Zen Timepiece, tibetan singing bowl timer and clock

Singing bowls (also known as Himalayan bowls, rin gongs, medicine bowls, Tibetan bowls or suzu gongs in Japan) are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell.  Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, standing bells sit with the bottom surface resting.  The sides and rim of singing bowls vibrate to produce sound.

Singing bowls were traditionally used throughout Asia as part of  Bon and Tantric Buddhist Sadhana.  Today they are employed worldwide both within and without these spiritual traditions, for meditation, trance-induction, relaxation, healthcare, personal well-being and religious practice.

Singing bowls were historically made in Tibet, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Japan, and Korea.  Today they are made in Nepal, India, Japan and Korea. The best known type are from the Himalayan region and are often termed Tibetan singing bowls.

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 Alarm Clocks - Never Hit Your Snooze Button Again

adapted from wikipedia.org

Zen Timepiece, a bowl/gong alarm clock and timer in cherry finish

Now & Zen’s Singing Bowl Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Meditation Tools by Now & Zen

As a result of cultural evolution, we’re becoming more discerning about the real nature of quality.  Quality thinking is concerned with the welfare of the greatest relevant whole — our whole selves, our whole environment, and our whole society.  Now & Zen products embody quality of thought through their use as tools that improve your life, in the esoteric principles they embody, and in their originality. Stillness of being is also an integral part of a natural lifestyle. The practices of prayer, meditation, and yoga all contribute to a stillness of being.  Now & Zen products serve as accoutrements to these practices; and they also help create a sense of stillness through the beauty of their designs.

Now & Zen’s company mission statement is as follows:

Now & Zen, Inc. seeks to manifest on the levels of matter, mind, and spirit.
These levels translate in the business world as fact, meaning, and value.
Now & Zen’s mission is divided accordingly:

Fact: Make money selling quality products.

Meaning: Create a national brand that stands
for quality of thought, and stillness of being.

Value: Provide products that remind people they live in
the presence of the sacred, however they may define it.

Now & Zen Headquarter Store - Boulder, CO

Boulder, Colorado

Please visit our website ( www.now-zen.com ) which gives further information on our products and mission. For a catalog of current Now & Zen products, please call us at: (800) 779-6383 or (303) 530-9028, or send us an e-mail.

Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Tsukyoka Yoshitoshi 1888 - Lift Depression with Meditation, Use Your Chime Meditation Timer

A recent study found that age-old meditative techniques and more modern cognitive therapy can help alleviate symptoms. Anil Coumar, a psychotherapist and director of the mental health clinic at the University of Washington, Seattle, offers these do-it-yourself mood-lifting meditations:

Get moving. For many people, meditation is a remote, Eastern technique that involves sitting with your legs crossed on a cushion. But almost any activity can be mindful and healing, says Coumar. “Through a practice of mindfulness, we can see how our thoughts are not facts—they come and go.” To slow down your thinking and realize that you can release negative thoughts as quickly as they come, try this eating meditation: Hold a raisin in your hand and intentionally look at it as if you’ve never seen one before. Roll it between your fingers and notice each crease. Pay attention to your thoughts about it—maybe you’ll think, This is ugly or I’ve never noticed the true color of a raisin before. Then put it in your mouth and observe how your saliva flows as you chew.

Uncover your unconscious. Imagine you’re walking down the street and see a good friend walking in the opposite direction. You nod and smile, but your pal just looks ahead and keeps going. How do you respond? “Someone might say, ‘Oh, she probably didn’t see me.’ Another might think, ‘What did I do wrong now?’ Depending on how you interpret that event, you’re going to feel good or bad,” says Coumar. This kind of cognitive exercise can teach us how we unconsciously have these thoughts. The point? To make the normally unconscious thoughts that fuel depression conscious so you can acknowledge them—and then more easily let them go.

It’s exquisite sounds summon your consciousness out of your meditative state with a series of subtle gongs. Once you experience the Zen Timepiece’s progressive tones, you’ll never want to meditate any other way.  It serves as the perfect meditation timer and alarm clock . Available in 5 wood styles, including bamboo.

