Meditation is a widely accepted practice to bring about a wide range of benefits not only to one’s mental or emotional state but also to one’s physical and overall well-being.
A practice that’s been around since time immemorial and by individuals in all places around the world, it’s not that easy to get the ball rolling in reality.
In today’s modern times, everyday stresses can hinder your ability to calm down, much less relax for more than ten minutes each day. This is where Muse comes in!
This Brain Sensing Headband helps you achieve a relaxed state of mind faster and easier, but more importantly, it trains your mind to meditate properly and veer away from distractions
What is Muse Brain Sensing Headband?
Muse is a device touted as your personal meditation assistant. It’s literally a headband that you place on your head just above your ears, and it comes with built-in earphones and connects to an app on your phone.
The headband uses EEG (electroencephalography) sensors, 7 to be exact, and calculates your brain wave frequencies, collects this information, and sends it to the app for appropriate action.
When your mind is calm, the headband plays a calming sound, that of wind, and when your mind is active or wanders off, the sound gets louder to tell you to refocus, and once you do, the sound lowers and the headband plays the calming sound of wind once again. There are options with the guiding sounds you want to hear, such as a rainfall or wind or waves crashing.
The main purpose of the Muse Headband is to help you meditate more effectively.
Brain Waves and Meditation
The Muse Headband uses brain frequencies to help you meditate. It measures brain waves when there’s a large number of neurons firing in our brain. There are trillions of neurons in our brain signals, and they’re basically the reason why we are alive and functioning – from how you breathe to how you react to heat, neurons in our brain are responsible for keeping us alive.
Neurons communicate with each other by sending electrical impulses, and when these impulses are firing at the same time, they form an electrical field that can be measured through the EEG sensors, and this is how the Muse is able to calculate brain wave frequencies.
There are 5 brain waves and each of these can be detected by the Muse Headband.
The connection between the waves and meditation is that there are waves that tell the Headbands that your mind is calm and waves that tell it it is active.
For example, the headband detects that your brain is emitting Delta Waves, which is a state wherein you are in a dreamless state. Studies show that those who practice meditation for decades, such as Tibetan monks, emit Delta Waves even when they are awake and active.
Theta Waves are emitted when you are in deep sleep, or when you are in deep relaxation, or when you are in a hypnosis state. And this is the brain wave that the Muse wants you to emit. Those who practice meditation properly, or have been meditating for a long time emit Theta Waves.
Alpha Waves are emitted when you are relaxed and calm, it is likened to the feeling of euphoria, such as how you feel after a workout, after running, or after a yoga practice, or after you’ve just had a relaxing stroll through the woods.
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Beta Waves are emitted when you are doing mental or physical activity, and when your brain emits these waves, the Muse gets louder “telling” you to calm down and refocus. But bare in mind “calm or active” this meditation app is for everyone.
Difference Between Traditional Meditation and Muse – Benefits of Meditation
During a regular meditation practice, you won’t automatically realize your mind has wandered off. And when you do, it can be very difficult to get back and refocus.
The Muse Headband, while promoting a calmer mind, makes you realize immediately that your mind is distracted, making you more aware of your mental activity and allowing you to relax and focus once again.
How Does it Work?
You have to download the Muse App that comes with the headband. Download the app on your phone and connect the headband through Bluetooth. You’d need to calibrate the app and your headband before you start. Once you do this, you can begin right away. Sessions can last from 3 minutes to 20 minutes depending on your preference.
The headband works through the EEG sensors that detect brain wave activity. It helps you relax through the sounds that play and helps you refocus. You can also use the headband without the sounds and the information that you can see on the app will help you refocus.
Is it Safe?
Absolutely. EEG technology has been used in clinics and hospitals by medical practitioners for over a century and the Bluetooth signal that connects to your phone is absolutely safe.
The Muse Headband has also been tested and certified in the USA, Canada, and Europe, and adhere to the regulatory standards of the CE, FCC, and UL).
The Science Behind It
The science behind the Muse Headband is based on the technique called Neurofeedback. EEG sensors have been used in hospitals to study brain wave activity. Usually, sensors are attached to a computer that reads brain activity and neurofeedback is given to patients to help them change their thinking or brain activity so they can achieve other brain wave frequencies.
Basically, when your mind is emitting Beta Waves during meditation, the Muse Headband can help you to emit Alpha or Theta Waves through neurofeedback through the use of sounds.
Review of the Muse Headband
Muse headband is a multi-sensor meditation device that provides real-time feedback on your brain activity, heart rate, breathing to improve your guided meditations focus.
It’s an innovative creation that promotes overall well-being. We all know that meditation is not a walk in the park when you’re just starting out.
It can be difficult to quiet down your thoughts and all the noise in your head. The Muse Headband helps you get to a calm state faster and easier so you can have a fulfilling and effective meditation session.
The headband is easy to put on, it’s sleek and modern, and it’s comfortable on the head. Some users, though, report that they didn’t have a very easy time placing the headband properly. Some users also say the headband is very sensitive, that a laugh, yawn, sneeze, or simple tilt of the head sets it off and makes the sounds louder.
The Muse App
You’d have to download the app to complete the experience. Without the app, you won’t make use of the Headband properly. So you’d have to have a smart phone to use the headband.
Right after your session, you can review graphs and reports, as well as feedback on your session.
How Will the Muse Headband Make You Feel?
Users say they felt calmer and more relaxed after a session. They also say they felt less stressed out and have a clearer mind and better concentration. Find calm place and start meditating today.
Conclusion
The Muse Headband is a great device if you’re just starting to meditate as it will help you relax and focus much faster and easier. Or if you meditate on a regular basis and you’ve been distracted, then the headband will help you get back on track.
The headband also trains your brain to relax and calm down, as well as to become more aware that you’ve wandered off.
If you meditate on a regular basis you should consider buying yourself a meditation cushion or meditation chair with back support.
It’s not that expensive and it’s not that cheap, either, so it’s on the affordable side. If you plan to meditate regularly, then this device is a great help but if you don’t take meditation seriously, then this is of no use.
