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

Ohara Koson (1877～1945) Herons. Meiji period

Now & Zen’s favorite architectural element in the castles of Japan (like, Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan’s finest historic castles) is the “moon-viewing” room.

This tradition is descripted below:

Tsukimi or Otsukimi, literally moon-viewing, refers to Japanese festivals honoring the autumn moon.

Tsukimi refers to the Japanese tradition of holding parties to view the harvest moon. The custom is thought to have originated with Japanese aristocrats during the Heian period, who would gather to recite poetry under the full moon of the eighth month of the lunisolar calendar, known as the “Mid-Autumn Moon.”

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.

Now & Zen’s – Meditation Timer and Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Japanese Leaves Zen Alarm Clock

Two Women Walking, Shunshô Katsukawa, Ukiyo-e

Meditation: It’s all about sitting still, inside a room, going inward. Right? Well, not necessarily. Buddhist tradition has long incorporated a more active technique known as walking meditation. Popularized in the West by Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh and other teachers, walking meditation often crops up at meditation retreats as a periodic break from long sessions of sitting.

For me—especially on a fine summer morning—a contemplative barefoot circuit of my dewy backyard can sound a whole lot more enticing than hunkering down on a cushion inside. And I seem not to be alone. Across the country, it’s getting easier to find opportunities to meditate in action. Dude ranches, sea kayaking outfitters, and wellness retreats now offer programs that combine basic mindfulness practice with everything from backpacking and rock climbing to horseback riding and paddling.

And why not? A growing body of scientific research supports meditation’s physiological and psychological benefits, including boosting the immune system, helping lower blood pressure, and reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. “Taking mindfulness outside, into the natural world, is another way of connecting the dots,” says Kurt Hoelting, who leads contemplative sea kayaking trips in Alaska. “It helps make it apparent not just intellectually, but also in our bodies, that this process of engagement with the present moment is an avenue to healing and deep restoration.”

Barefoot hiking
Sometimes, freeing your feet can be a revolutionary act. For walking meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh recommends ditching footwear. “You can feel the floor and connect with the earth more easily without shoes,” he writes in Walking Meditation (Sounds True, 2006). “The flow between you and Mother Earth becomes stronger. The longer you practice walking with this connection, the more your heart will be softened and opened, and the more you will feel nurtured, solid, and taken care of by the earth.”

ume tree (japanese blum) Kaisan-do of Ryodaishi temple

Most “barefooters” don’t meditate in any sort of deliberate way, and chances are, they’ve never heard of Thich Nhat Hanh. But his words certainly would resonate clearly. “Going barefoot makes you feel more connected with nature, that you’re part of a bigger universe,” says Jim Guttmann, a member of Barefoot Hikers of Minnesota, an informal group that gathers for regular boot-free rambles.

Like any meditation technique worth its salt, mindful walking begins with a focus on the breath. Breathing in and out with awareness brings the mind home to the body. Practice twice a day, for as few as 10 breaths initially. Breathe normally, sit straight but relaxed, a half-smile on your lips.

Now start walking slowly. Walk around the perimeter of your largest room, or choose a quiet, scenic spot outside. To establish a steady rhythm, try counting steps and using words. If you take three steps for each in-breath, for example, you can say silently, “Lotus flower blooms.” And visualize flowers blooming under your feet. The main thing is to have no goal of arriving; just enjoy each step.

stillness practice: walking meditation in nature

For some, these activities are a way to explore mindfulness through a pastime they already know and love. Others have established a meditation practice but want to broaden their experience. For just about anyone, these “conscious” outings are a great way to slow down, savor silence (which helps increase awareness of what’s really going on, both inside and out), and reconnect with nature—along with one’s own mind, body, and spirit.

excerpted from Natural Solutions, July 2007  (Adapted from Walking Meditation (Sounds True, 2006) by Nguyen Anh-Huong and Thich Nhat Hanh)

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.

Bamboo Zen Chime Clocks & Timers

Now & Zen – The Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Courtesan of Montoya with Zen Monk by Suzuki Harunobo, ca. 1770

People in need of a creative boost should take a long nap, according to new research highlighted by ScienCentral. The researchers found that naps increase people’s ability to solve problems creatively, but only if the nap includes REM, the deep sleep when dreams occur.  REM sleep happens only after about an hour of sleeping, so a long nap is recommended.  According to researcher Sara Mednick, “If you take a nap with REM sleep, you’re actually going to be boosting your ability to make these new associations in creative ways.”  Mednick has tried to put her findings to good use by taking a nap at least three times each week.  It is helpful to use the Zen Alarm Clock for a gentle awakening from a nap.

What makes this gentle awakening experience so exquisite is the sound of the natural acoustic chime, which has been tuned to produce the same tones as the tuning forks used by musical therapists. According to the product’s inventor, Steve McIntosh, “once you experience this way of being gradually awakened with beautiful acoustic tones, no other alarm clock will ever do.”

adapted from Utne.com,September 2009 by Bennett Gordon

Zen Alarm Clocks for a gradual and progressive awakening to a nap, to boost creativity

Now & Zen’s Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Flowering Plum and Moon, Koson

Inspire your afternoon or evenings and refresh your senses by creating sacred space for a personal tea ceremony.

