It’s interesting how meditation has evolved over the past decade. Meditation used to be taught by experienced gurus before the emergence of guided meditation tracks and meditation app. Muse 2, the latest model of the popular brain-sensing head, seems to redefine how meditation is practiced in our life.
The latest wearable that targets meditation practitioners gets more than a brand new design but is packed with new features that make meditation a holistic experience. Of course, this also means that Muse 2 will cost much more than its predecessor.
Read: Muse, The Brain Sensing Headband Review
In this review, you’ll learn how different is Muse 2 and is it worthwhile to pay an additional $100 for this meditation headband.
Muse 2 Review: Overview
Muse 2 is the latest iteration of brain-sensing headband from InteraXon Inc. The company was responsible for the first version of Muse which is highly popular amongst the meditation community. Muse 2 inherits the basic functionality of its predecessor, which is the brain-sensing technology that enhances the meditation experience.
Besides the EEG sensor, Muse 2 features sensors that measure heart rate, breath and posture in the sleek brain-sensing headband. A total of 7 sensors, which include EEG, PPG + Pulse Oyxmetry, Accelerometer, and PPG + Gyroscope are embedded in the meditation headband.
The headband is designed to be low profile and sit flush when put on. You can adjust the Muse 2 headband to have a balance of comfort and the perfect alignment of the sensors. For Muse 2 to function, all of the 7 sensors need to acquire the respective signals from your body.
Muse 2 is powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that allow 5 hours of continuous usage. It connects to mobile device with Bluetooth. You’ll need to install the Muse app on iOS or Android device before you can use the brain-sensing headband.
How Does Muse 2 Work?
If you’ve tried meditating, you’ll realize that it is difficult to focus and you spend most of the time lost in wandering thoughts. And when you’re stressed out, meditation can be difficult if you’re practicing on your own. Muse 2 attempts to leverage science in helping individuals to meditate.
While the Muse 2 wearable is hogging the limelight, the Muse meditation app deserves equal attention. The meditation app not only contains guided meditation tracks but connects to the Muse 2 headband to offer an improved meditating experience.
The fundamental technology in Muse 2 is the EEG sensors. EEG or electroencephalogram measures electrical activity in the brain. Muse 2 employs the EEG sensor to derive real-time data of the user’s brainwave and uses the result to guide your meditation session.
For example, a calm mind will produce a certain form of brain wave. But when inner peace is disrupted by stray thoughts or emotions, you’ll find your mind becomes agitated. The change in the brainwave is picked by the EEG sensors and fed to the meditation app.
The Muse meditation app will then alter its ambiance sound to gently alert you of the shift in your emotion or thoughts and guide you back to focus.
In Muse 2, the feedback process is enriched by the presence of heart rate, breath and posture sensors. The meditation app gathers feedbacks of these sensors and the original EEG to provide a more refine guidance to your meditation practice.
Personalizing Meditation Experience With Muse 2
As Muse 2 relies on an array of sensors to gather real-time feedback, you’ll need to spend a couple of minutes calibrating the sensor each time you wanted to meditate. You’ll need to adjust the headband to ensure all of the sensors are in contact with your head.
Thankfully, the Muse app provides a colorful visual that indicates the state of the sensors. All you need to do is to follow the instructions on the screen and adjust the headband until you start getting strong signals.
With Muse 2, you can choose Mind, Body, or Heart meditation. Or you can just select the Breathing exercise. These sessions use the respective sensors as feedback to guide you in the practice. During the meditation sessions, you’ll be guided with the ambiance sound, which reflects the data acquired by the sensors.
A stormy weather sound indicates that you’ve lost focus, while serene calm flowing stream means you’re adequately relaxed
Meditation is a long term practice in order to build on the positive effects. Yet, meditating on your own can be disorientating, when you don’t know how you are faring. The Muse app helps you to stay focus and build on your practice. It collects historical data from the sensor and tracks your session with goals and points.
Is Muse 2 Worth It?
There’s no doubt that Muse 2 is a revolutionary meditation gadget that redefines traditional meditation practice. It solves the problem that bothers most meditation practitioners, which is the inability to hold focus for a lengthy period.
Most beginners usually found themselves lost in thoughts for the most part of the meditation session. Such experience, while natural, means that it’s hard to find peace during the early phase of meditation. By using real-time sensor feedbacks, Muse 2 gives subtle nudges to the users by altering the ambient audio.
With all being said, Muse 2 isn’t the cheapest gadget in town. At the moment of writing, Muse 2 will cost you $249. It is exactly $100 more expensive than its predecessor, Muse.
So, is Muse 2 worth it? Do you need a highly sophisticated wearable that not only measures brain-wave but also heart rate, breath, and posture?
I guess the answer is it depends.
If you’ve to find it hard to meditate on your own or even with a conventional meditation app, you may find Muse 2 useful. Its brain-sensing technology is precise and does help you to focus and relax. And if you’re ready to pay $399 for a lifetime membership of Headspace, you’ll find that Muse 2 offers a better value.
But if you can do without the heart rate, breath and posture meditation, you can opt for Muse. Muse is considerably cheaper with the price now set at $149. It gives you the same experience of EEG-feedback during the meditation.
To save more on Muse 2 or Muse, click on this link to get a 15% discount.
Bottom Line
Muse 2 is a revolutionary gadget that adds more depth to meditation practice. Beginners will find the brain-sensing headband helpful in achieving relaxation and focus. Of course, Muse 2 will be more attractive if it is more affordable.
I hope that this review of Muse 2 is helpful. Here’s the link to get a 15% discount for Muse 2.
Related:
Leave A Comment