Hanley

Natural Wake-Up Clock with Chime for Progressive Awakening

Natural Wake-Up Clock with Chime for Progressive Awakening

Now & Zen’s Clock and Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Chime Alarm Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, sleep, Sleep Habits, Well-being


Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock and Consider All Aspects of Stress in Your Life

Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock - Elegant Women. Courtesy of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum

Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock - Elegant Women. Courtesy of the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum

Ask yourself: What health-related effects of stress have you already noticed in your life?

If you haven’t considered (or you’ve chosen to ignore) the harmful effects that stress can have on your mind and body, you’re overlooking a major threat to your well-being.

Taking a long, hard look at the potential consequences of unrelenting, unaddressed anxiety can help us realize that we need to make a change, before it’s too late.

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clocks and Timers with Acoustic Chimes

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clocks and Timers with Acoustic Chimes

Start a Meditation Practice:

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.

Soothing Sounds Timers and Alarm Clocks with Chime

Soothing Sounds Timers and Alarm Clocks with Chime

Now & Zen – The Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383


Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, mindfulness practice, Natural Awakening, Zen Timepiece by Now & Zen, Zen Timers


Alternative Alarm Clock – How to Get That Extra Hour of Sleep

How to Get That Extra Hour of Sleep: UTAMARO, Kitagawa, A Mother Dozing While Her Child Topples a Fish Bowl

How to Get That Extra Hour of Sleep: UTAMARO, Kitagawa, A Mother Dozing While Her Child Topples a Fish Bowl

Amid the hustle of every day stress, there are some simple steps people can take to get a better night’s sleep.

“You need to set aside the time for sleep. You need a few hours to unwind before. It takes time for the brain to wind down,” said Dr. Charles Czeisler, professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.

At Northside Hospital Sleep Disorders Center Roberts was taught “sleep hygiene,” — a healthy routine that should be practiced before bed.

Stimulants — soda, chocolate, any kind of caffeine — should be avoided at least four hours before bed, she said. She also said that you should not exercise three to four hours prior to sleep. Eating a light meal and eliminating alcohol consumption also helps. And lights should be dimmed and the TV turned off to help prepare the mind to relax into a slumber.

And calling it an earlier night may show some benefits. In a 2009 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, heart attacks in Sweden rose by 5 percent in that first week of spring, when many people were adjusting to losing an hour of sleep. In the fall when the clocks are reset, heart attacks dropped, according to the study.

Alternative Alarm Clock - for a Soothing, Progressive Awakening

Alternative Alarm Clock - for a Soothing, Progressive Awakening

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.

adatped from abcnews.com by LARA SALAHI

Alternative Alarm Clock - The Zen Clock with Chime

Alternative Alarm Clock - The Zen Clock with Chime

Now & Zen – The Alternative Alarm Clock Store

Real Acoustic Alarm Clocks with Chimes and Gongs

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, sleep, Sleep Habits


Wake up to your Zen Alarm Clock at the Same Time Every Day

The Perfect Sleep Routine

The Perfect Sleep Routine

Tip:  The Perfect Sleep Routine

Morning

Wake up to your Zen Alarm Clock at the same time every day, whether that’s 5:30 or 8:30. This ritual will help maintain your circadian rhythms and make it more likely you’ll fall asleep at the same time every night, too. (Yes, you can sleep an hour later on weekends.) As soon as you wake up, “get into some sort of daylight situation really quickly, even if it’s just stepping out on a balcony,” suggests sleep expert Joyce Walsleben, R.N., Ph.D. Bright light suppresses the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone in your brain, and helps set your body clock. If you’re going to have coffee, this is the time. Walsleben recommends that women avoid it from noon on, and limit their morning dose to a cup or two. And keep in mind that “if you drink an 8-ounce cup in the morning,” cautions Rubin Naiman, Ph.D., “you may still have small amounts of caffeine left in your blood at bedtime.”