From the fragrant aromas to the delicate flavors to the simple comfort of a warm mug, tea is a meditation for the senses. It also creates space to unwind and reconnect.

Preparing it is a process, one that forces you to slow down and relax. “Tea is a gift from the earth,” says Diana Rosen, author of “Meditations With Tea,” “and enjoying it is a gift to yourself.”

By creating your own daily tea ritual in the afternoon when the day tends to drag, you can refresh your senses, refocus your thoughts, enjoy some peace, and — the best part — introduce a sacred moment into your day.

Prepare for Tea
In one traditional Japanese tea ceremony, guests are met at the gate by their host and led silently through a garden to the tea room, signifying a departure from the everyday world and an entrance into a spiritual realm.

You probably don’t have a dedicated tea room, but you too can create a space in your afternoon for disconnecting from the day’s stresses, whether you’re at the office or at home. Here’s our simple step-by-step approach to creating your own personal tea ceremony.

Dedicate a Space
This can mean moving to another room, a favorite chair, or just to the other side of your desk — or simply clearing a space for tea on your table or work space. You might consider using a place mat or a tray to visually set your tea space apart from everything else.

Teapot and cup with green tea

Set the Stage
A tea ceremony is about atmosphere. Light a candle or play music to set the mood. If you’re in a busy office, just close your eyes and listen to your breath for a few minutes to switch gears and set the tone. Set your Zen Alarm Clock so that you will hear a lovely chime at the end of your tea time.

Select Your Tea

Bring some intention to your choice. What are you in the mood for? A mild, grassy green? A refreshing peppermint? A rich, vibrant oolong or black tea? As Confucius said, “Let your palate be your guide.”

Use Your Favorite Accoutrements
The personal objects you use for tea making will help make this practice your own. Whether it’s a pretty mug, an iron teapot, or a favorite infuser, using something special for your tea ritual inspires a ceremonial feel.  Set your Zen Alarm Clock & Timer to time your tea for 5 minutes for optimal taste.

exerpted from Body + Soul, September 2005

Digital Zen Timer, good for timing tea

Now & Zen’s Chime

Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Floating Away... Ukiyo-e by Takeuchi KeishÃ

Digital Zen Alarm Clock features

1) Alarm Function, features Now & Zen’s signature 10-minute wake up chime sequence—the perfect amount of time for your progressive awakening.   The chime strikes gradually increase according to a golden ratio progression, which you can read about on pages 26-28 of the clock’s booklet, available on Now & Zen’s website.

(2) Countdown timer, perfect for meditation, counts backwards from any set time.  It can be set from a minimum of 10 seconds to a maximum of 20 hours.  When the timer reaches zero it strikes the chime once, and then begins its preprogrammed progression of chime strikes—striking again in 3 minutes, then in one minute—the same progression as the alarm sequence.  We usually set ours for 20 minutes, but then linger in meditation for the first few chime strikes once the strike sequence begins.

(3) Interval timer, is perfect for yoga or other practices wherein a periodic reminder can help guide you through the practice.  The interval timer uses the same function as the countdown timer except when it counts down to zero, it strikes only once and then begins counting down again from the pre-set time, continuously.  We set the interval timer to strike every minute during yoga sessions to signal the time to change positions.

(4) Hour Chime, is a wonderful feature with many uses.  The clock can be set to simply chime once on the hour every hour (muted automatically when the alarm is set, so you can sleep).  We use this feature in our office to help the day go by, and when it rings on the hour it helps end meetings on time with a crisp “ding”.

Digital Zen Alarm Clocks, available in maple, walnut, bamboo, and black lacquer

(5) The Chime’s tone, the Digital Zen Clock comes in either a 7 inch “B Tone” or a 9 inch “E Tone” chime.  These long-resonating acoustic chimes have been hand tuned using the natural Pythagorean tuning method to produce the same frequencies as the tuning forks used by musical therapists.  The chime strike force can be set to “Low” or “High” to create a tone optimal for you.

(6) Power and light, the clock runs on AC power (plug included) or on 2 AA batteries (not included).   The LCD display is lighted.  When in battery mode the light comes on by touching any button and goes off automatically in 10 seconds to save power.  When the clock is plugged in it can be set so that the display light stays on permanently.

Chime Alarm Clock - Soft Sounds Alarm Clocks

Now & Zen’s Acoustic Alarm Clock Shop

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Japanese Ukiyo-e Crane Print, unknown

Now & Zen, Inc. – Boulder, CO – they integrate “real” Natural Sounds into The Zen Alarm Clocks

The natural foods industry is evolving to encompass the broader category of “natural products.”  And The Zen Alarm Clock is perhaps the first truly “natural” electronic consumer product: it features an acoustic Tibetan bell-like chime producing natural sounds (as opposed to a sound produced by a speaker); it is housed in a natural hardwood case; and the gradually increasing 10 minute progression of the chime strikes simulates the process of waking up naturally.  The Zen Alarm Clock thus appeals to the natural product consumer on many levels — even the aesthetic of its design was created with these people in mind.

