Mind Over Matter: A Deep Dive into the Core Meditation Trainer by Hyperice

The Core Meditation Trainby Hypericeis an electronic meditation device that guides you through meditation using gentle vibrations. A companion app tracks your progress. This review will provide all the information you need about this handheld meditation trainer in order to determine if it is right for you.

Meditation has been a popular practice for thousands of years. It has many benefits. Meditation can help reduce stress and improve your psychological well-being. It can also increase your life expectancy.

It can be hard to begin a regular meditation practice. This is the downside for many people. It is difficult for me to remain focused. Although I have tried meditation, I have never been able to maintain a consistent practice. This is why Core was so exciting to me.

Hyperice is the world leader in recovery technology and acquired Core earlier this year. Sarah McDevitt, founder and CEO, stated:

It is a great moment to be able partner with Hyperice in order to bring our strengths together and offer a more united approach to mental health and wellness. We share the same values and I am confident that we can work together to bring out the best in everyone.

The design impressed me immediately when I saw the Core for the first time and I took it out of its box. The Core’s top is slightly angled so that your thumbs are supported while the sensors in stainless steel sit on top. It features dark wood accents and a white USB charging port.

Core packages

Core Essential costs $179 and gives you access to basic guided meditations, soundscapes, and breath training.

The Core Premium package is normally $249, but it’s on sale for $219 right now. This includes:

• Daily release of 300+ guided meditations
• Classes for better sleep, stress management, positive relationships and more
• It also includes the Premium subscription at $69.99/year

Core Essential’s library of meditations for free is sufficient to get you started. If Core is something you like, the Premium package will be a better choice. It allows you to access a lot more content.

The core setup

Core requires you to first download the Core Meditation App and create an account. For a more seamless setup, you will need to ensure that your Core is fully charged before you open it.

After creating your account and entering your personal information, a popup will ask if you wish to enable Bluetooth. Once you have created your account, make sure that your Core is close to your phone. Next, click Continue to connect.

After the Core is found, it will ask for your thumbs to confirm. The app will then start installing updates. It was very fast and took less than one minute.

Once the update is complete, click on continue to finish. You have two options: you can start your first meditation immediately or wait until later.

Core will guide you through basic meditations when you first use it. Core will suggest other meditations once you have completed the series.

Start meditating using Core

Open the Core app and select your Core to start a session. Once Core is connected, you can start a session. The app will guide you through various meditations and breathing exercises while keeping track of your progress.

Core includes 30 ECG sensors made of stainless steel that measure the effects of meditation sessions on your body. The Core also has vibrations that help you focus and guide the breathing. This was my favorite part, as I felt that the vibrations helped me to stay present and focused during meditation. Core is a tool that determines your heart rate and baseline HRV score after four meditation sessions.

The app will display your body’s response to your meditation once you are done. The app will show you how your heart rate variability and HRV changed, how long you were in Calm or Focused, as well as how effective this meditation was compared to previous sessions.

The app also allows you to write notes about each session. I found this very useful. While it was great to see my Core insights, I found it very helpful to be able keep my own notes about how each meditation affected my mind and body.

App for Core Meditation

There are four tabs at the bottom of Core Meditation app’s home screen: Explore, History and Quick Start. Based on your session history, the Quick Start tab suggests a meditation. The Explore tab contains a collection of meditations, which can be divided into four sections.

• Core Studio
• Guided
• Breath Training
• Sound&Music

Premium members have access to Core Studio, where they can view new classes. There are new classes added almost every day by Core, so Premium members will always have something to look at. You will be asked to sign up if you attempt to enroll in a Core Studio class if you don’t have a Premium membership.

You’ll find guided meditations that include audio guidance from an instructor. This section is ideal for beginners who need guidance.

There are a number of meditations in the Breath Training section that will teach you how to do a variety different breathing exercises. Core uses rising or falling vibrations to guide you through your breath during the Breath Training sessions. Match your inhale with the vibration.

The Sound&Music section provides audio-only soundscapes to those who are more experienced. Core provides gentle vibrations that can help you focus by allowing users to choose from one of the soothing music backgrounds.

History of core sessions

All of your sessions can be viewed under the History tab. Core users can view their average HRV, average Calm time, and average Focused time.

Your mind and body are in a “Calm” state. Core is a measure of how long you were in a “Calm” state. It is based on the heart rate and how it performed compared to baseline. A “Focused” state is when your body is relaxed, but your mind is active and engaged. Core measures your “Focus” through looking for patterns in your heart rhythm that increase HRV.

You can access your Preferences and FAQs in the Profile tab. The Preferences tab allows you to connect your Core to Apple Health.

One thing that I didn’t like about the app was its inability to allow you to search for meditations manually or filter them. Although they are organized in categories, it would be nice to filter them.

Take The Connect the Watts

Core is a great tool that I enjoy and keeps me excited about my meditation practice. It is simple, elegant, and functional. The app’s insights and features are extremely detailed, so you can keep track of your progress. Core is the ideal tool for you if you’re looking for a tool that will guide you to a solid practice of meditation and give you feedback.

Get a Core meditation trainer here.

You can also check out other Hyperice recovery devices such as the Hypervolt Pro Massage Gun, Hypervolt 2.0 Foam Roller and Normatec Pulse2.0 compression boots.