brands we love: journey live
The other night, around 3:00 AM, my son provided a brief but very inconvenient disruption to my sleep. I laid awake in my bed for 45 mins. My mind was suddenly racing and try as I might. I could not slow it down. Everything from stressful workplace scenarios to high school regrets, completely nonsensical hypothetical scenarios to embarrassing memories played out on my mind’s stage. It was too late to take something like Melatonin and too early not to get some amount of sleep. My wife, who was asleep next to me, is usually a kind listening ear, but I knew that waking her up was, to put it lightly, not an option. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
That is when I remembered Journey Live, an app that is bound to shake up our mindful world by encouraging an authentic connection to an actual meditation coach. For years, I put off doing yoga because “I’m not good at it.” Well, guess what, I am still not good at it, but I know its benefits firsthand, so I am trying to do it more consistently. Meditation fits in the same box for me. Naturally, I am horrible at it, but doing it always yields so many incredible benefits that I have to find time to do it.
Journey Live is an app for your phone and also a Google search term that will show you the next time the 80’s era soft rock band is playing next, but I digress. This app, unlike pretty much any other app, encourages human connection through personal meditation sessions taught by world-class meditation teachers. Yes, all of the staples of good meditation are there - breathing, mindful exploration, and an emphasis on the senses - but there’s something more intimate about this app than others I have used previously. I’ll explain it.
When you begin a class, the video that plays is not unlike a Facetime session with a friend with one HUGE difference; there is no picture of yourself. I think in an honest moment, we’d all admit to looking at ourselves more than those we are video chatting with, maybe that’s just me? Anyways, the teachers draw you in and remind you that you can set your phone face down and listen to their words, which is what I did.
Cut back to me, lying in bed at 3:45 AM, with my phone face down on the nightstand, my Airpods in (Weird flex, I know, but roll with it) listening to my favorite teacher Hector as he instructed me to bring my attention to my breath and to feel the surface beneath me. Five minutes into his special class on deep sleep, and I was out cold. I woke up as refreshed as you can, given the circumstances, and went about my day.
While in this particular scenario, meditation, and the Journey Live app worked more as reactive than preventative care, but I accept that I am still learning how to use these tools to make my life better. What I can promise you is that using this app, and meditation in general, will give you better sleep, improved outlook on stressful scenarios and the self-awareness to know that you need it. Because everyone does and everyone could benefit from the practice of meditation.
So why do we love Journey Live specifically? The interface is easy to use; the teachers are genuinely world-class; the sessions are engaging and continually being turned over to keep things fresh, and above all, they share the same ethos that we at Rhone profess: We are stronger together. You see, their goal is not to get you to download the app; their goal is to build a community of mutually supportive meditators that are committed to living happier, healthier, and less stressful lives. Another unique benefit is the live, community classes that are interactive, shareable, and driven by like-minded individuals who are doing their best to align their lives to the core values outlined above.
If you, like me, struggle to find consistency in your meditation practice and are looking for something different to aid in that process, I strongly recommend the Journey LIVE app.
