I know I haven't done the Meditation Monday post for quite awhile but I'm attempting to make it my Monday "thing" again now that I'm past the Stationery Show and have some of my orders filled for the moment.
I thought I'd re enter the meditation discussion by comparing a couple of guided meditation apps: the two I'm comparing this week are Simply Being and Headspace. I tried the free (or almost free) versions of each of these so that's what I'll be reviewing here.
First: Simply Being
Cost: $ 0.99
Nice calming graphic interface with simple button choices for options to meditate with music, with music and voice, with nature sounds and voice or just with voice. For time options, you can choose from 5, 10, 15, or 20 minute sessions. There are slider bars to regulate the volume of each sound individually. The guide's voice is a female one and it's mild and soothing in my opinion. After using this app for several weeks, I didn't feel the need to have the voice on anymore as the different programs weren't that varied plus I realized how much I missed just meditating in silence and hearing whatever sounds were around me instead. It seemed a bit silly to me to listen to pre-recorded nature sounds and drown out the actual nature sounds that were right outside my window!
Secondly: Headspace
Cost: Free for 10 day intro
I've heard this app described as "Type A Meditation" and I have to say I agree with that description. With fun, graphic illustrations on the interface I really was drawn in to the Headspace Take10 program-this is the introductory program that lasts 10 days and is meant to encourage you to purchase the full year of the program for $6.28 a month. The guide's voice is male and he speaks in an easy-to-understand Australian accent. I really like a lot of his techniques in this program--he uses some visual cues that really did help me to get in the meditation mode--the only problem was, every time I felt that I was really relaxed and into it, he would speak again and it would distract me. Some people may really like this approach and if so, you should definitely try it out as his program is varied each day plus he has different programs that I haven't tried like Headspace Motivate and Headspace Active. I felt that I didn't really want to pay $6.28 a month for this type of guided meditation but if you like lots of verbal cues while you meditate, this may be the program for you. Also there is an entire website/blog devoted to this app so you can read a lot about the various meditation options before you sign up for the paid version.
That's all for this Meditation Monday. Next week I will compare two other guided meditation apps.
Happy Monday!
Showing posts with label zen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zen. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Zen and the Art of Shipping
Okay I take back what I said in a previous post about using GES to ship my booth boxes to and from the National Stationery Show. I've had issues in the past (scary stories that would keep you up at night about things like boxes getting sent back to my home the day before a show or my boxes getting thrown away with all my custom packing in them....but I digress) so this time I decided to give the home team a chance and ship with them, thinking that they'd be the least stressful option since they are the service that is onsite at the Javits after all. And to be fair, what happened may not be the fault of GES, but instead the company they subcontracted to--a company named YRC Global.
The boxes were picked up from my doorstep which was really nice, and they got to the show without incident, but they just didn't return that way. One didn't return at all...in fact, they still don't know where it is. The other was smashed, along with most of the contents inside. I am filing claims for both of these boxes of course, but the basic coverage won't cover the cost of the damages and I didn't spring for the extra insurance, thinking that I wouldn't need it. This is where the zen part comes in, because at the end of the day, I just can't do anything about it other than what I've done-fill out claim reports, talk to my client rep at GES, and write about it here.
I'm usually not the type to air grievances online--I try not to do that because I figure there are two sides to most stories. This one however, seems pretty cut and dried. So I've accepted that all my lamps, light bulbs, frames, and some samples are twisted and broken. I've accepted that my two wire sculptures of the Brooklyn Bridge and Notre Dame are gone (possibly for good) along with a guitar stand used for display props, table, 2 chairs, order forms, line sheets, and some tools. I hope that I'll get the amount they were insured for, but that still remains to be seen.
Happy? Not about this. Let it ruin my day? Nah....just another lesson learned in the trade show book.
I just wanted to let others know in case they use the same shipping companies I did.
Now, on to more positive pursuits:)
The boxes were picked up from my doorstep which was really nice, and they got to the show without incident, but they just didn't return that way. One didn't return at all...in fact, they still don't know where it is. The other was smashed, along with most of the contents inside. I am filing claims for both of these boxes of course, but the basic coverage won't cover the cost of the damages and I didn't spring for the extra insurance, thinking that I wouldn't need it. This is where the zen part comes in, because at the end of the day, I just can't do anything about it other than what I've done-fill out claim reports, talk to my client rep at GES, and write about it here.
I'm usually not the type to air grievances online--I try not to do that because I figure there are two sides to most stories. This one however, seems pretty cut and dried. So I've accepted that all my lamps, light bulbs, frames, and some samples are twisted and broken. I've accepted that my two wire sculptures of the Brooklyn Bridge and Notre Dame are gone (possibly for good) along with a guitar stand used for display props, table, 2 chairs, order forms, line sheets, and some tools. I hope that I'll get the amount they were insured for, but that still remains to be seen.
Happy? Not about this. Let it ruin my day? Nah....just another lesson learned in the trade show book.
I just wanted to let others know in case they use the same shipping companies I did.
Now, on to more positive pursuits:)
Monday, July 30, 2012
Meditation Monday-remembering peace....
Happy Monday. Today's Desiderata phrase is one of my favorites. And if you ever have a bit of trouble with silence, as I do from time to time working at home alone, try looking at this website for some helpful habits on enjoying the quiet time:http://zenhabits.net/solitude/
Monday, July 23, 2012
Meditation Monday-going placidly...
Good morning. I haven't done my meditation Mondays here for a few weeks but would like to get back to it as I meditate every day but don't always write about it. I realized a short time ago that when I have problems or issues, phrases from Desiderata often pop into my head. If I'm fearful, I hear the "many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness"part and it helps me. I decided that I love this writing so much that I'm going to break it down piece by piece and feature it each Monday as a meditation. It's a lot of wisdom to take in all at once for me, so if I just focus on a part of it that helps. I'm not taking lots of time to do each phrase perfectly as far as the lettering goes, just trying to be spontaneous and get the meaning of the words conveyed. "Going placidly" is not always easy, but I hope that just focusing on this part for a few minutes sometime in your day may bring you peace and joy. Happy Monday!
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