413- Petit bambou sessions 1 to 3

All credits go to the app creators. This is merely a post about my experiences with this ap in particular, and meditation in general. 

I wasn't paid. This isn't publicity, only personal experiments and learning. 

During my May 20th psychothrapy session, my therapist suggested that I use Petit Bambou, a meditation app which uses scientifically based exercices, to promote mindfullness and well- being. 

A few days later, I downloaded and installed it, but, upon request to create an account or link to Facebook, I had to pause. A few additional days passed, I decided to link it to the same email I use for this mental health blog, to avoid my private Facebook linking and being flooded with ads. 

May and June both came and went. I've been busy, I hadn't taken the time, until July 1st, where I finally took the time, and started using Petit Bambou. 

This app has 4 icons/menus on the bottom part of the screen: 

Meditation. Programs. US. Me

Tapping on Me opens the profile, which fills in every time that I (or you) use the app's meditations and programs. It tracks the dates, how many minutes, and consecutive days that I've managed to meditate. 

The Us tap shows how many people are meditating right now, or this week, this year. 

And now, the core of the app, Meditation tap offers 8 guided meditations, of about 11 to 13 minutes each, which unclock sequentially - after the initial Discovery, which introduces the app, and meditation in general, in a 3 minutes long video. Each of these guided meditation presents a short story, that you can listen to or skip. 

The guided meditations have starting and ending gongs. 

This tap also offers 3 minutes calming breathe meditation, which is there especially for crisises. 

The ap is available in English, French, German, Spanish. I chose the first and find the voice very soothing and calming. (choosing is done in the Me tap, clicking the wheel, preferences, and language at the bottom). 

Now, this is the one place I must specify the aps must be connected to the Wi-Fi, but, since you can enable downloading all sessions of the program, I hope th at it can allow later registration - sometimes to be checked.

On July 1st, I only listned to the introduction. 

The 2nd and 3rd, I didn't use the app. 

Then, on 4th and 5th, I've listened to guided meditations 1 and 2. 

1 was about calm and serenity, finding my breathe, following it, refocusing. I found it a bit tough not to let my mind wander off, especially as the guide's voice was talking about it.  

Today, on 2nd meditation, it was a mix of the same as the 1st one, but with an added level of difficulty: scaning my body, trying to discern which parts are at ease, relaxed, which are more tense, or painful. 

Today, I was slightly less flighty than yesterday. However, I was very aware of pains in my back, the lower part as always, the shoulders after this morning's heavy grocery shopping, and my tailbone. 

I managed discerning the different sensantions in my two feet when directed to, and felt a bit behind the speed in which the guide was telling me to scan the previous stages of my body. 

I won't judge this, I didn't fail. I simply did it. I followed. I got lost. I got behind. I found myself, I refocused. I caught up at the end. 

This is, after all, only the begining of this cycle. 

(554)

All credits go to the app creators. This is merely a post about my experiences with this ap in particular, and meditation in general. 

I wasn't paid. This isn't publicity, only personal experiments and learning. 

Also read : entry 412, Meditation, past and present