Product: Kasina MindPlace Review
Price: US$359 (or US$399 with the extra DeepVision glasses included)
Where to Buy: MindPlace.com
Number of LEDs: 6 LEDs per eye (1 Red, 2 Green, 3 Blue)
Encoded Audio types: SpectraStrobe, AudioStrobe, ColorOrgan
Guarantee: 2 Year Warranty on Console and 1 Year Warranty on Accessories
My Rating: 9 out of 10
The Kasina Mind Media System is the most sophisticated product made by MindPlace, who have been the leading manufacturer of audio visual mind stimulation technologies since 1988.
Kasina is a Pali (the ancient Indian language used by the Buddha) word that describes a Buddhist meditation technique involving concentration upon certain objects including coloured disks and the bright light of consciousness.
The Kasina mind machine uses advanced brainwave entrainment with pulsing rhythmic sounds and flashing coloured lights encoded into music, nature sounds and other audio to quickly induce states of profound calm, tranquillity, relaxation and meditation or increased energy, focus and motivation.
The user can select the appropriate program, with frequencies typically corresponding to delta (1–3 hertz), theta (4–7 Hz), alpha (8–12 Hz) or beta brain waves (13–40 Hz), for their desired effects, play other brainwave entrainment audio through the Kasina or even create their own sessions using the free software provided.
It is not uncommon to soon experience altered states of consciousness comparable to those obtained after years of meditation. Some users may experience these within the first few sessions and for others it will take more practice. Just allow the mind to relax, let go of thinking, let go of any expectations and just listen to the sounds and observe the stunning light display through your closed eyelids.
Read my in-depth MindPlace Kasina Review below or, if you don’t have much time, click here to see my conclusion, and list of pros and cons.
Why choose Kasina Mind Media System
Before purchasing the Kasina I had owned a different mind machine for about a year and I was very happy with it. However, then I went to a clinic for some sessions under an Ajna Light (these things cost thousands of dollars) and I realised how much could be achieved with more powerful mind machines.
That was mind–blowing, literally! So I did a thorough search online, read lots of reviews and finally decided without a doubt that the MindPlace Kasina Light and Sound Mind Machine Media Player was the best affordable choice.
I have owned the Kasina mind machine for six months now and I use it almost every evening. Occasionally I use my old mind machine as I like some of the guided meditations loaded on it, but the Kasina is on another level altogether.
I am very pleased with the Kasina and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a mind machine, hands down (unless you have several thousands of dollars to spend on the Lucia Light, Ajna Light, Enkidu Light or the Pandora Star). That is why I have written this MindPlace Kasina Review.
The Kasina Mind Machine Opens up Whole New World of Brainwave Entrainment
The seamlessly integrated light and sound stimulation sessions include a broad range of soundscapes, from the soothing sounds of nature to flowing ambient electronic tapestries to embedded binaural beats and isochronic pulses — all orchestrated and synchronized to the visual experience.
Stunning visual effects can be experienced, including the illusion of complex, shifting geometrical imagery. This imagery, combined with soothing, flowing sounds, can be so compelling that the mind empties of its extraneous thoughts – the “Monkey Mind” slows down. In this respect a Kasina session is a form of meditation.
The MindPlace Kasina Mind Machine plays both SpectraStrobe and AudioStrobe encoded audio, which can contain binaural beats, isochronic tones or a mixture of these two primary types of brainwave entrainment.
SpectraStrobe
In addition to the wide variety of sessions included on the microSD card (which range in length from about 10–60 minutes) you can download SpectraStrobe MP3 albums from MindPlace. My personal favourites are “Tibetan Highlands” and “Audio Illusions”.
SpectraStrobe is a new technology, which is the next generation of the already amazing AudioStrobe encoding technology and it is only available on the Kasina.
SpectraStrobe encoding has six light control signals instead of just two, allowing precise synchronisation between the red, green and blue lights in each eye and the audio. It is similar to the older AudioStrobe signals which can control one color per eye, but it can deliver three colors and frequencies per eye (full RGB!).
Two channels of the LED colors can be modulated very subtly, creating the finest of nuances (255 shades of each colour).