Gong Meditation Timer with Singing Bowl

adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine by Ziba Kashef, 8/2009

Now & Zen’s Chime Timer & Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Meditation Timers and Chime Alarm Clocks

An accomplished meditator is capable of overcoming every obstacle in life. Developing this level of confidence requires an approach that goes beyond simply resting in a state of repose. It is not sufficient to learn a few techniques and practice meditation just to relax and quiet your mind. To sit calmly in your room, still your thoughts, and drift into a state of torpidity is not meditation. A cow may sit still and breathe quietly when its stomach is full, but can we call this meditation?Meditation is not just for relaxation; its primary purpose is to develop the capacity to respond skillfully and gracefully to life’s difficulties as well as its joys

Followers of the spiritual path must proceed in this way. Only then will we have the opportunity to experience the real essence and value of our human life. It is our chance to be reawakened, our precious opportunity to enjoy boundless energy and employ consummate skill for our own well-being and for the well-being of others.

The nature of the mind is unobstructed. Moment by moment, one thought is born, while another one dies. This energy is unceasing, and it springs from primordial wisdom. This energy is the essence of what we are. This essence manifests, but not in any solid or substantial way. We cannot imagine it or express it. It transcends imagination and expression.

adapted from Natural Solutions Magazine by Shyalpa Tenzin Rinpoche, 3/2012

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.

Singing Bowl Meditation Timers and Alarm Clocks

Now & Zen’s Singing Bowl Timer Store

Meditation Timer Shop In Boulder, Colorado

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Meditation

It is a misconception that meditation is difficult

“Everyone says I should meditate. All spiritual books end with the advice to take time for meditation. But no one tells you how!” The young man who stood before me was completely stressed out. For months he had been trying to meditate but the more he tried, the more he failed. And now he was dumping his frustrations on me because I had just given a lecture on the importance of… meditation.

I got what he was saying. People often turn meditation into something really complex. For instance, some say when you meditate your expression should be very serious and holy as you try to curl the tip of your tongue back against the roof of your mouth while reciting an incomprehensible mantra in your mind. Or you should sit in such a way that you’re just about breaking your back, as well as your calves and knees, while rising above the pain by focusing on your breath. Or you should sit in front of a statue of an Indian god or goddess with an unpronounceable name and tune in so you can be transported to an unpronounceable place.

Is meditation really so complex? Do you really have to contort yourself to bring your mind to rest and come into the here and now? I don’t think so. Most animals and children do nothing else. It is a misconception that meditation is difficult. I say: The more difficult you make it the less you’ll do it. Meditation, after all, is nothing more than making contact with the person you were before you did your best to become everything you aren’t.

How hard can it be to be yourself? For most people, very hard. Not so much because it is hard, but because they make it hard. It is often the simplest circumstances—a walk along the beach, a sunset, a beautiful concert—that allow you to return to yourself. You forget for a moment to complicate things with worries about how you should be. You naturally return to the peace and quiet that are your true nature.

At those moments you are doing exactly what all meditation gurus and masters teach: You are fully in the here and now and completely free of anxiety, fear and all those unnecessary thoughts that make life so difficult. In short, at those moments you are the consummate yogi. You are your own meditation teacher, your own master, your own guru and your own saviour. The secret of meditation is: Keep it simple.

adapted from Ode Magazine, April 2006 by Tijn Touber

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.

Digital Yoga and Meditation Chime Timer in Solid Walnut

Now & Zen – The Zen Alarm Clock and Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

meditation

By concentrating on asking the question “how”, not “why”, we become less judgmental on ourselves.

Gail is no stranger to depression, so she finds the psychiatrist’s advice puzzling. He suggests that instead of wondering why she feels powerless and sad, she concentrate on how she experiences these feelings. Gail casts her mind back to her last bout of depression, when she spent an entire Sunday sitting at home, unable to get off the sofa or even watch TV. All the time, she was overwhelmed by anxiety: “I’ve made so many bad choices in my life. I never should have gone into sales; I’m not cut out for it. And that’s how I met that guy who dumped me. And now it’s too late to have a child. And anyway, at my age, the risk of having a child with birth defects is four times higher.” Black thoughts tumble through her head, one after another, each one feeling so real and consuming that any kind of activity seems pointless.

