I like to meditate sometimes. It helps me filter all the unnecessary thoughts from my mind. It even reduces stress. When I’m meditating, I like to do a sort of mind travel to specific places. Something like what doctor strange did in the movie. If done perfectly I get to feel so light, like I’m floating. But sometimes I don’t get to achieve that level of meditation.
There are so many distractions these days, it’s hard to meditate. Guess that’s why I keep late nights. It’s always quiet at night. But still, even then most times, I find it hard getting to that level of concentration.
Then I read somewhere, to improve concentration, you can picture where you want to take your mind to. You can feel the air, imagine the sounds and visualize the scenery. I took the advice and it got better.
Then, I was going through Github repository and I saw this awkward app called NOICE. I downloaded it out of curiosity and got one of the most amazing surprises ever.
All those imaginations I was trying to create with my mind, I could create what it sounds like with this app. It spurred me into writing this review.
(birds/winds in Palm trees; I’m currently in the forest, judging from the sounds I created from the app).
You’ll get to understand the statement in the bracket at the end of this review.
NOICE
This one is quite an unusual app. But according to the developers;
Noice is an app that allows you to create your own set of background sounds by mixing clips from environmental sources. Create your perfect surroundings by combining different sounds to drown out distractions so you can focus on your work, or generate serene, peaceful environments that encourage you to fall asleep.
In this case, you don’t have to do too much meditation to get the relaxed state you want. All you have to do is to set the sounds like how your perfect place would sound like. Then close your eyes and let the sounds take you there.
You’ll understand better when I properly explain the features of the app. But before that, I’ll talk about the apps amazing UI
(stream/light rain; I’m at the stream right now, and it’s drizzling).
USER INTERFACE
I usually have a thing for dark themes, so having only a dark theme was okay for me. The app has some well-crafted icons on a sidebar where it’s features are listed. It also has all the different sounds on its homepage where you can make different sound combinations to get the desired environment you are trying to create.
HOW IT WORKS
There is a list of sounds ranging from birds, moving waters, wind on trees, and many others. They are 18 in total though I’d wanted more. Here’s how it works;
• Firstly, you select the sounds you like by clicking them
• Save the selected combination by clicking on the diskette icon below the page
There are so many scenarios one can create from 18 different sounds. I just created another while writing this post. (stream/wind in Palm trees; Am currently sitting at the bank of a river on the edge of an outstretched tree).
The app doesn't have many features. It is such a simple app. But let me just talk about the few of them.
(wind in Palm trees/birds; walking back home, I can hear the wind moving through the trees)
FEATURES
There are two features on this app
• Library
• Saved precepts
LIBRARY
This doubles as the homepage of the app. It’s where all the different sounds are listed. My most favorite of them is the birds. I’ve been playing them for days and my family hasn’t noticed once that the sounds are coming from my phone. Here are some of the notable sounds from the app;
• Birds
• Bonfire
• Seaside
• Morning in a village
• Heavy rain
• Light rain
• Wind in palm trees
• Stream
And so many others. Although I wish there were more of them. I do hope the developers will add more sound precepts in newer versions. The sounds are so calming, I’ve been fighting off sleep from my eyes while writing this article.
The sounds are so realistic. I guess that’s why I get to meditate more efficiently with the sounds playing.
(birds/morning in a village; I’m currently outside the Hut, I just heard the cock crow. it’s 6 am)
SAVED PRECEPTS
This is where you get to save all the selected sound combinations. I already created and saved a few of them. My favorite is the combination of wind in Palm trees, birds and village setting. It does have the feeling like I’m in the middle of a forest meditating. I could easily just picture myself amid nature.
The app is amazing. Taking so little of my device storage, Yet, it’s doing much more. It’s a perfect tool for meditation.
To fully enjoy the benefits of this app, you need to learn how to meditate. (bonfire/heavy rain/distant thunder; I’m sitting close to a fireplace, looking through the window. Watching the rain and the lightning as it thunders in the distance).
HOW TO MEDITATE: SIMPLE MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS
This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.
- Sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair or cushion.
- Close your eyes.
- Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
- Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath.
source
Maintain this meditation practice for two to three minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods while playing the sounds from the NOICE app.
There you have it! My review for NOICE app.
SUMMARY
In my quest to give back to the steemit community, I embarked on a search for a series of apps that improve the well being of its users. In this article, I’ve been able to review the NOICE app. An app that helps in meditation which brings about greater productivity. This happens to be the part 4 of the series; APPS FOR SELF IMPROVEMENT.
The NOICE app helps you re-live your happy memories by combining a series of sounds that fit into any environmental setting. The app is simple, yet so effective. Although there are still a few additions that need to be made. The app is a sure way of getting one’s mind off the stress of our daily lives. And it is an effective tool for meditation. All the descriptions in the brackets are the descriptions of all the places I visualized with the sounds of the app. Download the app by clicking on the download link in the links section and discover where the sounds will take you.
Thanks for reading!
LINKS SECTION
• Github Repository: https://github.com/googlehosts/hosts
• Download Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.github.ashutoshgngwr.noice
Resources:
• benefits of meditation
The content of this post was created based on my knowledge of the project, and mostly from my experience. The images used are screenshots of the platform on my device. Other images gotten elsewhere have their source links provided just below them.
SERIES BACKLINKS
Apps For Self Improvement 3
Apps For Self Improvement 2
Apps For Self Improvement 1