Hello,
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Welcome to Yinshi Pods.
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Just by clicking to get here, you’re now a step closer to a calmer, more focused version of you.

The Yinshi Work Pod #2 is very simple to use but the below guidelines will help you understand why our pods exist and some of the things we politely ask you to consider when using them.

There’s also some more information about the pod’s design and the background to the project.

We hope you enjoy reading this and using your pod.


1.     What is Yinshi?

Yinshi is a project aimed at aimed at improving access to meditation, napping and rest, to help improve mental health in the workplace. The way some buildings are designed makes it hard to find a suitable quiet and private space for meditation and napping, so our focus is on helping to create these spaces.

Our first solution is a meditation pod designed for workplaces. What we really want to enable is more meditation and napping in both the workplace and in public, creating a social movement that makes them not only more known and permissible but also more actively encouraged practices.

2.     What is a meditation pod?

It’s a quiet, private space where you can meditate, sleep, relax and reset yourself, for 10, 20, 30 mins a day.

Your pod has been created to improve access to meditation and rest, reduce stress, improve focus, enhance creativity, and improve our all-round experience of working life.

3.     Using the pod

We do ask that you take your shoes off to help protect the carpet – plus it’s a nicer experience for your feet.

We also ask that you refrain from bringing any food in, as the smell may linger for other people.

There are the following meditation and sleep aids: a meditation cushion, a meditation chair and a pillow.

The pod is lockable from the inside (there are two bolts at the top and bottom, but just locking the top will suffice) to ensure you aren’t disturbed when inside.

There’s a dimmer switch to adjust the lighting to your preference. Please note the lighting is powered from a mains switch outside the pod, so this needs to be switched on too.

If you are particularly tall, mind your head on the roof. Also, when you get up, there are some shelves at the back to be aware of, so take care not to bump your head on them and knock the plants off.

Please leave the pod as you find it so it’s tidy and clean for the next person.

4.     Why the pod is designed the way it is

This is the second version of the Yinshi Pod. The first prototype was tested and trialled in a company last year.

From that we received some feedback and learnings which we have addressed in this version.

The shape of the pod is designed to echo the shape of the classic meditation pose, sat cross legged (lotus position). This creates a pleasant sensation when you are in the pod meditating; it’s as if the pod is wrapped around you.

Creating the right space is important. We’ve probably all walked into a room or building and experienced a different sense of energy – it’s quite often that it’s the design and architecture that causes that feeling. Similarly, we wanted to create somewhere that had a positive energy for meditation. The pod not only provides a functional need (providing a quiet space) but also enhances your experience; we want you to feel like you’re stepping into a new space that’s outside of the office, even though technically you’re still in it.

The design is also purposefully minimal to ensure there aren’t too many things to distract your mind.

It has a meditation chair and cushion; you can use either. Some people like the back support to lean on and others like to sit more upright.

It’s designed for napping too – the carpet is comfortable and there’s space to lie down.

The blue is a restorative, calming colour. It helps calm you down when going into the pod, but also helps you retain a normal level of alertness more quickly after napping or meditating.

The pod is open for anyone, not just for meditating and napping. You can pray, practice breathwork, hypnotherapy, listen to sounds of nature; whatever your relaxation method or prayer of choice is.

The pod is wheelchair accessible.

The pod has sound dampening, but not sound proofing. 100% silence isn’t actually a pleasant experience in reality, as our minds tend to always look for sound and it can be hard to settle the mind if there is no sound at all.

It’s sustainable and natural – all the material choices have been considered in terms of their environmental and healing impact.

The pod has been designed to have a beauty for those who simply walk past it everyday, so even if you don’t use it, you’ll still get some joy or calm from knowing it’s there. Or maybe it will be a gentle nudge to remind you to look after your sense of wellbeing today.

5.     Why Meditation?

Studies show meditation can change the neuroplasticity of our brain and the size of the fight or flight receptor (the amygdala) meaning improved regulation of emotions. Therefore, those who meditate are better equipped to respond to challenging situations in life and work and experience a greater sense of wellbeing.

Meditation can be hugely beneficial in addressing mental health problems such as anxiety and stress and can also help improve other cognitive functions like focus and creativity. At the end of this document are links to studies that show how a daily meditation habit can reduce stress, improve creativity and focus, as well as help our bodies stay younger.

6.     Benefits of napping

Napping has got a bit of a bad name over time – sleeping on the job and all that - but that’s changing as science shows it can be beneficial.

In a study published in Nature Neuroscience, participants were tested on visual texture discrimination tasks (like magic eye games). Throughout the day, performance on these tasks usually gets worse, but a midday nap actually prevented this performance deterioration. This has obvious benefits for jobs that involve processing and analysing complex patterns or problems.

To add to this, we are becoming more and more sleep deprived, and although a nap shouldn’t be a substitute for getting a full 7-8 hrs sleep a night, it can help recover some alertness and productivity.

7.     Aims and goals of the project

Our vision is to help people and cities enjoy calmer and happier lives by improving access to meditation and rest.

This is mainly because stress is on the increase, and we need to do something about it, and meditation is a great tool to help combat stress.

In doing this we will help people to be the best versions of themselves; to be more creative, have better focus and be less stressed.

Not only that, but meditation is a great tool for people who consider themselves well, but want to improve on soft skills such as focus, creativity and improving interpersonal relationships (the latter being key to improving quality of life for not just yourself, but others and the environments we work in too).

8.     Your feedback counts

Your feedback on your experience with using the pod is very important to us, we want to know what you liked and what you thought could be better. Through this we can understand how to make it the best experience possible.

We will be sharing a survey for your thoughts, but if you have anything you want to mention in the meantime, please contact: leigh@yinshi.co.uk

9.     Links to meditation studies to:

a) Reduce stress   

- Gaelle Desbordes, “Effects of Mindful-Attention and Compassion Meditation Training on Amygdala Response to Emotional Stimuli in Ordinary, Non-Meditative State” – Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012    
- Alan Wallace “The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind” 
- Melissa A. Rosenkranz et al “Reduced stress and inflammatory responsiveness in Experienced Meditators Compared to a Matched Healthy Control Group” - Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2016 Jun

b) Improve creativity and focus
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- Thomas E. Gorman and C. Shawn Cree “Short-Term Mindfulness Intervention Reduces the Negative Attentional Effects Associated with Heavy Media Multitasking – Scientific Reports 2016   
- Lorenza S. Colzato, Ayca Ozturkand Bernhard Hommel “Meditate to create: the impact of focused-attention and open-monitoring training on convergent and divergent thinking” – Frontiers in Psychology 2012

c) Help our bodies (incl brains) stay younger
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- N.S, Schutte and J.M. Malouff, “A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Telomerase Activity” - Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2014 Apr      
- Eileen Luders, “Estimating brain age using high-resolution pattern recognition: Younger brains in long-term meditation practitioners – Neuroimage 2016

10.     Social media links

You can find us on Instagram (@yinshi_meditation) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/64854574).

Please feel free to follow us for news and information there.

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