These light animations can reflect the beat or mood of the music and accentuate or interpret the piece to provide a multi-sensory experience unlike anything you may have experienced before. Think of it as a new form of psychoactive audio-visual art!
AudioStrobe
As SpectraStrobe is relatively new, there aren’t a lot of MP3s available yet. However, there is a larger range of AudioStrobe tracks available as this technology has been around longer and it is also used by other mind machines such as the MindPlace Procyon and the Proteus. AudioStrobe can map the two signals onto any combination of red, green and blue lights.
The MindPlace Kasina Mind Machine is the most capable AudioStrobe decoder on the market, with 16 different colour-mapping presets. These allow different combinations of one, two or three colours and the choice of slow, medium or fast changes in colour.
ColorOrgan – Play your Favourite Music or Brainwave Entrainment Tracks
Another great thing about the Kasina is that you can play any of your favourite music through it and it will translate the sounds into pulses of coloured light using the ColorOrgan feature.
You can either copy your music onto the microSD card, play it from your computer via the USB connection, or play it from your iPod/MP3 player, tablet, computer, phone or CD player via the AUX audio socket. The music can be either in MP3 or WAVE format.
This works best with music that has a beat, but you can experiment with different music. Depending on the beat of the music you play, ColorOrgan doesn’t work so effectively for brainwave entrainment, but it can still be relaxing and entertaining.
It maps low audio frequencies to blue, mid frequencies to green and high frequencies to red. You can choose from six settings — combining three intensity levels and fast or slow response rates.
Even better than playing normal music with color organ, you can use any brainwave entrainment audios in MP3 or WAV format and ColorOrgan will map the sound pulses into light pulses, amplifying the effect of the brainwave entrainment programs.
I find this to be an amazing feature that further expands the already wide range of options.
Kasina Basic Sessions – Don’t Let the Name ‘Basic’ Fool You!
Although the Kasina Basic Sessions (KBS) are called Basic, they are actually quite powerful also. The Kasina SD card includes all of the sessions that came with the older generation MindPlace Sirius mind machine.
A decade of experience developing and refining the use of light and sound technology went into the Sirius sessions. They are the result of years of extensive research, both in universities and in the private sector.
The KBS Sirius Sessions are grouped into four categories — Peak Performance, Tranquility, Learning, and Well-Being. You can play them back as they are or load them into the Kasina Basic Session Editor to see the frequencies and customize them. I find the Deep Tranquillity and Deep Meditation sessions to produce powerful results.
Something that I do is to play some of my favourite meditation or chanting music tracks through the AUX input and select a KBS session to play at the same time. That combines the KBS brainwave entrainment together with the beautiful background music. Now the possibilities are truly endless!
Kasina Basic Session Editor – Create Your Own Sessions
You can also create your own customized Kasina sessions (KBS) from any music that you upload. I’ve had a quick play with it, but I must admit that I haven’t got around to creating my own sessions yet as there are so many options already, including some good sessions created by others on the MindPlace forum.
Deep Vision Ganzfeld Display Glasses
You can expand your Kasina experience and your mind with the DeepVision eyes-open Ganzfeld glasses. Your entire field of view is filled with pure, jewel-like colours and dancing patterns, and I find them amazing!
They also work well with your eyes closed, and it is easier to slow the mind down and meditate with eyes closed.
I tend to use the DeepVision glasses most of the time, but I occasionally use the standard GanzFrames for variation as the visual experience is slightly different.
The DeepVision glasses have soft, hypoallergenic silicone, with flanges at the top and bottom to help block out ambient light, for a more immersive experience. They are also more robust than the GanzFrames and they come with a soft cloth carry case for travel and storage.
Benefits from Using The Mindplace Kasina Mind Machine
The Kasina Mind Machine can help you to:
- feel calm and relaxed
- meditate more easily and deeply
- sleep more deeply
- break undesirable states such as anger and shift to a more positive mood
- increase your focus and attention
- facilitate accelerated learning
- access altered states of consciousness
- lower heart rate and blood pressure
- boost your immune system
- reduce anxiety, stress and tension
I have found that the Kasina trains the mind in such a way as to become familiar with different states of consciousness outside of your normal experience. Therefore, now when I meditate, even without the Kasina, I am able to access deeper meditative states more easily since my mind has been trained and I know how to get back to those states more quickly.
