Wild Divine's Resonance Score
Our synchronization in breathing, heart rate and autonomic nervous system function is important to our health. In simple terms, this is the basis for how we score the Interactive Meditation and biofeedback events in the Wild Divine. We call this measurement a 'resonance score' and it is a function of our heart rate variability, which in turn has been scientifically proven to be an accurate predictor of our stress resilience, overall health and even longevity.
Heart Rate Variability
Many people believe that our heart beats like a musician’s metronome, that is, the time between heart beats is generally the same. However, this is not the case, as the time between each of our heart beats actually increases and decreases over time. This change is known as Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
At Wild Divine, we are very interested in the biofeedback measurement of HRV, one of the most well-researched types of biofeedback. Wild Divine’s iom2 biofeedback sensor is placed on the earlobe (or fingertip), where it detects each heartbeat - which is then used to calculate HRV.
What does HRV mean for me?
A high HRV means that the amount of time between each beat varies quite a lot and a low HRV implies a small variation in the time between heart beats.
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a high HRV value (a wide range of time between beats) suggests increased resilience to stress and increased cardiovascular fitness. This enables you to appropriately react to your environment, activating stress hormones during times of trouble, and promoting digestion and relaxation otherwise.
A practical application of this is used by athletes. First thing every morning they measure their HRV - if their HRV is high, they know their body is resilient and strong, and it is a good day to undertake an intense workout.
How Wild Divine’s iom2 Uses HRV
The Wild Divine platform helps you learn how to effectively control your HRV using our “Resonance Score”. Resonance is a well-known phenomenon in physics. It is when a vibrating system causes another nearby system to begin vibrating with even greater amplitude, enhancing the effect. We use this concept of resonance as follows: By measuring the user’s heart rate, we calculate HRV. These times between heartbeats generally follow a sinusoidal cycle, which is a smooth, periodic curve resembling a wave. Your respiration pattern also follows a similar cycle, increasing with each inhale and decreasing with each exhale. The closer these cycles match, the higher your resonance score. Using the breathing indicator, you can learn to align your respiration cycle with that of your heart beat cycle. This state of matching cycles is associated with a relaxed nervous system and many health benefits.