AT PHOENIX we've always been huge advocates of the benefits of meditation, both as a remedy for stress and as a means of improving focus and unleashing one's full potential. And now we've added a new weapon to the formidable arsenal of meditation tools we offer to our clients - the Kasina Mind Machine.
The Kasina uses special patterns of light and sound to lead you gently into the peaceful, calm states of mind and body that will help you to relax deeply, improve concentration and memory, and sleep more soundly.
The Kasina gets its name from a form of Buddhist meditation that uses visual objects and colours to focus the mind.
What makes the Kasina different from other light-and-sound systems is that it has an integrated MP3 player and includes an 8 GB microSD card with over 50 audio-visual sessions.
The sessions range from the soothing sounds of nature to ambient electronic tapestries - all beautifully orchestrated and synchronized to the visual experience.
They also include special tones and pulses known as binaural and isochronic beats. These beats have been shown to have a deeply relaxing effect on mind and body.
Imagine a world of pure, jewel-like colour illuminating your visual and mental fields. Amazing visual effects can be produced, including the illusion of complex, shifting geometrical imagery.
This imagery, in combination with soothing, flowing sounds, can be so compelling that the mind clears of extraneous thoughts - it stops the "Monkey Mind".
The Kasina includes over 50 varied sessions divided into six categories.
Accelerate - Concentration, focus and peak performance
Meditation - Relaxation and meditation training
Mind Art - Experimental, visualisation, altered states of consciousness
Night Voyage - Sleep, lucid dreaming
Rejuvenate - Energising, recovery,
Trance - hypnagogia, between sleep and wakefulness, spiritual practices
Some sessions include ambient sounds such as Tibetan singing bowls, Shamanic drumming, nature sounds and wind chimes.
The benefits derived from using a Kasina increase over time. Some people experience benefits the first time they try one with immediate feelings of calmness and restfulness.
Others start to see significant improvements after several weeks with continuing progress.
The changes can be subtle at first. You may start to find that you have more energy and that your sleep patterns have improved. You may find yourself becoming less angry and reacting to stressful situations in a more controlled manner. You may find that your attitude to life changes and that you have a greater sense of balance. These changes are often gradual and you notice them after using your Kasina for some time.
The great thing about using a Kasina is that you don't have to do anything. The light and sounds of your Kasina will naturally lead you into a relaxed, meditative state – automatically and easily. This makes it ideal for those who struggle with the discipline of more traditional types of meditation.
The Kasina is also great for helping with sleep issues. Sleeping difficulties can be caused by many things. Using a Kasina helps to deal with one of the primary causes - mental stress.
Stress can manifest itself at night as an over-active mind. The mental chatter we carry on inside our heads can overwhelm our ability to get a good night's rest.
Using your Kasina immediately before you go to bed will help naturally to quieten your mind and relax your body. It will also help to produce the brain wave patterns that trigger sleep.
In a more general way, using your Kasina over time will improve the way you handle stress and condition your mind to be quieter and calmer. This will have a cumulative effect in improving your sleep patterns.
You can also use the Color Organ feature to turn any music into a colourful light show-and it includes six different settings to help match the mood of your music. The glasses feature six coloured LEDs per eye, for an even more intense experience, should you desire.
A spokesman for Meditations Ltd, which runs the Kasina product, told Phoenix: "Meditations Ltd was born out of an awareness of the growing interest in the use of relaxation techniques as an antidote to the fast-paced lifestyles that many of us experience.
"We believe that the Kasina Personal Development System can enable anyone to achieve states of deep relaxation or heightened alertness, concentration and focus, and can bring many physical and psychological benefits. We are able to offer expert advice about the Kasina and invite you to contact us to discuss your requirements.
"It is our desire to bring the benefits of the Kasina system to as many people as possible."
The package we offer to our clients at Phoenix includes the new enhanced Deep Vision GanzFrames which fill your entire field of view with pure, jewel-like colours and dancing patterns.
As well as using them with your eyes closed, the light produced by the Deep Vision GanzFrames is so diffuse that you can comfortably use them with your eyes open.
To book a session with the Kasina Mind Machine, contact us today at info@phoenixcoaching.co.uk
For more information about the product, or to order your own Kasina, visit kasina.co.uk