So using the Kasina and other brainwave entrainment audio tracks, has opened up whole new depths of consciousness that I have never experienced before.
As well as the different mind states that the Kasina induces, with many of the tracks you might also see kaleidoscope-like patterns, stars, tunnels and all sorts of Star Trek effects through your closed eyelids (or with open eyes if using the DeepVision goggles). “Patternity” and “A Starlit Night” on the Mind Art folder are good tracks to start with.
Some people experience more patterns than others, but with practice you can usually experience more of the beneficial effects. The more you relax and let go of thoughts and expectations, the more you can see.
Precautions
Anyone with a history of seizures like epilepsy or under the influence of a psychoactive drug should not use the Kasina Mind Machine. Also remember that the GanzFrames are meant to only be used with the eyes closed. (The DeepVision GanzFeld glasses, sold separately, are designed for open eye sessions).
Using the Kasina Mind Machine within an hour before bed could interfere with your sleep, because of the blue lights, even though you might use a sleep/relaxation session. You can set the colour balance for each eye, so you can turn the blue down from 100% to 50% or even 0% so that your melatonin production is less affected.
Turn the colour levels all back up to 100% for daytime use though if you want to get the full range of colours for maximum effect. Many sessions are programmed with the use of blue lights, so turning them off can affect the effectiveness of the brainwave entrainment to varying degrees, but at least then you avoid the melatonin reducing effects at night.
The Kasina Mind Machine comes included with:
- Elegant white console with backlit colour display (size: 4.5″ x 2.75″ x 0.75”)
- 8 GB microSD card (larger memory microSD cards can also be used) and microSD adaptor
- GanzFrame glasses with 6 LEDs for each eye (1 Red, 2 Green, 3 Blue)
- 255 Shades of brightness for each colour
- In-ear headphones with rubber inserts for different ear sizes
- 3.5 mm stereo audio patch cable
- Rechargeable Lithium battery, which I find lasts for weeks of almost daily use
- 46 SpectraStrobe tracks: Accelerate, Meditate, Mind Art, Night Voyage, Rejuvenate
- 6 AudioStrobe tracks
- 22 KBS Sirius Sessions: Learning, Peak Performance, Tranquillity, Well-Being
- 2 ColorOrgan Sessions
- Free Kasina Editor software to organise tracks and create your own sessions.
- USB cable and power adaptor for charging
- Soft carry pouch
Conclusion
The Kasina Mind Media System is a wonderful device for improving well-being and with the potential to open up whole new realms of consciousness that you have never before experienced.
If you already have some experience with meditation and you are curious to explore deeper layers of consciousness, then this is probably going to work well for you.
Maybe you have listened to some binaural beats and/or isochronic tones on YouTube and you have noticed some positive effects from those.
If you want to take that to a much higher level, then I highly recommend a Kasina mind machine. The experiences and visions are different and unique for everyone and can be quite hard to describe. It’s a bit like trying to describe the taste of an apple to someone who has never eaten one.
So have a go and I am pretty sure you will soon discover the benefits for yourself. Maybe you can come back and leave a comment on them below this MindPlace Kasina Review.
Not everybody will experience the “wow-factor” with the first track they try, but this applies for any mind machine or brainwave entrainment audios. Practice with different tracks and settings (e.g. light intensity) to find what works best for you, and the more you practice, the more you will get out of it.
Remember, some people for some reason or another, don’t respond to brainwave entrainment, so if you find that it just doesn’t work for you, Mindplace do have a 60 day money-back return policy.
I look forward to my almost nightly ritual of a Kasina mind machine session — it’s the next thing I do after brushing my teeth! However, remember that if you plan to sleep within an hour, avoid programs that use blue lights or select a preset without blue lights as these can disturb melatonin production and sleep.