Afternoon
At lunchtime, choose wisely: An animal study published in the journal Cell Metabolism in November 2007 linked a high-fat diet with a disrupted circadian clock. At least three hours before bed, get some exercise that raises your heart rate. “Aerobic exercise in the late afternoon — even just walking home from work — can help you burn off the stress of the day and raise your body temperature,” Walsleben explains. “This has the potential to deepen your sleep later on.” Also, avoid taking siestas during the day to help maintain your sleep drive.

Evening
Eat dinner several hours before bed to give your body time to digest, and avoid spicy or heavy foods if you’re prone to heartburn. If you drink wine or beer, do so “three or four hours away from bedtime,” advises Walsleben; while alcohol may speed the onset of sleep, it can disrupt the sleep cycle later.

Night
Avoid watching intense TV shows, paying bills, or engaging in other stimulating activities an hour or two before bedtime. Instead, dim the lights to stimulate the release of melatonin and do a few relaxing yoga poses (such as Legs Up the Wall and Child’s Pose) or 10 minutes of deep breathing or meditation. If you have a bathtub, use it. (Adding relaxing lavender oil will help.)

adapted from Body + Soul Magazine, May 2008 by Sarah Schmelling
Dark Oak Zen Alarm Clock with Chime, the original progression clock

Dark Oak Zen Alarm Clock with Chime, the original progression clock

Now & Zen’s Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Bamboo Chime Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening, sleep, Sleep Habits, Well-being


Mind-Body Therapies Help Your Heart, Use Your Meditation Timer to Reduce Stress

mind-body therapies help your heart

mind-body therapies help your heart

Research shows that the stress-inflammation cycle is as detrimental to your heart as a plate full of the cheesiest fettuccine Alfredo. “Stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, cause the arteries to constrict, which results in a rise in blood pressure and decrease in blood flow,” Moyad explains. Less blood flow means less oxygen circulating through the body to combat free radicals—unstable cells that can damage healthy tissues. “We know now that bad LDL cholesterol only becomes threatening when levels get so high that it binds with free radicals,” Moyad says. When this happens, LDL changes structure and gets absorbed by the arterial walls’ lining, resulting in plaque buildup, or atherosclerosis. Such tissue damage causes the immune system to go into overdrive, triggering inflammation. Reduce your risk with effective mind-body therapies like meditation, yoga, exercise or massage.

The Digital Zen Clock & 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 Natural Solutions Magazine, January 2010 by Kate Hanley

bamboo meditation timer and natural alarm clock with gentle chime

bamboo meditation timer and natural alarm clock with gentle chime

Now & Zen’s Clock and Meditation Timer Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Posted in Beauty, Chime Alarm Clocks, intention, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Meditation Timers, Meditation Tools, mindfulness practice, Natural Awakening, nature, Well-being, yoga, Yoga Timer, Yoga Timers by Now & Zen, Zen Timers


How You Wake Up in the Morning is An Important Part of Your Sleep Experience

Ukiyo-e Madame Print

Ukiyo-e Madame Print

Being startled awake by a buzzer alarm, or awakened by the unpredictable noise of a clock radio, is certainly less than ideal.  We fall asleep gradually and it is only natural to wake up gradually.  The Zen Alarm Clock’s gradually increasing 10 minute sequence of gentle acoustic chimes or gongs makes waking up a graceful and soothing experience.

Zen Clocks “gently summon your consciousness into a waking state” in a way that helps preserve dream memories and is easy on your psyche.  It also helps you replicate the gradual process of waking up naturally when your body is ready, even while adding the assurance of an alarm clock to get you up on time.

When you have a Zen Alarm Clock, you actually look forward to the morning “alarm.”  Moreover, the visual and sonic beauty of the Zen Clock adds to the aesthetic beauty of your bedroom, which is another important aspect of a holistic sleep environment.  Every Zen Alarm Clock comes with a 40 page booklet that describes how it can be used for dreamwork, affirmations, and meditation.

Black Lacquer Zen Alarm Clock

Black Lacquer Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Posted in Chime Alarm Clocks, Japanese Inspired Zen Clocks, Natural Awakening, Now & Zen Alarm Clocks, Progressive Awakening


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