Now that Gail has shaken off the latest bout of depression, and is anxious to avoid another, she’s come to a therapist from the psychology department at Louvain University in Belgium. He suggests a new approach: Avoid dark thoughts and temporary distractions; neither confronts nor prevents the feelings. Instead, he suggests, each time the physical symptoms and dark thoughts return, adopt an anthropological approach to exploring the workings of body and mind.

The instructions are unbelievably simple: “Set your Meditation Timer for 20 minutes, sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight and your hands resting on your thighs, comfortable and poised. Fix your attention on the physical sensations of your body and on finding an image or words that best describe the nature of those feelings. If thoughts come into your mind unbidden, observe them and let them fade. Then look out for the next thought or image that follows, but don’t judge it as ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Simply note it. If you become aware you’ve let yourself be drawn into a chain of thought, bring your attention back to your breathing and observe what new flow of thoughts is taking the place of the last. It’s all about learning to be conscious of what’s happening for you here and now. Don’t worry about why you feel what you feel or why you think what you think; concentrate purely on how.”

Gail notes that when she focuses her attention on the physical symptoms of depression, or observes an anxious thought without letting it take hold, the depression gradually lifts. She understands she isn’t her depression, that it’s only one part of her.

“How” instead of “why” is so simple, yet so important. If you’re unconvinced, imagine the difference between a doctor who asks, “Why did you put on 10 pounds?” and one who says, “How are you feeling about your body?” It’s the difference between feeling judged and feeling heard.

That little word “how” is a gesture that opens the door to deeper understanding. At Cambridge University in the U.K., former professor John Teasdale showed that patients who’d suffered episodes of depression could learn to develop such trust and understanding of themselves through meditating. When he started teaching this meditation method, inspired by ancient Buddhist practice, with people who suffered from depression, Teasdale showed it was possible to reduce relapses by more than 50 percent, a success rate comparable to that of antidepressants. We all need to develop this depth of understanding of ourselves and others. All we have to do is avoid the intimidating ‘”Why?” and offer our trust with the kindly “How?”

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.

adapted from Ode Magazine, June/July 2009 by David Servan-Schreiber is a French psychiatry professor and the author of Healing without Freud or Prozac: Natural Approaches to Curing Stress, Anxiety and Depression without Drugs and without Psychoanalysis and Anticancer: A New Way of Life.

Zen Timepiece with brass singing bowl, a meditation timer

Now & Zen – Chime Alarm Clocks and Meditation Timers

1638 Pearl Street

meditation reduces stress

Dhyana heyah tad vrttayah.

Meditation removes disturbances of the mind. (Yoga Sutra II.11)

Research also shows that meditation can help people with anxiety disorders. Philippe Goldin, director of the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience project in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University, uses mindfulness meditation in his studies. The general practice is to become aware of the present moment—by paying attention to sounds, your breath, sensations in your body, or thoughts or feelings—and to observe without judgment and without trying to change what you notice.

Like most of us, the participants in Goldin’s studies suffer from all sorts of disturbances of the mind—worries, self-doubt, stress, and even panic. But people with anxiety disorders feel unable to escape from such thoughts and emotions, and find their lives overtaken by them. Goldin’s research shows that mindfulness meditation offers freedom for people with anxiety, in part by changing the way the brain responds to negative thoughts.

In his studies, participants take an eight-week mindfulness-based course in stress reduction. They meet once weekly for a class and practice on their own for up to an hour a day. The training includes mindfulness meditation, walking meditation, gentle yoga, and relaxation with body awareness as well as discussions about mindfulness in everyday life.

Before and after the intervention, participants have their brains scanned inside an fMRI (or functional MRI) machine, which looks at brain activity rather than the structure of the brain, while completing what Goldin calls “self-referential processing”—that is, thinking about themselves. An fMRI scanner tracks which brain areas consume more energy during meditation and, therefore, which regions are more active.

Ironically, the brain-scanning sessions could provoke anxiety even in the calmest of people. Participants must lie immobilized on their back with their head held in the brain scanner. They rest their teeth on dental wax to prevent any head movement or talking. They are then asked to reflect on different statements about themselves that appear on a screen in front of their face. Some of the statements are positive, but many of them are not, such as “I’m not OK the way I am,” or “Something’s wrong with me.” These are exactly the kinds of thoughts that plague people with anxiety.