The hormone Melatonin is extremely important and it has a number of functions including cancer prevention and healing, immune boosting, reducing inflammation and it’s a powerful antioxidant. Using just the red lights with a sleep session is a nice option.
One thing I would like to see is an on-screen summary of brainwave frequencies for each track. Some of the track descriptions in the Getting Started Guide do mention the frequencies briefly. I like to know whether I am going into alpha, theta or delta brainwave state, for example.
For more details watch this MindPlace Kasina Review on YouTube (11 minutes):
Pros
- Stunning audio visual stimulation effects
- Powerful brainwave entrainment to produce many different desired states of consciousness
- More than 50 tracks already included on the 8GB microSD card
- A huge range of audio-visual options and settings
- Fully compatible with Neuro-Programmer 3 and Mind WorkStation (the software used to create most of the world’s brainwave entrainment audio)
- Quality MP3-player console construction
- Long-lasting rechargeable lithium battery
- Excellent customer service support
- A great online forum with lots of information, discussions and Kasina Sessions
Cons
- No guided meditation tracks included (You can always use any guided meditation MP3s with the KBS function or KBS editor though)
- The GanzFrames plastic frames are a little weak. I broke mine on the nose bridge, but I do travel constantly so they get a hard time. They still work fine though. The DeepVision goggles are much more robust.
- While it is the best in its class, it is still not quite as amazing as the super powerful, expensive mind machines like the Lucia Light, Ajna Light, Enkidu Light or the Pandora Star that cost several thousand dollars.
I recommend purchasing your Kasina directly from MindPlace.com. They have very fast service, excellent customer support and free shipping on all US domestic orders.
Get your Mindplace Kasina Mind Media System for US$359 and experience it for yourself.
Even better, get the Mindplace Kasina DeepVision Bundle (with DeepVision glasses included) for just US$399. DeepVision GanzFeld glasses are normally $99 so you save $50 when you buy the bundle.
Thank you for reading this MindPlace Kasina Review and I hope that it has been helpful! Feel free to leave any comments or questions below or to share your own experience with the Kasina Mind Machine.
Masterel
Hi there,
Thank you for your review.
I wander if the Kasina will response to Lambda & Epsilon frequency as well as the 4 others we are familiar with?
Tim
Hello and thank you for your comment.
That is a great question and it applies to brainwave entrainment (BWE) in general, not just specifically to the Kasina. To be honest I haven’t tried any BWE tracks for those extreme high and low ends of the brainwave frequency spectrum, so I don’t have personal experience of their effectiveness. However, I would certainly like to experiment with them.
As you probably know, these frequencies are thought to be associated with the deepest, most transcendent states of meditation, intuition and self-awareness. It appears that the high frequency lambda waves (approx. 200 Hz) are carried on the very low frequency epsilon waves (<0.5 Hz). However, using BWE to directly produce these states may not be the best approach. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, binaural beats are most effective in the alpha range and below (< 12.5 Hz), since they function by the brain attempting to reconcile two slightly different frequencies in each ear. When the frequencies in each ear differ by more than about 10-20 Hz, the brain simply perceives them as different pitches, so there is little or no BWE effect. Therefore, binaural beats cannot be used to stimulate hyper-gamma or lambda waves (100 - 200 Hz range), and are hardly effective even for beta waves. The threshold frequency interval where different pitches are perceived rather than inducing brainwaves depends also on the carrier frequency of the binaural beats. The higher the carrier frequency, the greater the beat frequency can be before the sounds are perceived as different pitches or notes. An optimal carrier frequency is around 440Hz, with the binaural beats becoming less detectable at higher carrier frequencies and finally imperceptible at 1000 Hz or above. Using binaural beats to stimulate epsilon waves is theoretically possible, though I guess I could take quite a lot of practice to actually get down to this level. This is outside my realm of experience.Secondly, although isochronic and monoaural beats can be used for BWE in the beta and gamma range, these frequencies can cause stress and anxiety in many people and shouldn’t be maintained for long in a session. Most people can consciously detect light flicker up to a maximum of around 60 Hz for bright light (called the flicker fusion threshold, above which the light appears constant), but