Bamboo Zen Alarm Clock, a natural consumer electronic product

Now & Zen – The Gradual Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Use Mindfulness Practices to Stop Stress

You’re cut off while driving. Your children erupt into a screaming fight. Or you’re five minutes away from an interview for the job of your dreams and your composure evaporates in a rush of anxiety. When life delivers adversity, stress is the common response. Your body kicks into action, preparing for a fight. The adrenal glands pump out adrenaline and noradrenaline — hormones that increase the heart rate, quicken breathing, raise blood pressure, and tense muscles. You’re ready to take on the perceived threat to your safety or well-being.

Of course, in reality we rarely run from foes or physically challenge them. As a result, we don’t burn off these powerful hormones, leaving them to “course through our bloodstream,” explains Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in stress research at Harvard Medical School’s Mind/Body Medical Institute. In the short term, a pounding heart and sweaty palms can exacerbate the stressful emotions you’re already feeling. Left unchecked, this chemical mix sets you up for an array of physical and emotional problems, says Benson, including anxiety, depression, and intensified PMS and menopause symptoms.

The next time you are facing a stressful situation, stop yourself from spiraling out of control and bring yourself back to center.

Acoustic Chime Timer and Alarm Clocks from Now & Zen - Boulder, CO

Mindfulness Practice Timer with Singing Bowl

Adapted from Body + Soul, text by Erin O’Donnell

Now & Zen Meditation Timer Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

(800) 779-6383

Snow print by Suzuki Harunobu

It’s snowing heavily, and everyone in the backyard is in a swimsuit, at some kind of party: Mom, Dad, the high school principal, there’s even an ex-girlfriend.  And is that Elvis, over by the piñata?

Uh-oh.

Dreams are so rich and have such an authentic feeling that scientists have long assumed they must have a crucial psychological purpose.  To Freud, when dreaming provided a playground for the unconscious mind; to Jung, it was a stage where the psyche’s archetypes acted out primal themes.  Newer theories hold that dreams help the brain to consolidate emotional memories or to work though current problems, like divorce and work frustrations.

Yet what if when dreaming isn’t psychological at all?

In a paper published last month in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Dr. J. Allan Hobson, a psychiatrist and longtime sleep researcher at Harvard, argues that the main function of rapid-eye-movement sleep, or REM, when dreaming occurs, is physiological. The brain is warming its circuits, anticipating the sights and sounds and emotions of waking.

“It helps explain a lot of things, like why people forget so many dreams,” Dr. Hobson said in an interview. “It’s like jogging; the body doesn’t remember every step, but it knows it has exercised. It has been tuned up. It’s the same idea here: dreams are tuning the mind for conscious awareness.”

Drawing on work of his own and others, Dr. Hobson argues that when dreaming is a parallel state of consciousness that is continually running but normally suppressed during waking. The idea is a prominent example of how neuroscience is altering assumptions about everyday (or every-night) brain functions.

adapted from The New York Times, November 2009 by Benedict Carey

Honey Japanese Maple Leaves Zen Alarm Clock, calming alarm clock useful for remembering one's dreams

Now & Zen

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302

Sanmonji, Sleeping Cat 1992, woodblock print

Sleep is an essential bodily function, like eating and breathing.  But more and more, we minimize its importance, and the health effects can be devastating. Besides affecting how we feel and function day to day, a chronic lack of sleep have harmful effects on our emotional and spiritual well-being.

Besides allowing our bodies and brains to refuel, sleep allows for our souls to recharge.

Here are two relaxation techniques to use as you wind-down in the evening:

Use a mind-body technique.  Doing a bedtime relaxation exercise, such as the following, can help you fall asleep or get better, deeper sleep.  Paced breathing, inhale through your nose for a count of four.  Hold for a count of seven.  Exhale through your mouth for a count of eight.  As you breathe, rest the tip of your tongue on the ridge behind your front teeth.  When you exhale, it should create a shooshing sound.  Repeat four times.

Mental Muscle Relaxation
Lying down or sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.  Starting at the top of your head, notice whether there’s tension in your scalp and forehead.  If there is, let it go.  Progress all the way down your body, assessing each muscle group and mentally releasing any tension.

Remember to set your Zen Alarm Clock with the 10 minute programmed chime sequence to awken you in the morning relaxed and refreshed.

adapted from Body + Soul, November 2009 by Tracy Gaudet, M.D.

Singing Bowl Alarm Clock with Natural Sounds to Awaken You

Now & Zen – The Gradual Alarm Clock Store

1638 Pearl Street

Boulder, CO  80302