gong meditation timers and alarm clocks

The Most Unique Gong Meditation Timer with Tibetan Singing Bowl

As beautiful to see as it is to hear, the Zen Timepiece is also a decorative accessory that adds elegance to any room. Its wood platform (available in cherry or maple) is designed to be positioned either with the clock’s digital display to the front, or turned around, with the bowl-gong in the front. Although the clock looks good both ways, when the digital display is turned to the back it accentuates the clock’s natural theme and helps reduce the visual clutter of electronic modernity in one’s interior environment. At a suggested retail price of $199.95, it may be the world’s most expensive alarm clock, but according to Steve McIntosh, it’s definitely worth it: “Waking up in the morning is a metaphor for life, and anything that adds grace and beauty to this daily process is a good investment. When you use the Zen Timepiece it’s like waking up in a Zen temple.”

zen clocks and chimes

Now & Zen – The Gong Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Kiyonaga Torii, Bonsai Vendor - Soothing Sound Alarm Clock & Timer from Now & Zen, Inc.

With your heart open and your breath flowing, make a choice to fully regain your sense of well-being and empowerment. Expand your attention to include full-body awareness by saying to yourself: “I’m aware of my whole body at once, here in this present moment.”

On any given day, you likely feel spontaneous moments of peace that arise when you’re watching children play, for instance, or exercising or witnessing a beautiful sunset. This step of the sequence helps you consciously initiate this relaxing feeling so you feel whole and in the moment by choice rather than by chance. After all, the things you focus on help create your mood — and what you focus on is up to you. By waking up to the present moment, you regain your sense of well-being and control. As Selby explains, “You can shift from being the victim of your mood swings to being the victor.”

Meditation for an Uplifted Mood

Meditation 101:

adapted from Body + Soul, Jan/Feb 2007 by Terri Trespicio

Soothing Sound Alarm Clock & Timers by Now & Zen, Inc.

Now & Zen

The Soothing Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Calming Alarm Clocks for a Better Mood - Takeuchi KeishÃ

To control mood swings, says Selby, we need to sidestep the negative thoughts that generate our moods by shifting attention instead to sensory experiences. This breaks the free fall into an anxious or depressed emotional state. “This attention shift gets you out of past-future fixations and into the present moment,” he explains. By practicing this first step, you’ll get more adept at stopping a bad mood in its tracks.

Now that you’ve temporarily halted the downward spiral, expand your awareness to include the breathing experience in your torso. Say to yourself: “I’m also aware of the movements in my chest and belly.” Don’t make any special effort to breathe; rather, feel the natural flow of your breath as it moves in and out.

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

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).

adapted from body + soul, Jan/Feb 2007

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

Now & Zen’s Bowl/Gong Alarm Clock & Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Eisen Keisai, Woman Getting out of a Mosquito Net - Soothing Sounds Alarm Clocks by Now & Zen

Power Hara Breathing Exercise:

The yogis understood the connection between breath and power. This energizing breath combines a spinal twist and vocal sounds to release tension and build energy. For an even more invigorating experience, try this breathing exercise outside first thing in the morning.

1. Bring your hands to your shoulders with your elbows pointed out. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width.

2. Twist to the left as you inhale, filling your lungs halfway, and then twist to the right as you complete the inhalation.

3. Twist left as you exhale, making a powerful “ha” sound as you extend your right arm forcefully to the left, like a punch.

4. Twist right to finish exhaling, again with a “ha,” punching your left arm out to the right. Make the vocal sound from deep in your gut, not just from your throat.

5. Practice 10 full rounds, then relax, arms by your sides. Close your eyes; feel your awakened energy. Breathe normally.

Body and soul in balance - Choose a Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock by Now & Zen

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.

Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock with Chime

Now & Zen’s Soothing Sounds Alarm Clock Headquarter Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

rich acoustic alarm clocks with gongs and chimes

Innovative Colorado company introduces the world’s most exquisite alarm clock, waking its users with a series of rich acoustic gong strikes

Every once in a while a new product comes along that really rocks the category of products to which it belongs. The new Zen Timepiece from Now & Zen, Inc. is just such a product—it’s an alarm clock with a large solid brass bowl-gong that fills the room with a series of rich, subtle, acoustic sounds that make waking up a ‘spiritual experience.’ When the alarm is triggered, the Zen Timepiece strikes its bowl-gong just once, producing an exquisitely deep, long-resonating gong sound … then, after the first strike, it automatically strikes again in 3-1/2 minutes … then in 2 minutes … then in 1 minute … gong strikes gradually increase in frequency over 10 minutes, eventually striking every 5 seconds until turned off. According to the product’s inventor and Now & Zen CEO, Steve McIntosh, “it’s the most aesthetically sophisticated alarm clock ever made. It’s not a gimmick or a novelty, it makes a real difference in the quality of your life—once you experience it, you’ll never want to wake up any other way.”

meditation timers with gongs

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Zen Timepiece with brass singing bowl

Singing bowls are unique because they are multiphonic instruments, producing multiple harmonic overtones at the same time.  The overtones are a result of using an alloy consisting of multiple metals, each producing its own overtone.

New bowls can also produce multiple harmonic overtones if they are high quality bronze, but many are made from a simpler alloy and produce only a principal tone and one harmonic overtone.

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Timepiece, a brass singing bowl clock and timer

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock

Now & Zen’s Singing Bowl Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

why am I so tired?

Before you chalk up your lethargy to chronic fatigue, first consider these other possible causes.

