Published July 2, 2026 12:54PM
The most difficult thing about mindfulness, for me, is that it’s about doing less.
It’s challenging to be passive about something as important as my interior world. Intellectually, I understand that all I really need to do in any moment is breathe. To let my thoughts float on by. To move my body and actively notice the world around me. But in practice, it’s hard not to want to control my human experience for maximum output. Like, should I be living mindfully…better?
The culture around self-care has definitely become one of maximization (or “maxxing,” as the kids call it). This presents as attempts at the most optimal night’s sleep, time spent outdoors, even cozy, chill time. Tools help make it so, with smart watches, phones, and rings tracking everything from sleep quality to stress levels.
Leveraged intentionally, this information can help you approach life with more mindfulness. But for many, more information doesn’t equate to a calmer lived experience. I’m not sure that knowing exactly what’s happening to my body while I sleep, for example, will make me sleep more soundly. It would likely have the opposite effect, spinning up anxieties around why I’m waking too frequently and what I can do to improve my rest. It sounds exhausting.
This is why, despite my curiosity, I have always avoided smart rings. Until I was sent one that did nothing but vibrate.
A (Sort of) Smart Ring
The Pulse Mindfulness Ring is basically Pavlov’s accessory. It’s your reaction to the stimulus, and not the stimulus itself, that matters.
When you add a little intention and timing to the haptics—touch sensations created by tech—it serves as a reminder to come back to your body and breath.
Even before you connect to the Pulse Mindfulness app—which pairs to the ring via bluetooth—the ring defaults to “Mindfulness Mode.” This means that the ring pulses gently throughout the day, with the goal of reminding you to focus, take a deep breath, say a mantra, drink some water—whatever you choose to assign the vibration, which come at random.
Upon arrival, my gold ring was so lightweight that I initially thought it was made of plastic. I was relieved to learn that it was made of waterproof titanium, which helps justify the price ($199 for silver, $239 for gold). After checking its fit on my finger (a Cinderella moment aided by the brand’s sizing kit), I placed it on its very chic little charger port to juice up overnight. The next morning, I slipped it on and waited.
At first, I found myself distracted by the ring, waiting to see if and when it would do its thing. But about 20 minutes later, two soft pulses confirmed that I had followed the instructions correctly. I mentally assigned “deep breath” to the vibration, and took one whenever the soft buzz arrived.
Still, even after a few days, I found that the anticipation detracted from the pursued relaxation. And, as with other smart rings, it’s not like you really forget it’s there. It’s a chunky little guy.
After connecting to the app, though, I discovered my favorite part about the Pulse Ring: haptic-guided meditation.
Vibration for Guided Meditation
Who knew that a little vibration would become my favorite meditation facilitator? I quickly found out when I began using Pulse for this premeditated purpose.
My most-used feature on the Pulse app is “Breathing Sessions.” I set the session for anywhere from one to 59 minutes (usually 10 for me), and the ring pulses for an inhale, pauses, and pulses for an exhale. The vibrations come a bit quickly and don’t exactly match my meditative breathing pattern, but it does act as a sort of metronome. The haptics keep me in my body and offer an unexpected alternative to a voice, music, or total silence. They also eliminate my usual urge to squint one eye open and see how much time is left in my session.
For meditators who are more committed (I don’t want to say good, but I do mean good), “Advanced Sessions” encourage freeform meditation of the user’s choice. Instead of buzzing for each breath, the ring vibrates once a minute to bring you back to your breath.
In addition to meditations, the app offers “Soothing Sessions,” which are one- to three-minute blocks of gentle vibration patterns to calm you down (the cat purr ones work for me, weirdly) and “Focus Sessions,” which are vibrations timed to block off intervals with “start” and “stop” vibrations for deep work or whatever else (like actually focusing on your walk in the woods). There are also vibrations linked to provided breathwork patterns, along with suggested mantras, manifestations, and gratitude statements. You can even use it as a super subtle alarm.
These are all suggestions, though. All the ring really does is vibrate. You make the meaning.
The Takeaway
After a few weeks of wear, I have come to truly appreciate this gizmo.
I’ve made good use of Focus’ Pomodoro setting, which is based on the Pomodoro Technique for productive work, consisting of 25-minute intervals punctuated by short breaks. I’ve let Soothing’s cat purr options ease my rigid nervous system. But mostly, I’ve been meditating for three to five minutes throughout the day with more ease than I’ve experience through other platforms or on my own.
And there are, of course, sleep and do-not-disturb settings. Because vibrations are great when you imbue them with intention. Less so when buzzing from your bedside table.
