How do you make time for what matters most?

Now & Zen, Inc., based in Boulder, Colorado, is an Alarm Clock Company founded in 1995 by artist and entrepreneur Steve McIntosh.  Now & Zen’s mission is to participate in the emerging movement in society toward a more spiritually focused lifestyle. Our shorthand way of describing this lifestyle is “quality of thought and stillness of being”.   These complimentary aspects of spiritual living are described below.

Quality of thought

The idea of quality of thought applies to the holistic or “integral” perspective by which we consider the full impact of our choices and actions. Quality thinking is value driven and concerned with the welfare of the greatest relevant whole—our whole selves, our whole environment, and our whole society.   Quality of thought is another way to refer to the practice of the “golden rule”—our concern for the common good.

Quality of thought also embraces the insights of cutting edge science as well as ancient wisdom from diverse traditions.  While a spiritual lifestyle extends far beyond “thought,” we must use our minds to recognize the movement of spirit in the world.  Now & Zen’s Alarm Clocks embody quality of thought through their use as tools for education and transformation, in the esoteric principles used in their design, and in their beauty and originality.

Stillness of Being

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Perhaps the most important aspect of spiritual living is feeling the presence of the Sacred, however we define it.  Cultivating a stillness practice such as meditation or prayer can be a powerful way to feel the presence of spirit.  Stillness of being is also about inner peace and faith in a higher power.  Just as quality of thought is about seeking for truth—the yang aspect of a spiritual life, stillness of being involves the yin principle of receptivity.  It is in the state of stillness that the blessings of spirit are most fully received.

Now & Zen products embody stillness of being by helping to reduce stress and through the use of images of peace, such as the raked sand from a Zen garden and similar peaceful images used for our clock dial faces.

Ultimately, a spiritual lifestyle can be defined as any path that leads to spiritual experience.  And as we understand it, spiritual experience is about beauty, truth and goodness.  We thus strive to bring quality of thought and stillness of being to all Now & Zen products by making each one beautiful, true, and good: Every Now & Zen’s Alarm Clocks are designed to be beautiful to the eye and ear; all of our product claims are true—scientifically accurate and philosophically reasonable; and all of our products are “good for something,” that is, useful in our daily lives and not merely decorative or symbolic.

quality of thought, stillness of being

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Peal Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Soothing Chime Alarm Clocks

Fear is an Alarm Clock

Paul Williams’ little book, Das Energi, is a classic of progressive spirituality, first published in 1973.

Here is a juicy excerpt that we thought would be appropriate for our “alarm clock blog“:

“It’s hard to stop the reasoning mind, which of course is the breeder of fear. Here is an argument your mind is sure to come up with; you may as well be familiar with it.

The argument is that fear is needed, fear is a warning, fear protects us from danger, if a baby didn’t learn to fear the hot stove he would be burned again and again. Not to think about fear, not to let it live, so the argument goes, is to blind oneself to danger.

Your mind will phrase the argument; your mind must answer it. Must answer it in advance; these arguments are deadly if they wait till fear is present, raging. Fear is born of reason, and it destroys reason.  One must not use reason to combat fear.

So think about this argument now. Do we need fear? Is it our protection?  This is what I think. I think fear is an alarm clock. The first thing you do when the alarm sounds is shut it off! Then respond to the alarm, collect yourself, take action.”

There Is No Need to Fear Your Zen Chime Alarm Clock

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Alternative to Beeping Alarm Clocks...Tibetan-Singing Bowl Alarm Clock

Use The Zen Chime Alarm Clocks with Acoustic Sounds as an Alternative to Shocking Alarm Clock Sounds

Zen Timepiece Black - Eliminate Your Beeping Alarm Clock

Our Zen Timepiece’s acoustic 6-inch brass bowl-gong clock is the world’s ultimate alarm clock, practice timer, and “mindfulness bell.”  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).

Eliminate Beeping Alarm Clocks, Zen Chime Alarm Clocks are an Alternative!

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Digital Zen Alarm Clock are the Best Gradual Awakening Alarm Clocks

5 Features and Benefits of the

Digital Zen Alarm Clock:

1. Feature: Wakes you gradually and gently over 10 minutes with a Tibetan bell-like chime.

Benefit: A beautiful way to wake up at home or traveling.

1. Feature: A countdown timer perfect for meditation, yoga, or to end meetings on time.

Benefit: Makes yoga, mediation and meetings more relaxing and fun.

1. Feature: Chimes on the hour, lighted dial, AC or battery powered, beautiful yet portable.

Benefit: A timepiece for a progressive lifestyle.

1. Feature: Hardwood case, acoustic chime.

Benefit: Aesthetic pleasure.

