Deep Breaths in the Wild: Meditations in HyruleĀ āĀ
One habit thatās stuck, amongst the dozens IĀ tried to adopt in this year full of self-improvement efforts, is taking a walk during my lunch breaks at work, 10- to 20-minute strolls around the nearby business parkās lots with a guided meditation app* piped through my headphones.
I feel refreshed after these breaks, and contemplative -- in a rare non-self-judgmental way, even -- with these deep thought sessions.Ā The appās teachers talk me through mindfulness exercises, and I can feel the cumulative impact of these daily introspections inclining me toward gratitude and empathy. Being outside is nice, too, even when I have to wear a rain jacket, or avoid leavings from geese who've made the grassy sections of this lot their home.
During one of those walks, when a breeze brushed my face just right and I could hear its whisper even through the reassuring voice coming through my earbuds, it took my mind to a favorite hushed spot in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild:Ā Rabia Plain, just northeast of Kakariko Village. I spent a lot of time there appreciating its peaceful ponds and running through the tall grass, trying to complete Kassās Crowned Beast quest, distant notes from his accordion floating with the areaās environmental soundscape.
That same afternoon, I tweeted the need for:
While that app doesnāt exist, Iāve come across similar experiences that isolate the gameās placid scenes into potential meditation opportunities.Ā The video at the top of this post, for example, is from Jack Smith; he has a series of Switch Slow TV videos, in which he shares āmoments of calm and tranquilityā from games like Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and even Splatoon 2.
Even those short clips are enough to sedate me, to transport me to a more quiet existence. Lewis Gordon wrote a great relevant piece on BOTW as an ambient video game that helps players chill: āIn the evening I sit on the couch, letting the colours and sounds of the digital world wash over me, allowing my brain to slowly decompress. Itās a relaxation activity that slips nebulously into self-care, the video game equivalent of putting an ambient record on.ā
You can find longer videos on Youtube from others who had the same vision of the gameās pastoral areas and soundtracks as meditation tools. Obi Joan produced a āZen of the Wildā playlist with 7- to 15-minute videos panning through gentle locations from the Great Plateau to the Lost Woods:
Dire Boarās āSounds of the Wildā series offers even longer videos (22+ minutes):
My ideal app would combine these scenes with the Meditation 101 audio lessons Iāve been taking. You can see what Iām going for by opening two tabs in your browser, using one of them to playĀ this guided meditation on the RAIN technique (Recognize / Allow / Investigate / Non-Identifying), which has softened difficult days for me. In the other tab, open Dire BoarāsĀ āTemple of Time (Rain)ā videoĀ with the volume at 30%. Itās a relaxing pairing.Ā
Since I canāt offer you an app that doesnāt exist, hereās another pitch:Ā If playing Breath of the Wild helped you experience an uncommon sense of serenity and presence that you wish you could have in other parts of your life, try meditating a few times this week. You can use these longer videos Iāve linked, or try out a guided meditation while you walk -- the app mentioned in the footnotes has 10 exercises dedicated to when youāre out and about.
Maybe you wonāt find the peace youāre looking for the first time or two you try it, but thatās okay. Keep at it, and remember itās just mind training, not magic.
*I use the Buddhify app because $2.99 was more palatable than Headspaceās monthly or annual subscription fees when I decided to see if I could make mindfulness a new routine, and not something Iād abandon as quick as I picked it up. I also appreciate that it's a small, family-run company, and that Buddhify values having a diverse team of teachers. You can try out a few free sample sessions on Soundcloud.
BUY Breath of the Wild: Creating a Champion artbook, BOTW Link Nendoroid
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Buddhify is a meditation & mindfulness app designed to fit busy lifestyles. With a beautiful design & easy user experience, it is loved all
If you don't already know about Buddhify and you're looking for a meditation app, I highly recommend this one. I've been using it for over a year. It's there when I need it (probably more than I'd care to admit in my case) and it's worth way more than the $3 one-time fee. My favourite guided meditation is Replace which can be found in the Stress & Difficult Emotions pie slice. It consists largely of a woman named Kate mindfully (!) repeating the phrase "let go" to help you let go of whatever's stressing you out at the moment. There are a lot of short guided meditations to choose from many categories designed to complement your daily life and needs, very well-designed I might add. I haven't chosen to subscribe but I imagine there are benefits to doing so. This is a wonderful collaborative effort from a couple named Lucy and Rohan and (I believe) some of their friends. It feels organic and well-rounded and overall I find Buddhify has and continues to enrich my life. Thank you.
This is a review on Buddhify, Sleepfulness, & This is Happening (Modern Mindfulness in the US) which are Mindfulness products I use from the team at Mindfulness Everywhere.
Who couldnāt use a little more peace in their life? With the feeling of time constantly speeding up, deadlines, all the people in the subway and all the noise always surrounding us, getting some quiet āme timeā has become a bit of a quest. Thankfully, tech deities struggle just as we do, and theyāve created many interesting and useful meditation apps for us to use and love every day.
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Itās Mental Health Week, and I figure itās a great time to share with you three apps I really enjoy using to keep my mental health on track.
Sworkit
Sworkit is my favourite fitness app for light exercise workouts. If Iām feeling stressed or anxious, or at risk of collapsing on the couch and falling asleep after work, Iāll use this app for a 10 minute stretching or yoga session. It always helps pick up my energy levels and I appreciate having a routine to follow to ensure Iām working through each exercise properly. Each of the four categories above are broken down into further areas, and you can set the time of your workout anywhere from five minutes to an hour. Itās simple, but sometimes simple is what you need.
Productive
I am a chronic list writer. I have lists everywhere. The thing I really love about Productive is that itās just another place for me to keep a daily list.Ā The point of Productive is that it helps you build habits, and track what you have and havenāt done each day. You can set how often and what time of day you want to complete the item; or set weekly, fortnightly or monthly tasks. For example- I can have a task for brushing my teeth every morning and evening, a task to go to the gym twice a week, and a task for watering my plants fortnightly. Itās a great way to remind yourself to do those important daily tasks, as well as track how often you do those things you want to be doing fairly often but maybe donāt actually (exercise, social things, hobbies etc).
Buddhify
Lots of people find mindfulness and meditation hard. I find it hard. Iāve been making a really conscious effort to do it regularly, and thus make it easier. Buddhify helps a lot with that. It has short mindfulness exercises in a really wide range of categories. These include travelling, eating, difficult emotions, going to sleep, waiting around, pain & illness- just to name a few. Regardless of where I am or what Iām doing when I listen thereās usually something that fits. Itās different for everyone, but I find the speakers quite easy to listen to and the content relevant and useful.Ā
This weeks vlog: attacked by birds of prey and almost crushed my balls to death. The left one. Not sure if it's the one that makes boys or the one that makes girls. Also rambling on using psychogeography to develop a new educational curriculum and a review of the app Buddhify.
