<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"HeartMath Inner Balance\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMeditation Screens\nWatch the animation on this screen, and it shows you how relaxed you are. Every few seconds, it adds another bar to this clock-like interface. The object is to get into the green zone.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlternate View\nChoose this alternate view, where you can regulate your breathing using the animated green bars. If neither of these views suits you,  the app lets you upload one of your own photos to help you concentrate.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSensor Plug\nPlug in your sensor using this 30-pin adapter. It works with the iPod touch, iPad and iPhone, but if you have a newer model, you'll need an  Lightning adapter.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPlug It In\nPlug the sensor into your iOS device's 30 pin port.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEarlobe Sensor\nAttached to that 30 pin plug is this earlobe sensor.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEarlobe Sensor\nOpen it, and attach it -- it gently clamps onto your earlobe. It monitors your heart rate.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession Review\nAfter your session, you get this report that shows the percentage of time you spent in each \"state of coherence.\" You'll notice on the left one, I was in the easier level II, where it was less difficult to achieve a higher level of coherence.  On the right, I was in level 3, where it required more concentration to reach the green.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMost Difficult Level\nHere I was using the most difficult level 4, where it took me a  couple of minutes just to reach even the blue indicators. This  advanced level is for  experienced meditators -- it was hard to get out of that red zone,  requiring more than just deep breathing. Calming thoughts did the trick.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLooking for some inner peace? HeartMath, maker of Inner Balance, claims its iOS-based system can help you relax and get your heart, mind and emotions \"in sync.\" \nIt uses a sensor that clips onto your earlobe, and when that's connected to an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, the Inner Balance app displays your relaxation level as it helps you concentrate on your breathing. \nThose of us who are longtime proponents of meditation will recognize the feeling you get from this device. Similar to biofeedback devices of yesteryear, this lovely app and its associated ear clip will help you meditate to a state of heightened awareness, and show you how you're doing at the same time. \n\"Inner Balance is a form a biofeedback,\" HeartMath spokesperson Gaby Boehmer told Mashable. She continued, \"But by definition so is looking in the mirror and smiling. There are many different forms and styles of biofeedback to help people better self-regulate.\" \nTeaching you how to achieve that self-regulation is the mission of Inner Balance. It does a much better job of helping you meditate than simply looking into a mirror. It's a trainer, showing you how to calm yourself, relieving stress and giving you more control over your emotions.\nSimilar to reciting a mantra to yourself while practicing transcendental meditation, the software helps you concentrate on your breathing, clearing your mind of negative emotions. Its ear clip, using what the company calls \"emWave technology,\" is basically measuring your pulse, and helps you understand what sorts of thoughts and relaxation techniques are working the best for you.\nSetting up the system is a simple matter of downloading the free Inner Balance software and attaching the wired sensor's 30-pin dock connector to your iPhone or iPad, and clipping the sensor to your earlobe. (Sorry, iPhone 5 and new iPad users, you'll need to use an adapter to accommodate your Lightning connector). Soon, I was off and meditating, taking deep breaths as the app's attractive graphics ebbed and flowed, and noticing my level of \"coherence\" as I got more relaxed.\nThe goal is to achieve the app's green color of total relaxation \u2014 or as HeartMath calls it, \"coherence.\" As I settled in, the software indicated that my \"heart, mind and emotions were in sync.\" It felt that way, too. Along came that familiar feeling associated with meditation, where you reach a serene state of both relaxation and concentration at the same time. It's all about focusing on your breathing, and it really does work. \nDo you need a device like this to meditate? In a word, no. However, watching one of the three animated graphics and seeing the results of your relaxation can make a profound difference in your success. Of course, experienced meditators won't need such gadgetry, but for those who are unfamiliar with meditation's mysteries, this device could teach them how to achieve a state of relaxation anywhere, anytime. \nAfter getting accustomed to using the Inner Balance system on my first day with it, I raised the bar on Day 2, setting the degree of difficulty to the next-to-the-highest level, which the company says requires more skill. Spokesperson Boehmer said, \"A lot of people discover that breathing techniques help to get in the green at lower challenge levels, but the higher levels take activating an emotional state to get into coherence.\"\nTo further challenge myself and the system, I donned the earlobe clip while angry. As I suspected, anger equaled incoherence, because it took me about three times longer to get from the lowest level (red) to the medium (blue) level, and then it took longer still to get into the coveted green zone. However, once I had reached that level of Nirvana, I felt an inner peace, the anger dissipated. Hey, this works!\nThe object of this little game is to train yourself to alter the way you react to stressful situations. According to Boehmer, \"Inner Balance trains users to shift their emotional reactions to a healthier state right in the moment they first encounter stress, rather than trying to recover after the fact.\" So now, the next time I get angry, I'll remember the way I brought myself down to a \"coherent\" state using this system. \nYou could practice these techniques yourself, without an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and this little earlobe clip. However, if you aren't sure how to make that happen, this $99 Inner Balance hardware and its free software can show you precisely what kinds of thoughts and actions actually work, and how to achieve coherence. I think if you practice with this system three times a day as its makers recommend, it could change your life.\nPhotos by Mashable/Charlie White"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/03/inner-balance/>