 The concept of Binaural Beats was first discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove in the early 1800s(1), when he mounted tuning forks at different frequencies at the end of tubes that went into listeners' ears. The listener perceived a third frequency, which was a difference between the two tones. This concept was mostly just a curiosity until the 1970s, when Dr. Gerald Oster wrote a scientific article that fully outlined the phenonenon(2). In the 50 years that followed, there has been much research on the topic, and this blog outlines the scientific studies which have tested the efficacy of binaural beats on everything from pain management to curing insomnia, making people more focused or relaxed, helping with ADHD, and many more outcomes, depending on the frequencies programmed.
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 I've been an avid consumer of acupuncture for over a decade. As a software developer and pianist, I spend a lot of time at a keyboard using my wrists and arms. This causes tension that runs up my arms, and also around my shoulders and into my neck and back. I believe that regular acupuncture has helped keep me from developing severe tendonitis, or worse, carpal tunnel syndrome. I try to go twice a month, and I've advised friends to use it for their own muscular pain and tension. However, some people are against acupuncture because they are either afraid of needles or have a bad history with them. Recently, I was given the opportunity to try the moxaLight, which applies the concepts of acupuncture via a system of LED lights attached to the body. It seemed promising, not only for those who fear needles, but for myself. Sometimes, I just can't get enough acupuncture. In the past, I'd stolen needles from my acupuncturists to administer it at home, but I learned that this can be dangerous if I hit the wrong points. The moxaLight seemed like a much safer alternative for home-administered acupuncture, so I was excited to try it. With that, I present my review of this product...
 Today, we have released the Vipassana app to the iOS store.
In this meditation app, we explore the technique of body sensation awareness made popular by the Theravada Buddhists. The app makes it easy for beginners to learn this ancient practice. Start with the breath... a simple shamatha practice to focus on your breathing Continue with the sensations of breath... two anapana breath meditations which will sharpen the mind Witness your body's surface sensations... four different vipassana meditations for sensation awareness Go deeper into vipassana... bring your awareness to inside the body Come to place of loving kindness... conclude your sessions with unconditional love for all Each track builds upon the other, teaching you a toolbox of different vipassana meditations from which you can pull the meditation that works best for any given session. Customize the length of each session based on the amount of time you have available. The album also contains a simple meditation timer so you can practice in silence once you no longer need to be guided through the meditations. The app also keeps track of your total time spent in meditation and requires you to do the meditations in order to learn the proper technique. The android version of this app will be released soon!  The latest album from Guided Meditation Treks is out on CDBaby in mp3 format! It will be available on iTunes, spotify, and other streaming providers in the coming weeks. Not to mention, the iOS and android apps for this album are almost complete and ready for release on their respective app stores. You can learn more about the album at the Vipassana page, purchase it on CDBaby, or wait a bit for it to be released in the iOS and Android app stores in the coming weeks. There will be another post when the app versions come out, but I wanted to release the mp3 album first, just to keep with the tradition of Guided Meditation Treks! I hope you enjoy it!
 Photo by Samuel Zeller Through my personal experience, I have become an advocate for bodywork as a means to long term wellness. As a hardcore software developer and writer, I have been using acupuncture to manage inflammation in my arms and wrists for over a decade, and there's nothing like it to keep my energy from getting blocked in certain areas. In addition, my acupuncturists have always been trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, offering some interesting treatments (can I get a shout out to cupping?) that have helped my body as well. In addition to acupuncture, when I lived in Austin, I visited a chiropractor regularly. He not only made me feel relaxed after every visit through a good 'back cracking,' he also used a muscle-testing technique to help me determine which herbs and vitamins were in harmony with my body. Finally, in the last year, I've discovered the field of Rolfing, which has helped my body posture and alignment in ways that I could have never imagined. In this blog, I outline some of the nuances and my personal experiences with these wonderful wellness modalities, which are often dismissed by Western medicine specialists who cannot fully comprehend or understand their methods, resulting in their unfortunate lack of recommending them as valid means to maintain a healthy body and mind.
 It's time for the season of giving! I am going to give away some special gifts this month, and the first one I'm giving away is nature sounds! The Sleep app for iOS comes with a set of nature sounds to help sooth you to sleep, but the app has an in-app purchase to more than double the library of nature sounds. Previously, the expansion pack cost $3.99, but I have just changed the app today to make the expansion pack FREE! This means, if you buy the Sleep App for iOS, you have the option to expand the library of nature sounds for free!
Every nature sound on the app can be looped to infinity! Stay tuned for another gift from me to you in a couple of days! While the 'gift' in this post only comes to users of the Sleep App, the next one will be a 'no purchase necessary' gift to all!  A new research study shows that a little yoga or meditation a day might just keep the doctor away.
Stress-related health problems are responsible for up to 80% of visits to the doctor and account for the third highest health care expenditures, behind only heart disease and cancer. But as few as 3% of doctors actually talk to patients about how to reduce stress. Read More...  You can physically change your brain through Yoga and Meditation. Science has found Neurobiological evidence to support what meditation experts have been claiming for years; That people are healthier and happier when they meditate.
“Neuroscientist Sara Lazar’s amazing brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress.” Read More... |
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