Directly integrated into the Apple Watch, this app encourages you to take a step back every day, for less stressful days.
A break is in order? In our busy days, between work, mental stress, shopping, sport, children … difficult to find even a little time for yourself. However, the need to breathe, if only for a short time, allows you to lower your stress level and take a step back from your daily life for more well-being.
A need that Apple has understood and for which the brand launched in 2016 an application on its Apple Watch. Called “Breathe”, it offered a series of guided deep breaths and reminded its users to take the time to breathe every day. Apple is taking advantage of the arrival of the Apple Watch Series 7 and the update of the operating software for the brand’s connected watches (watchOS 8, which accompanies the arrival of iOS 15) to introduce a new new, enhanced version of the application. This is now called “Full Consciousness” and adds, to the breath, a brick called “Reflection”.
Mindfulness: taking a break in our lives at a mile a hour
We must see this exercise of “Reflection” which lasts one to five minutes, according to his desires, as a kind of micro-intervention in our lives. “No need to go to a special place, to change, to upset your agenda, you just need to run a minute of ‘Reflection’ on the Apple Watch to see things with a fresh look”, explains Julz Arney, Director of Fitness and Health technologies at Apple, to aufeminin.
How? ‘Or’ What ? By putting feelings that, as we know, boost our well-being on the front of the stage. It can be empathy, gratitude, feeling connected to things or people… The process already starts with “taking a break”. Wait a minute, that might not sound like much, but it can make a difference nonetheless. Each time you start a “Reflection” session on the Apple Watch, a theme is displayed on the watch on which to focus for the next minute. For example, it can be an exercise to remember a recent moment when you felt calm. And then try to associate this feeling with the present moment.
An app to take a step back
On the screen of the watch, psychedelic patterns are displayed which evolve randomly during the minute of reflection. You are free to focus on it or choose to look into the distance, or even close your eyes if you prefer. The main thing is to stop the other tasks in progress. During this minute, notifications and alerts from your watch or your iPhone are also paused so as not to disrupt this pause.
“We can use mindfulness exercises to re-approve, re-evaluate what surrounds us with a new look, a new perspective, Julz Arney notes. It’s a bit like putting on eyeglasses and seeing life from a new perspective. And for that, you don’t necessarily need to close your eyes or concentrate on breathing exercises – which some people find a little weird – but you can just do a minute of thinking, which is very easy and can be done. attract more people than a full meditation session. ”
How to take full advantage of the Mindfulness application?
For “Breathe”, Apple suggests doing the following:
- Strengthen your concentration by noticing the cool air as you breathe in and the warmth of the breath as you breathe out.
- Feel more connected by gently touching your heart area with the flat of your hand during your session.
- Lie on the floor, touching your abdomen and noticing the ups and downs as you breathe.
For “Reflection”, here are the good tips:
- Sit in a comfortable and relaxing position. Close your eyes if that’s okay with you.
- You can also choose to move while paying attention to how your body feels.
- Start your session with one or two slow breaths to calm your mind.
Apple Watch compatible with watchOS 8 and who will therefore be able to use Mindfulness after update:
- Apple Watch Series 3
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7
To install the update, you must have an iPhone 6s (or later) with iOS 15 (or later).
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