What I’ve learned from +300 Heart Rate Variability training sessions…

Having used Heartmath’s emWave for a while, I decided to take my optimization of heart rate variability to the next level and got the Inner Balance Bluetooth sensor.
In this review, I’ll honestly discuss the pros vs cons, share how I saved nearly 50% on both mindfulness-enhancing devices, compare them to other Biohacking tech I’ve used, and summarize the state-of-the-art science and studies done evaluating Heartmath’s HRV technology.
Inner Balance vs emWave
The major difference is that the Inner Balance is a Bluetooth sensor that gives you real-time HRV biofeedback with a slick Android or IOS app. The app displays your general state of coherence in red, blue, or green along with a heart rate graph. It also gives you a more detailed readout of your coherence score and graphs your performance. I logged into the app with my old Heartcloud account and was pleased to discover that it still had my emWave session data from back in 2014, when I first started making HRV training videos in Medellin, Colombia...
What I like about the emWave is that it's a subtly pleasant and mindful technology; the rising and falling light bar on it is sort of mesmerizing. Unlike my smartphone, it's a zero-distraction piece of technology. When I sit down with my emWave, I'm not going to get sucked down the clickbait rabbit hole on Facebook or Twitter. When I use the Inner Balance, I have to staunchly resist checking social media or being distracted by dinging and vibrating app notifications. The advantage of the emWave is that you use it without your smartphone, which some will find more conducive to real mindfulness.
Inner Balance is an innovative self-monitoring and HRV training system for Android and IOS
Biohackers who rigorously self-quantify and experiment will love the Inner Balance as it allows you to run endless HRV tests to see how different things affect your autonomic nervous system’s well-being...
* Wear it while doing mundane things; watching TV, reading, driving, working on your computer, etc., to establish your baseline HRV.
* Do HRV sessions first thing in the morning and in the evening before bed to see how they compare.
* Measure HRV to see how different supplements and Nootropics affect you - interestingly enough, the smart drug that I get the highest coherence scores on is (reliably) nicotine.
* Measure your HRV while working and listening to focus-inducing music vs a podcast.
* Measure how different meals and foods affect your HRV.
* Get crazy and measure HRV making love (like I did).
HRV training helps you to habituate energetic “nootropic” breathing
When you need a pick-me-up in the afternoon, a 15-minute HRV session will energize you and give you a very clear head.
I like to passively use the Inner Balance sensor while I’m working on my computer and keep an eye on my coherence score on my iPad. It reminds me to be a little more conscious of my breathing, typically while sitting in front of my computer working, my breathing is shallow. The coherence…