Pink Orchid

Stop.

Take a deep breath. As author Martin Boroson says in his new book, One Moment Meditation, that’s all we really need to do to meditate, or be in the present moment. Just a minute. And, his entire book is devoted to this one, absolutely necessary minute. Seem overkill? It did at first to me as well, but as I started diving into the book, I found myself effortlessly slipping into one-minute meditations throughout my day, which says a lot as a mother of a one-year-old. I could even meditate and find stillness parked in the driveway, as long as I found spaciousness in my body and focused on my breath for a few seconds. Boroson notes throughout the book that learning to take these pauses will eventually become habitual—unlike the 30-minute meditations we’re privy to once a week, during our yoga class. While this technique may not take you from here to enlightenment, this is the book for those of us who want to meditate, know we should meditate, but find time just gets in the way. Those of us who really need to meditate. As Boroson notes, “if you really believe . . . that you can’t afford a minute, it’s a very good indication that you need a minute desperately, and that everyone else needs you to take one, too.”

adapted from Healing Lifestyles & Spas

Zen Timepiece, a meditation timer with bowl/gong

Now & Zen

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

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

Now & Zen’s Clock and Meditation Timer Shop

1638 Pearl Street

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

meditation sunrise

Big Sky Mind

After a while, turn your attention from the surface of the lake toward the sky itself. Then imagine shifting your gaze from the reflections, the passing phenomena, to the sky within which they all arise and pass away. The sky is boundless, limitless. It contains everything that arises. The horizon is only a perceptual or conceptual boundary that can never be reached. Even on the cloudiest day, the sky is luminous above the clouds, pervasive, limitless, and free.

Awareness has the qualities of luminosity and limitlessness. It is present always, behind, between, and beyond all the ever-changing phenomena. Whenever you catch yourself identifying with the mental “clouds,” simply shift your identification from the clouds to the sky itself. Realize that what you’ve been seeking is what you already are and have always been! Big Sky Mind opens us to seeing that our true nature is this awareness within which all experience arises and passes away.

adapted from Yoga Journal, by Frank Jude Boccio

Zen Timepiece with brass singing bowl, a meditation timer

Now & Zen

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

Meditation

The Meaning of OM

You’ve been om-ing your way through yoga class for years, but have you ever wondered what the mantra really means? According to the Yajur-Veda, one of the earliest sacred texts of the yoga tradition, om represents the entire universe — past, present, and future. The sound is actually a combination of four parts: a (“ah”), or wakefulness; u (“oh”), the dream state; m (“mmm”), the quietness of deep, dreamless sleep; and the silence that follows, which represents pure consciousness.

As yogis will attest, the vibrations of om help settle the mind in a profound way. But don’t wait until your next hatha class to say it. Use it whenever you need a quick infusion of calm.

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

Meditation Timer and Singing Bowl Alarm Clock for Yoga and a Peaceful Awakening

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.

adapted from Whole Living Magazine, April/May 2007

Zen Timepiece, a brass singing bowl clock and timer for meditation and yoga

How to get that Elusive Good Night's Sleep - Tsukyoka Yoshitoshi 1888

Stanford’s Dr. Clete Kushida, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, who has worked in the field of sleep research since 1977, offers these tips to a better night’s sleep:

Maintain a regular schedule, getting to bed and rising at the same time as consistently as possible each day, selecting the number of hours of sleep that make you feel best, whether it’s seven hours or 10.

Use bright light within five minutes of waking, for 30 minutes, to synchronize your internal clock.

Avoid bright light two to three hours before bedtime, which delays sleep onset. If you read, get just enough light to read and avoid halogen.

Avoid remaining in bed if you can’t sleep. After 20 minutes, if you can’t sleep or fall back asleep, go into another room and do something else until you feel drowsy.

Avoid reading or watching TV in bed (especially thriller novels or action shows) unless it makes you drowsy.

Avoid napping, unless you nap every day at the same time for the same amount of time or you are tired and about to get behind the wheel of a car.

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.

adapted from SFgate.com

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

Now & Zen’s Gradual Chime Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Compassionate Listening Practice by Thich Nhat Hanh

When we speak of listening with compassion, we usually think of listening to someone else. But we must also listen to the wounded child inside of us. The wounded child in us is here in the present moment. And we can heal him or her right now.

Practice:

“My dear little wounded child, I’m here for you, ready to listen to you. Please tell me all your suffering, all your pain. I am here, really listening.” If you know how to go back to her, to him, and listen like that every day for five or 10 minutes, healing will take place. … Do that for a few weeks or a few months, the wounded child in you will be healed. Mindfulness is the energy that can help us do this. —Thich Nhat Hanh, from Anger: Wisdom to Cool the Flames

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

Singing Bowl Mindfulness Gong and Timer

adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine, January 2008

Zen Timepiece with brass bowl, a perfect meditation timer with gentle gong

Now & Zen’s Clocks and

Timers

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383