By Alice Lesch Kelly

You’re exhausted all the time. You can barely pull yourself out of bed in the morning, you’re sleepy in the afternoon, and you’re ready to hit the sack at sundown. Could you have chronic fatigue syndrome? It’s possible, but you may want to investigate these other common ailments as well:

Iron-deficiency anemia. People with IDA feel fatigued, laconic, and cold due to a lack of iron in their blood. Iron supplements can usually take care of the problem.

Depression. Not only does the worry and anxiety that accompany depression wear you out, it may also affect the quality of your sleep, leaving you constantly exhausted. If you suspect depression, consult with a therapist, who may recommend behavioral therapy, antidepressant medication, or other healing modalities.

Mitral valve prolapse. This is a condition in which a heart valve fails to work correctly, causing a heart murmur. People with MVP may feel tired for a number of reasons, including a decrease in REM sleep, low blood volume, and excess adrenaline. For some patients, drinking plenty of water can ease symptoms by boosting blood volume, although others require medication.

Sleep disorders. Conditions like sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome can interrupt sleep without sufferers even realizing they have them. Doctors treat these conditions in a variety of ways, including air pumps that aid nighttime breathing, medication, dietary changes, or massage.

Hypothyroidism. An underactive thyroid slows down metabolism, which leaves sufferers feeling tired and sometimes cold, constipated, or depressed. Daily thyroid replacement pills can get metabolism back on track.

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.

gentle chime alarm clocks

Now & Zen’s Chime Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

adapted from Yoga Journal.com

Zen Alarm Clock with Gradual Chime, No Snooze Buttons Allowed!

The latest batch of high-tech alarm clocks explode, roll away, fly away and even make you solve math problems to keep you from oversleeping.

No Snooze Button Alarm Clocks, Zen Clocks Can Change Your Life

Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Stillness

In the larger scheme of things, our days on this planet are few and precious, so it seems fitting that we should begin each day with grace and beauty. Used as an alarm clock, your Zen Timepiece thus serves as a useful reminder that each day is a new and sacred opportunity to live life to its fullest.

Zen Timepiece in Maple

But in addition to its use as an alarm clock, your Zen Timepiece is also an aesthetically-sophisticated timer that enhances practice activities and social gatherings. It can also serve as a “mindfulness bell” that periodically calls you to stillness.

Founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1995, Now & Zen’s mission is to create natural lifestyle products that make a real difference in people’s lives. The growing preference for natural foods and natural fibers is carried forward by Now & Zen in the natural acoustic sounds and natural hardwood materials featured in every Now & Zen product. Our way of describing the essence of a natural lifestyle is: quality of thought, stillness of being.

The Zen Alarm Clock Store

Now & Zen’s Shop – Mindfulness Bells & Chime Timers

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Tibetan Singing-bowl Timer & Chime Mediation Clocks

Zen Timepiece with brass bowl

Discover the healing power of sound with singing bowls, tuning forks, and other musical instruments.

Music can move us to tears, help us feel calm or comforted, or inspire us to action. The rhythmic sounds of nature (think of waves breaking on a beach) can bring us into balance. Now researchers are learning more about how music and sound directly affect the healing process.

EVIDENCE. A 2008 study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine revealed that listening to music you consider joyful for 30 minutes helps release endorphins to relieve pain and reduce stress, which can otherwise overload your immune system and lead to a host of health conditions. Another study completed last year at Seattle University in Washington showed that listening to Mozart for 12 minutes three times a week can lower systolic blood pressure by seven points.

YOUR BODY TUNES IN. Researchers say that when you listen to music and sounds, your heartbeat, breath, and brain waves begin to slow down or speed up in response to what you’re hearing. Your body syncs up with the sound, and the result can be an enhanced relaxation response—stress lifts, your heartbeat slows, muscles relax, and your body releases feel-good endorphins—or improved energy levels, depending on the rhythm.

GET STARTED. Try these ways to benefit from sound therapy:

EASE STRESS:
Use tuning forks and singing bowls
“Sonic tools” like tuning forks and singing bowls can soothe an overexcited nervous system, says Jonathan Goldman, author of The Seven Secrets of Sound Healing (Hay House, 2008). Singing bowls create a calming noise when you run a mallet around the rim, and tuning forks hum when tapped.
Try it: Use these tools as frequently as needed, says Goldman. For tuning forks, go to Healing Sounds or Biosonics. For crystal singing bowls, visit Crystal Tones. For Tibetan singing bowls, try Now & Zen, Inc., Headquarter Store, 1638 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO  80302.

RELIEVE INSOMNIA:
Listen to a healing CD
“Music is to the nervous system what nutrients are to the body,” says Joshua Leeds, author of The Power of Sound (Healing Arts Press, 2001). He designs audio CDs with music, special effects, and sounds from the natural world to enhance various activities, such as falling asleep.
Try it: See Sound Remedies or Steven Halpern Inner Peace Music.

SHARPEN YOUR MIND:
Learn an instrument
Studies show that daily practice of a musical instrument can keep the brain young and pliable. It can also help relieve tension as your body actually resonates with the soft energies of the instrument.
Try it: Find a local teacher and ask about beginner lessons. Practicing for five minutes can clear tension and a foggy mind. Use your Zen Timepiece in the morning to wake up to a singing bowl for a gentle and progressive awakening.

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

Natural Sound Alarm Clocks & Sound Therapy

adapted from Natural Health Magazine July 2010, by Elizabeth Casey

Singing Bowl Clocks by Now & Zen called The Zen Timepiece