Peripheral Paced Respiration as a Tool for Mindfulness
I’ve chosen to explore the concepts of Augmented Self-Regulation and Peripheral Paced Breathing, as described by Neema Moraveji and operationalized in his new Spire product. This product monitors the breath and offers real-time and episodic feedback to help us calm our breathing and better understand and act upon the triggers and attenuators of stress.
There are several concepts that I find particularly compelling about this product. The first is a focus on feedback without distraction. Chapter 6 of Moraveji’s thesis offers insightful analysis of the ‘BreathTray’, a means to deliver information on breathing patterns without incurring cognitive deficit in users. That is to say, he has paid keen attention to methods of alerting users without alarming or distracting them.
The second concept that stands out is that this product was initially developed and tested as a tool for productivity, rather than for calm or mindfulness per se. This opens significant opportunities for scaling (via corporate wellness and clinical channels) but more importantly, it brings the mindfulness to where our minds are. Rather than conceiving of achievement of a mindful and self-aware state as an interruption to our daily lives, this technology seeks to integrate mindfulness and intentionality into extant routines. This focus on development of mindfulness as a concurrent (rather than alternative) activity of daily living, reduces barriers to adoption of this novel technology.
Finally, the notion of Peripheral Paced Respiration moves towards a very profound aim without invoking cultural or emotional framing that might alienate some audiences. Moraveji has said that, “calming technologies are really about removing barriers to being who we are at our core, which is Love.” I wholly embrace this message and wish that it could stand as the primary selling point, but I appreciate that Love might not sell quite so well as Health or Productivity. This offers an opportunity to observe the graceful subtlety in giving people something that they crave while delivering a solution for an already recognized need.
The Spire product is still in testing phases, so no rigorous performance or outcome data is yet available. The prototype products showed promising results in Moraveji’s tests, and the Spire is being tested among Linkedin employees, so more information on efficacy and outcomes should be forthcoming.
In addition to the lessons noted above, I believe an important lesson we can learn from this example is that core concepts and technologies can transform into radically different form factors and user experiences. What began as a strap worn across the chest has evolved into a small clip-on device worn on the waistband. I believe that this pivot in the core sensor technology represents the most significant step in transforming a promising concept into an accessible and desirable product. Anyone interested in the foundations and evolution of this technology is encouraged to watch this video, where Moraveji offers details on the theory, design and evaluation processes that guided development of a the Spire.