1. Feature: An interval timer that will chime repeatedly at any set sequence.

Benefit: Sets the pace of practice with a beautiful sounding chime.

Which Alarm Clock is Best for a Gradual Awakening

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.

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

How to Choose the Best Alarm Clock, get the Gradual Chime Clock

Your body is a temple, so why not wake it respectfully and naturally with the gentle Tibetan bell-like chimes of the Zen alarm clock.

Gradually increasing over a 10-minute period, the chimes help ease you out of sleep and into your day. Not just for waking, the rhythm of the chimes is ideal for use during meditation and affirmation, as well as serving as a subtle signal for meeting times. The simple wood shape and lovely Japanese leaf-embellished dial will bring balance and beauty to either bedrooms or offices.

The Zen Alarm Clocks are decorative, highly functional (as both alarm clocks and timers for yoga and meditation), and environmentally friendly.

Tibetan-Bowl Gong Alarm Clocks with Natural, Acoustic Sounds

Now & Zen Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Reduce Early Morning Anxiety with a Soothing Zen Alarm Clock

How many times have you said to yourself – “I really need to get my wife a new Alarm Clock…I hate the one she has that beeps insensitively.  The one that she pushes the snooze button on 5 times before she get up to turn it off?

Go ahead and Reduce Your Early Morning Anxiety and Get her the Chime Alarm Clock (Now & Zen, $124.95)

Use the Zen Alarm Clock with the Gradual Chime Sequence that is Acoustic.

The  Original 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.

Gentle, Chime Zen Clocks for a Gradual Awakening

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Eliminate shocking Alarm Clocks, Zen Clocks are Soothing

Eliminate Shocking Alarm Clocks to Extend Your Life

There’s nothing quite like the shock of the alarm going off in the morning. For most, it signals the arrival of yet another dreary day of work. For some, like me, it heralds the tragic end of what was probably a poor night’s sleep: intermittent, anxiety-filled, and barely coaxed with the aid of half an Ambien. Many of us prolong the act of getting up by repeatedly hitting the snooze button until we accidentally turn the damn thing off. Why do so many alarm clocks greet us with sadistic, high-pitched screeches? Is there a better way to wake?

The Bamboo Digital Zen Clock’s long-resonating Tibetan bell-like chime makes waking up a beautiful experience – its progressive chimes begin your day with grace.  There are no gimmicky buttons or sounds. The Digital Zen Alarm Clock doesn’t have a snooze button, instead it has a gradual sequence of chimes to awaken you in the morning.

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.

By Dan Crane from Slate.com

Digital Zen Alarm Clocks Eliminate Shocking Wake Ups

Now & Zen’s Shop – Alarm Clocks for Your Well-being

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Awaken gradually

Dreaming of a Good Night’s Rest

How you awaken each morning can also influence how well you sleep. Some experts believe your body is naturally designed to awaken gradually with the rising sun and should not to be jarred awake by a screaming alarm clock. Dawn simulators recreate a natural sunrise by slowly increasing the intensity of light in the room. A study in BMC Psychiatry found that dawn simulators improved the quality of sleep during winter months for a group of about 80 randomly chosen people.

The right light can also help you fall asleep more easily. Studies have shown that exposure to 2,000- to 10,000-lux light (the equivalent of gazing at the horizon on a sunny day and up to 20 times brighter than normal room lighting) can improve overall sleep quality, says psychiatrist Daniel Kripke, MD, of the University of California, San Diego. This is most beneficial for about 20 to 30 minutes in the morning and a few hours prior to bed. More specifically, light therapy has been used to reset body clocks for those with sleep-timing problems and to correct erratic sleep habits caused by depression. A recent study in the journal Sleep found that evening exposure from a light box effectively treated people who often woke up too early and were unable to fall back to sleep. Exactly how light therapy improves sleep for people with depression remains unknown, Kripke says, but one popular theory is that bright light increases sleep-aiding serotonin levels.

Now & Zen’s Digital 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 Natural Solutions Magazine, December 2005 by Matthew Sloan

Natural Awakening, Digital Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Katsushika Hokusai Ukiyo-e, Japanese Iris

There’s a good reason that people say you should “sleep on it” when facing a tough problem—it helps! A new study suggests dreaming is beneficial for problem solving. Psychology Today reports, “In REM sleep, cortical activation spreads from whatever one’s been pondering to marshal associated ideas, thanks to changes in levels of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and acetylcholine.” Jasper Johns, Jack Nicklaus and many others have credited their dreams for successful ideas. A co-author of the study adds: “So many times, we already have the solution somewhere in our brain. It just needs an extra ‘boost’ before it can be accessed.”

adapted from Psychology Today by Elizabeth Ryan, October 2009

Zen Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’s Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383