Meditation: Balance, Immersive Forest Length: 5 minutes Where: In bed, Los Angeles How It Felt: SO relaxing
The third day in our “getting myself to bed” series, I decided to try get another sleep time meditation. There was one more immersive “before sleep” meditation left on the Balance app that I hadn’t tried yet, so I went for it.
This app may not have the most meditations to choose from, but the ones it does have tend to be really, really cool.
This one was called “Immersive Forest” and, unlike the other two options in this category, where you watch the screen and follow a moving object with your eyes or finger, you actually do this one with your eyes closed. There is a “vibrating” element to feel instead.
So, I settled into bed, holding my phone gently in both hands. A quiet voice began leading me through a forest with a cute dog friend and, suddenly, there was a (contained) fire in front of me. I was visualizing it, yes, but the way my phone was vibrating, I could actually feel it! I thought it would just be a gentle vibration like the old N64 controllers, one movement for every time you bumped into something, went over rough terrain, etc, but not at all. This was like… designed vibrating.
I can’t explain it because I do not understand technology at all, but it was like magic. I was fast asleep, comforted and calm, before the five minutes had even passed. I have no idea how the story ends. But when I woke up slightly to put my phone on the charger and roll over, I was completely heavy and relaxed.
Amazing.
This is why it’s worth trying different apps out (especially when they offer free trials- Balance was free for the first year!) They all offer something slightly different, and I like to have exactly what I need in the moment whenever possible.
Today is a day to get back to the “regularly scheduled programming” of life. I’ve been quiet and thinking for a few days, shoring up my energy. It’s a bright, sunny day in LA- not too hot yet in the valley- and it feels good to slide into life again.
This post is for my June 8th meditation, but I’m writing it on June 9th, which means it’s also Steve’s 50th birthday!! I could not be happier that man was born. I’m planning the party of the century to celebrate him! Can’t wait!!
Here’s to getting better with age. Cheers!
My Year of Meditation 