| My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars Best Place to Buy: Official Website |
| Pros +Easy to set up +Comprehensive data +Helps you to improve your meditations +Comfortable to wear +Sleek and elegant design |
| Cons –App would benefit from more meditations –App could be more user friendly |
The Flowtime meditation headband is a revolutionary piece of technology. It’s a wearable device that measures your brainwaves, flow state, heartbeat, breath coherence, attention, stress, and relaxation. This empowers you to get real-time data to improve your meditations and general well-being.
There are other meditation headbands on the market, however, this is the only one that gives you such comprehensive data, including complete raw brain wave analyses.
Why is this important? Well, it’s similar to how professional EEG devices look at the brain within scientific studies, making it unique compared to other wearable headbands on the market.
You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to understand the data though. It’s all laid out very clearly within a user-friendly app that breaks everything down into subcategories.
When I found out about the Flowtime meditation headband, I had to try it for myself.
In this review, I’ll cover everything you need to know. You’ll learn about the design, comfort, functionality, and user experience.
Most importantly, I’ll delve into whether this device can improve your meditations or not.
Is the Flowtime Meditation Headband Well Built?
The Flowtime headband is made from plastic and rubber. So, there’s nothing unique about the material itself, but it does seem well-made. The plastic is solid to the touch and I doubt it would break easily unless dropped.
Although, if you’re planning to travel around with it, buying a carrying case would be wise. One made for a pair of headphones would work well.
The headband’s construction looks elegant and sleek. The silver is an eye-catching contrast to the dark grey rubber, making it look futuristic. The inbuilt 5 sensors are robust and large enough to ensure they maintain contact with your forehead.
On the left side behind your ear support is the magnetic charging port, which makes the design feel more streamlined than a typical cable plug-in port. On the right side behind the ear support is the power and connect button.
Is the Flowtime Meditation Headband Comfortable to Wear?
The Flowtime meditation headband is the comfiest wearable device I’ve tried so far. The rubber that rests on the front of your head is flexible, so it adjusts and moves according to your positioning.
The supports behind the ear are also soft rubber, allowing a snug fit. To ensure that the headband is tight on your head, three rubber bands are included within the box. These vary in size from small to large and slip onto the headband.
This is a simple and effective way to secure the device and keep the sensors in contact.
When fitting the Flowtime headband, it’s all about finding the sweet spot. Once you do, you’ll forget you’re wearing it, which is exactly what you want when meditating.
How Easy is the Flowtime Headband to Set Up and Connect?
The set-up is simple and an instructional guide is included within the box. To begin with, you download the app, and you’ll be guided through making your own account. The app will then provide instructions for how to connect your device.
All you need to do is enable Bluetooth on your phone and then switch on the headband via the button on the right-hand side. Once it’s flashing blue, it’s ready, and a connect button will pop up on the app.
After it’s connected you can put on the headband and select a meditation to get started. You’ll then see your real-time data displayed in front of you, more on that later.
What Are the Meditations in the App Like?
Flowtimes’s meditation app offers a range of practices to choose from, covering almost anything you can think of. This includes anxiety, pain, relationships, self-care, focus, relaxation, sleep, resonant breathing, and much more.
There are a few voices available which is beneficial, as choosing a guide is a personal preference. The tone and volume of someone’s voice, as well as how they structure and pace the practice all have an impact.
I haven’t tried all of the meditations in the app yet, as there are 100+, but I already have some preferences. That being said, compared to other apps, Flowtime’s one lacks a large library of practices and voices to choose between. But hopefully, they keep expanding their selection over time.
On the app, there are also various relaxing sounds to meditate with such as rain, wind, water, the ocean, forest, and so on. This provides you with soundscapes that you can immerse yourself in during your practice.
Another benefit of Flowtime’s app is that you can also meditate without any guide or sound at all. This enables you to use another app whilst still capturing biodata or you can meditate in silence.
When you finish a meditation, you can also log your mood and write a journal entry. Allowing you to reflect on your practice and take note of your experience.
The most exciting part of the Flowtime meditation headband and app is the fascinating biodata that it captures.
Ready to find out what it shows you and what this means?
Great, let’s explore that next.
What Bio-Feedback Does the App Provide You With?
The Flowtime headband is an EEG (electroencephalogram) device. I know that sounds complicated, so let me explain more clearly. An EEG device measures your electrical brain activity, in particular your brain waves.
But why is this useful or important? Good question. Our brains are buzzing with activity that is constantly changing. When we can observe someone’s brain waves, we get a unique insight into their mental state.
Brainwaves are divided into 5 types: alpha (α), beta (β), delta (δ), theta (θ), and gamma (γ). Take a look at the table below detailing how brainwaves function during different states.
| Type | Brain State | Meditation State |
| Gamma (γ) | Heightened perception, learning, problem-solving | Common in experienced meditators when they’re highly focused and energised |
| Beta (β) | Alert, focussed, active thinking | Increase when you’re highly focused and paying attention |
| Alpha (α) | Aware, physically and mentally relaxed | Increase when you feel relaxed and present |
| Theta (θ) | Deeply relaxed, daydreaming, or in light sleep | Occur when you’re deeply relaxed and immersed in your practice, more dominant in experienced meditators |
| Delta (δ) | Deep sleep | Change very little during meditation |
When you look at brainwaves on a graph -like in the image above- they can appear quite complex. There are numerous changes, with different waves overlapping, intertwining, separating, and coming together.
