Biofeedback meditation

You are here: Home / Reviews & Tech / Testing Flowtime: The Biofeedback Meditation DeviceAs someone who values meditation time, and accessing deep states of focus, flow, and relaxation, I was really keen to dive into Flowtime. This biofeedback wearable device is essentially a personal wellbeing coach, offering feedback to improve your mental and physical health.I've had mine for a few weeks now, testing away and writing notes in anticipation of writing this review for you. BTW, I tried my best to take some good pictures of my device and the packaging. They didn't turn out great, but you'll get the idea!First, I'll cover some basic information on how the device works and the technology behind it, then I'll cover the app, and then give some insight to my first session, and finish up with the pricing and shipping details.What Is Flowtime?Flowtime is a wearable headband device that features brainwave and heart rate sensors to monitor your brain activity, heart rate, HRV, focus, relaxation, stress levels, and more—all in real-time. In short: t provides crucial data to help you gain insights into your patterns and the effectiveness of your meditation practices.You can take part in guided lessons, meditate to relaxing sounds, do breathing training, and set a timer for your session.If you're new to all this, let me just help you understand Biosensing feedback, often referred to as biofeedback, is.Basically, it's a technology that uses sensors to monitor physiological signals from your body, such as heart rate, brainwaves, or breathing patterns. This data is then processed and presented back to you in real-time, usually through visual, auditory, or tactile cues.The purpose of biosensing feedback is to help you become more aware of your body's physiological responses so that you can learn to control them consciously. For example, by seeing your

Forth, between past mistakes or regrets, and future worries, with little attention paid to the present moment. The smooth, sine-like Alpha waves reflect a relaxed, but highly alert and focused state of mind. Alpha is much better than Beta for concentrating on executing complex musical or artistic movements, especially in front of a live audience or audition panel. Alpha reflects the right brain state of flow uninterrupted by left-brain thoughts, worries, or fears. It is highly conducive to focusing on the here and now in the ever-continuing present moment.There are ways to move from left-brain Beta noise to the right brain and get into Alpha. These include listening to relaxing music, meditation, mindfulness training, zazen, tapping, biofeedback, yoga, autogenic training, T’ai Chi, Aikido, Zen archery, the Silva method, hypnosis, and Centering. Just sitting quietly and focusing your mind intensely on one thing for any period of time without left-brain interruptions can put you into an Alpha state. The final measurable human brainwave pattern is known as Gamma. Gamma brainwaves are the fastest in the spectrum, measuring 40 – 100 cps. The Gamma frequency is found in deep meditation, flow states, peak performance, and the Zone. Individuals with high Gamma activity have shown to have strong cognitive acuity, tend to be much happier than most people, and demonstrate superior functioning in highly challenging physical tasks. Gamma waves originate in the thalamus, located in the midbrain. The high frequency waves move very quickly. First to the amygdala, in the base of the

Guided meditation. You can't feel anything on your head, no sensation, but you will soon see a report on the screen that shows it is collecting data (takes about 2 minutes for the first reading to appear).Within a few minutes, the bell sound indicated that I had entered a state of coherence. This feedback was motivating, assuring me that I was on the right track and that everything was working as it should be. Throughout the session, the bell continued to ring at intervals, confirming that I was maintaining this state. By the way, the biofeedback prompt can be turned off from settings.Real-Time MonitoringOne of the most fascinating aspects was seeing my brainwave activity and heart rate changes displayed in real time on the app. As I listened, I could see fluctuations in my heart rate and coherence, as my heart, nervous system and breathing synchronized. I also noticed how my heart rate and Beta waves increased when I touched my phone to check the metrics again – a sure sign that the phone is a stimulant.Note to self: if you want to see the on-screen metrics as you go, extend your screen saver on time in the settings of your phone, otherwise the screen will lock after a couple of minutes.Realtime statistics appear as you listen. You can scroll through to deep dive on individual metrics.Post-Session InsightsAfter the 7-minute guided session, the app generated a comprehensive report of my metrics. As seen below, the graphs highlighted the fluctuations in my alpha, beta, and theta waves, providing a clear visual of my journey through different states of consciousness.The report also shows my stress level, my heart rate variability (HRV), time spent in meditation, flow, and coherence, and my levels of attention and relaxation during the meditation.The post listening report helps

Hardiness • Hardiness • Cluster of stress-buffering traits consisting of commitment, challenge, control • Linked to lower levels of anxiety, adaptive coping styles, and adjustment to cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many other health problems • Hardy people are more likely to engage in positive reappraisal of stressful eventsPersonality: Optimism and Immune FunctioningCoping with stress • Coping • What is your most frequent and/or effective coping method? • Coping -- a dynamic process to reduce stress and/or restore balance • Involves cognitive, behavioral, emotional, social, spiritual aspectsCoping Strategies • Problem-Focused Coping — dealing directly with a stressor by reducing its demands or increasing one’s resources for meeting those demands • Proactive Coping — anticipate potential stressors and act to prevent them or to mute their impact • Health buffers – exercise, sleep, nutritionProblem-focused: e.g., time management • Time stress! • Strategies: • Common time-consumers? • (identify and minimize) • Prioritizing • Avoiding procrastination • Assertiveness (e.g., saying no when necessary • Others?Coping Strategies • Emotion-Focused Coping • person tries to control his or her emotional response to a stressor • escape-avoidance • reappraisal(e.g., “is this really that important?” “am I engaging in faulty thinking?) • only connect! • others? (see following slides)Relaxation-based approaches • Mindfulness • Meditation • Yoga • Biofeedback • Hypnosis • Relaxation • Guided imagery • Systematic desensitization • PMRCoping: Psychotherapy • Psychotherapies: • Cognitive-behavioral (e.g., cognitive restructuring) • Psychodynamic

You understand your state of mind and how further practice can improve your wellbeing.Reflecting on the ExperienceFlowtime makes it possible to objectively see the benefits of my meditation practice. The real-time biofeedback helped me understand where my mind and body were at and helped me make a conscious effort to relax, while the detailed post-session report provided valuable insights into my physiological responses.I think this is really motivating, given that many people don't meditate because they can't see any immediate benefit or metric that tells them it's beneficial.My big takeaway from my testing thus far is just how sensitive the metrics are to my behavior. For example, if I open my eyes, touch the phone, or work on my computer while listening, the metrics reflect changes in my brainwaves.This testing has been a solid reminder that taking time to completely switch off and relax is so important. Often when we think we are relaxing, like when watching TV or scrolling social media, we are actually engaged in stimulation that is not neccessarily beneficial to our mental and physical wellbeing.Flowtime PricingHeadband + 1-year app premium: £242Headband only (with basic app): £176Shipping OptionsFree Shipping: Generally takes 10 to 30 days, depending on the destination country and customs process, usually via local postal service with a tracking number.Commercial Shipping: Costs vary between 15 to 25 USD, shown at checkout, typically taking about 5 to 7 days if flight and customs clearance proceed smoothly.Return Policy and Warranty30-Day Satisfaction Guarantee1-Year Warranty