VR + Meditation: Eliminate Distraction, Find Your Focus, Pace Your Breathing
This meditation app uses a digital candle flame in Virtual Reality (or 2D). Unlike a real candle, you can configure the flame so that it grows and subsides in a rhythm that can be followed with your breath. Breath work is very important in meditation, and many breath pacing apps us distracting graphics, rather than a peaceful image to focus on. Virtual Reality is inherently isolating, which is a perfect match with meditation. A real candle situated in a room still allows room for distraction, this visual candle in empty space provides a single point of focus.
By marrying VR + Meditation, we capitalize on the best of both worlds. A common criticism of VR is that it is an isolating, internal, solo experience, much like meditation. Many forms of meditation suggest visualizing a flame or actually lighting a real candle. With Focus Meditation, the candle becomes both a point of focus and a guide. You can also hone your ability to visualize and steady your thoughts by alternating between staring at the virtual candle image and closing your eyes while holding the image in your mind. Several meditation apps offer breath pacing but often holding a phone in your hands is distracting and does not encourage well composed seated position.
This app is very simple. It is intentionally feature minimal to avoid distracting the meditator. If you like music or sounds while meditating, we suggest playing them from a different app before starting the VaRt Focus Meditation.
By creating this meditation as a mobile app, we aim to make this VR experience as accessible as possible. It is easily viewable using Cardboard or Samsung Gear. A strap is highly suggested to avoid having to hold the headset to your face.
Instructions:
Use VaRt Focus Meditation for every day meditation, to focus your mind, and establish deep breathing habits. Focus meditation can be used with or without VR, but the experience was built for VR. Set your breathing pace, insert your device into your headset, start the meditation and relax! You’ll be notified when your selected duration has passed, but will be allowed to continue meditating as long as you like. Hold the candle flame in your gaze to focus your mind and avoid distraction.
There are many approaches to breath work with meditation, but here are a few recommended settings. The breath patterns In-Hold-Out-Hold are as follows (in seconds):
- Maximize Heart Rate Variability: 4-0-4-0 (No breath holds for smooth deep breathing)
- Box Breathing to Beat Stress: 4-4-4-4 (Equal times on all phases of the breathing cycle)
- Pranayama to Relax: 4-7-8-0 (Long controlled breaths to calm your nervous system)