So, you may be wondering “How do make sense of a brainwave graph?”. Well, I have some good news for you. Flowtime make it easy to understand by simplifying them into different categories.
Let’s look at Flow first.
What is Flow?
When you are in a flow state, your brainwave patterns shift from beta to alpha, as you become fully present and deeply relaxed. With more practice and experience, your theta waves can increase as you become even more immersed in your practice.
The screenshot above was taken from one of my meditations. Here you can see that when I began the session I was active and alert, but I quickly fell into a deep flow state.
This is represented by the graph dropping and turning purple. There were a few moments when my mind became active again but I mostly sustained being present and relaxed.
This correlates accurately with my experience, as I recall feeling this mental shift. When I was in flow, I felt still, tranquil, at peace, and experienced a sense of timelessness. It’s one thing to recall the experience but being able to see accurate data is both fascinating and invaluable.
You can also configure a sound to activate upon entering a flow state. This feature is fully customizable, allowing it to be set in according to any other biofeedback metric.
Let’s look at these options in more detail.
Coherence
When your heart and breathing rhythms synchronise, you are in coherence. Flowtime measures this by analysing your breathing effects on your heart rate.
Within the app, there is a resonant breathing meditation where you are prompted to inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds. As you take these slow, deep, controlled, and regular breaths, miraculous things happen.
Your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems synchronise and coordinate with each other. This enhances your cognitive abilities and energy, whilst being in a state of energetic calm.
Typically, this state is associated with better focus, concentration, memory, faster reactions, increased concentrations, and emotional stability.
Heartrate and HRV
One of the 5 sensors on the headband is dedicated to measuring your heart rate, which means your heart rate variability (HRV) can be calculated. But what is heart rate variability and why is it important?
HRV is the time intervals between your heartbeats.
You may think that your heartbeat is steady and consistent, but it’s not, the time between each beat varies. Don’t worry though, this is completely normal and healthy.
In fact, the higher your HRV is, the better. Knowing your heart rate variability can give you insights towards your nervous system balance, stress response, cardiovascular health, fitness, and recovery.
The good news is that meditating consistently over a long period can increase your HRV.
Relaxation, Stress, and Attention
Finally, there are three more areas that the Flowtime headband gives you insights into. It’s self-explanatory but relaxation shows you how relaxed and calm your brain is. This is calculated according to how your alpha and theta waves increase.
Stress is measured according to your heart rate and HRV. A faster heart rate and lower HRV will likely mean you are suffering from some degree of stress.
Attention refers to how well you focus your mind during your meditation. As your attention increases, so will your beta and gamma waves. When meditating you may choose to use your breath, body, or an object as a focus point. The higher your score is, the more attentive you are.
These are useful add-ons to the biofeedback. They help you to understand how stress impacts your practice, as well as how calm and focused you’ve been throughout your meditation.
Why is the Biofeedback So Important?
Wearable devices are growing in popularity because people are becoming more interested in improving their health, whilst reducing stress and anxiety. The technology is also developing and advancing at an exciting rate.
The Flowtime meditation headband is one of the pioneers leading the way.
Flowtime’s biofeedback offers clear, visible data, enabling you to see firsthand the impact meditation has on your brain and body. With this approach, there’s no room for second-guessing, you can directly observe the results yourself.
Within the Flowtime app, you can also see monthly and yearly data. That way you can track how your biofeedback changes on a long-term basis. Allowing you to spot patterns and monitor your progress.
This gives a thorough understanding of your meditation practice, helping you to understand what works and what doesn’t, so you to deepen and improve your practice over time.
Moreover, the Flowtime headband empowers you to enhance your overall health.
Having access to heart rate, HRV, stress, and relaxation data offers you a comprehensive overview of your well-being. If you like you can even wear the headband during various activities to monitor how your brain and body respond in different situations.
Is the Flowtime Headband Right for You?
In this modern era, many of us are becoming more interested in using technology to improve our health. Previously, this would have only been available in a lab, but things are changing.
We now have access to wearable EEG devices like the Flowtime headband. This device is bringing the ancient practice of meditation into the 21st century and it’s exciting to be a part of that.
If you’re still on the fence then let me help you to decide. The Flowtime headband will benefit you if:
- You’re curious about what your mind, body, and heart are doing during meditation
- You’re looking to track, improve, and deepen your meditation and enhance your health
- You want to monitor and track your progress over time
- You like to test and experiment with new wearable tech for self-development
- You’re an experienced meditator looking to change things up
It may not be suitable for you if:
- You like to keep your meditation practice simple and stripped back
- You’re somebody who will obsess, overthink, and/or get frustrated at the data
You don’t need the Flowtime headband to meditate, but it offers you new insights and opportunities for your practice. If you purchase through Flowtime’s website, you have a 30-day return period. So, why not give it a go?
Personally, using the headband has provided me with an invaluable understanding of my mind and body. It also sheds light on what a flow is, allowing me to let go more easily to access that deeply focused state.
As someone who has struggled with meditation on and off for years, it’s been a groundbreaking piece of technology that compliments my practice, one that I will continue to use indefinitely. Perhaps it can do the same for you.
Take care of yourselves,
Chris from Mindful Way to Be