The brain scans in Goldin’s studies show a surprising pattern. After the mindfulness intervention, participants have greater activity in a brain network associated with processing information when they reflect on negative self-statements. In other words, they pay more attention to the negative statements than they did before the intervention. And yet, they also show decreased activation in the amygdala—a region associated with stress and anxiety. Most important, the participants suffered less. “They reported less anxiety and worrying,” Goldin says. “They put themselves down less, and their self-esteem improved.”

reduce stress with meditation

Goldin’s interpretation of the findings is that mindfulness meditation teaches people with anxiety how to handle distressing thoughts and emotions without being overpowered by them. Most people either push away unpleasant thoughts or obsess over them—both of which give anxiety more power. “The goal of meditation is not to get rid of thoughts or emotions. The goal is to become more aware of your thoughts and emotions and learn how to move through them without getting stuck.” The brain scans suggest that the anxiety sufferers were learning to witness negative thoughts without going into a full-blown anxiety response. Research from other laboratories is confirming that mindfulness meditation can lead to lasting positive changes in the brain. For example, a recent study by Massachusetts General -Hospital and Harvard University put 26 highly stressed adults through an eight-week mindfulness-based course in stress reduction that followed the same basic format as Goldin’s study. Brain scans were taken before and after the intervention, along with participants’ own reports of stress. The participants who reported decreased stress also showed decreases in gray -matter density in the amygdala. Previous research had revealed that trauma and chronic stress can enlarge the amygdala and make it more reactive and more connected to other areas of the brain, leading to greater stress and anxiety. This study is one of the first documented cases showing change ocurring in the opposite direction—with the brain instead becoming less reactive and more resilient.

Together, these studies provide exciting evidence that small doses of mental training, such as an eight-week mindfulness course, can create important changes in one’s mental well-being.

adapted from Yoga Journal, by Kelly McGonigal

Bamboo Digital Zen Alarm Clock by Now & Zen

Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

lovingkindness meditation

Put it into practice.

Sit comfortably in a place where you won’t be disturbed. Take three to five quiet breaths. Gently close your eyes.

Imagine the horizon spanning through your chest with a radiant sun rising in your innermost center—your heart. As though being melted by the solar warmth, release tension in your shoulders and across your throat. Soften your forehead and rest your attention inward on the light deep within. Take 7 to 10 smooth, even breaths.

As you inhale, invite the glow from your heart to expand toward the inner surface of the body. With each exhale, let the light recede. Take another 7 to 10 peaceful breaths. Inhaling, invite the light to touch the parts of you that interact with the world—your eyes and ears, the voice center in your throat, the palms 
of your hands, the soles of your feet. Exhaling, feel your light shine more clearly. As you continue to inhale and exhale, silently say: “I radiate friendliness for those who are happy, com-passion for those who are unhappy, equanimity toward all.” Continue until your attention wavers. Then, sit quietly for several minutes.

When you feel complete, place your palms together in front of your heart and bow your head. Release the backs of your hands to your thighs and lift your head. Gently open your eyes to return to the horizon of the world.

adapted from Yoga Journal, byKelly McGonigal

Use our unique “Zen Clock” which functions as a Yoga 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.

bamboo meditation timer

Now & Zen – The Portable Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Peonies at Hyakken, #18 from the series 'Tōkyō Meisho Sanjurokkasen, Utagawa Shigenobu (1826 - 1869)

The bee emerging

from deep within the peony

departs reluctantly.

-Basho-

maple meditation timer and chime alarm clock called The Zen Alarm Clock, digital style in maple

Now & Zen’s Chime

Alarm Clock &

Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl St.

Boulder, CO  80302

cherry blossoms, Now & Zen Inc. makers of Zen Timers

Meditation has been defined as:

“self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now.”

-Maison, Werheimer, & Kabat-Zinn (1999)

The various techniques of meditation can be classified according to their focus. Some focus on the field or background perception and experience, often referred to as “mindfulness”; others focus on a preselected specific object, and are called “concentrative” meditation.

In mindfulness meditation, the meditator sits comfortably and silently, centering attention by focusing awareness on an object or process (such as the breath; a sound, such as a mantra, koan or riddle-like question; a visualization; or an exercise).

wikipedia.org

maple zen timer for meditation and yoga

Now & Zen’s Meditation Timer Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383