Transcend: A New Meditation App with Neuro-Feedback

Posted on by Tammy

Personal Neuro Devices Inc., a developer of neuro apps, launched a meditation app called Transcend, which gives users feedback on the quality of their meditation using actual neuro-feedback.

The app allows users to track and improve their meditation practices over time by reporting the quality and duration of their meditation sessions, as well as other helpful metrics. Data from each meditation session is gathered using NeuroSky’s MindWave Mobile headset, which is an EEG device that reads small electrical impulses emanating from the brain via a Bluetooth to transmit them through strategically placed electrodes, allowing users to monitor their progress as they melt into a more personal meditation.

Transcend can tell when a user is successfully achieving meditative states regularly, or whether a user may benefit from an alternative form of meditation. By measuring and recording meditative states, a person can track his or her progress and receive confirmation their meditation has been effective.

“This is the first mobile meditation app that gives constructive feedback based on actual neuro-imaging,” said Tony Gaitatzis, CTO and co-founder at Personal Neuro Devices. “Transcend incorporates proprietary brain-activity-analysis algorithms and is based on research studies with individuals who are new to the practice of mediation as well as experienced users.”

Transcend is available for Android in Google Play while an iOS version has just been submitted to the Apple App Store and will soon be available, according to the company. For more information, visit the NeuroSky app store.

Five Meditation Timer Apps

Posted on by Tammy

One of our favorite Web sites for app picks, www.appolicious.com, recently published its picks for meditation timer apps, and we wanted to pass the list. The prices range from free to $1.99, and each offers different features.

1. Lotus Bud Meditation Timer – Not only does it offer a timer, but it tracks all of your meditations sessions, lets you build more complex sessions and tracks your goals. $1.99

2. Mind – Drag the slider to the number of minutes you want to meditate, and the last timer set becomes the default. Simple and FREE!

3. Minimalist Timer – This features an autostart timer, a zero-touch timer, and can beep or vibrate. FREE!

4. Serenity: A Meditation Timer – For the iPhone and iPad, users can choose from a meditation time in 5 minute increments up to 60 minutes. There are also five background meditation sounds including brown noise, pink noise, stream, surf or white noise, and also seven end of meditation sounds, including chime, Chinese guitar, deep gong, gong, harp, Tibetan bowl or tubular bell. $0.99

5. Repeat Timer Pro – This offers three independent timers with custom labels, and 26 quality alerts, including 11 humorous sounds. $1.99

Meditation Apps by Meditation Oasis

Posted on by Tammy

Meditation Oasis released version 5 of its Relax and Rest Meditations app with three varying length meditations and written tips to help the listener.

First a Breath Awareness Guided Meditation offers a five-minute session to help center and relax the listener – ideal for when time is short! Next is the Deep Rest Guided Meditation, which is 13 minutes long and allows the listener to fall into a deep restful state – ideal for before bedtime. Last is the Whole Body Guided Relaxation, which is 24 minutes long and helps to locate tension in the body and let it go.

Version 5 is optimized for iPhone OS5, offers improved nature sounds with seamless looping, and a gradual fadeout of music and nature sounds at the end of the tracks.

Also available from Meditation Oasis is the “Simply Being” app, which offers voice-guided meditations; the “At Ease: Anxiety and Worry Relief” app; and the “Take a Break: Guided Meditations for Stress Relief” app.

Relax With New Meditation Apps

Posted on by Tammy

Whether you are learning to meditate, looking to switch up your routine, or trying to relax and fall asleep at night, meditation and relaxation apps can go a long way in helping you achieve your goals.

Some of the newest picks from Appolicious.com, include the following:

— Relax & Rest Guided Meditations – Available for $0.99, this app offers three different guided meditations including a 5-minute, 13-minute and 24-minute track.

— Relax Melodies – This is a free app offering white noise ambiance for sleep, meditation and yoga, and is aimed at helping to relax the mind and body and drown out other sounds in your surroundings.

— Meditator – Another free app featuring continuous soundscapes to promote a feeling of relaxation.

And Elevated Existence recommends an app by Mental Workout Inc., called Mindfulness Meditation. It has a 10-minute relaxation track (that we often fall asleep to before it’s even over) and 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 30- and 40-minute guided meditations. Also, the tracks are written and narrated by Stephan Bodian, author of Meditation for Dummies. It’s worth the $1.99 for the app!