the brain can still be affected by these frequencies. There are reports of high speed fluorescent light flicker (100-120 Hz produced using magnetic instead of electronic ballasts) causing headaches, eyestrain and stress. Most people perform better under lighting with flicker rates in the 20-60 Hz range.From what I could find on the forum, the Kasina lights are capped at 65 Hz in KBS mode, but could go over 1200 Hz in AudioStrobe (but this is for the Procyon tested in 2011). So it does seem like it is possible to produce lambda light flicker frequencies in AudioStrobe mode (and probably also SpectraStrobe, but not KBS) on the Kasina, and while they would appear constant to the eyes, the brain could still be affected by them. Isochronic or monoaural beats at these high frequencies make an irritating whine. Most gamma sessions are towards the lower end of gamma at 40Hz.Finally, going to very low or high frequencies too fast can potentially cause unwanted side-effects like emotional upheaval, feeling spaced-out, fatigue, paranoia, anxiety and feeling stuck in unfamiliar altered states of consciousness. So be careful and take things slowly, especially for those who are new to BWE and/or meditation.In summary, I don’t have enough experience at this stage to say definitively whether lambda and epsilon BWE is effective or recommended. However, in general it is recommended to get accustomed first with alpha and gradually go down into theta. Sessions of theta interspersed with alpha are good for facilitating deep meditation with awareness. Perhaps it is safer and more effective to practice at this level and allow the epsilon / lambda state to arise naturally? Just my speculation.This is certainly a topic that I would like to investigate and experiment with further – I wish I could be more helpful. I would also welcome any comments or reports of experience anyone has had.Best wishes,Tim
Michael
Hello,
Thank you for this review!
In your experience, does the Kasina have the same effect as the Ajna Light does? Is it just as powerful?
I’ve tried the PandoraStar, which, from what I hear, is very similar to the Ajna, however it is just too insanely expensive to buy for personal use. The effects were powerful, however, as I saw a kaleidoscope or colors and went into a deeply meditative state.
Tim
Hello Michael,
Thank you for your comment and your question and sorry for the delay in replying. I have been in the Amazon rainforest for the last three weeks and just came back to civilization yesterday.
In my personal experience, the Ajna light was quite a bit more powerful than the Kasina, but then so is the price! The Kasina still works very well, and some people find it works better for them than others. However, whereas the Ajna light requires very little effort to reach a deep meditative state, I find the Kasina is a great tool to bring you into deeper meditative states faster, but you still need to get the ball rolling by practicing meditation.
Also, it is worth playing around with different Kasina sessions and varying the brightness to find what works best for you. I find some sessions quite effective and other ones not so much.
From what I was reading a while back it sounds like the PandoraStar is even more powerful than the Ajna, but as you said, it is insanely expensive.
I hope that makes some sense and helps a bit. Let me know if you have more questions or want further clarification.
Best Regards,
Tim
Joergen
I agree. My bundle came recently with both glasses. I use the deepvision in the weekend and find the standard more handy on an everyday basis and travelling. It is a marvellous machine, but unfortunately most people I have demomstrated it to, get somehow annoyed with the blinking light, though I explain that it is the most important part of the entrainment, and can be beautiful if they relax with it and try to appreciate the therapy. Not like some pleasing television movie.
Tim
Hi Joergen, Thanks for your comment. I am glad that you are enjoying your Kasina. It is true that it doesn’t seem to work for everyone, but I think with some relaxation, practice and letting go of expectations it can work for most people. In these modern times people are used to all sorts of sensational entertainment and instant gratification, so it can be difficult to settle down to experience the subtler effects of brainwave entrainment. Perhaps a good indicator of whether a Kasina will work for someone is to try out some binaural beats and isochronic tones tracks on YouTube for a few days or weeks. If results are felt from those, then there is a good chance that more powerful results will be achieved from sessions with the Kasina.
Steve Fox
This appears to be a good review, but I have to take issue with the comment at the bottom that says you save $50 by buying the bundle with theDeepVision goggles. The difference in price between the regular goggles and the DeepVision goggles is $50. Since theyremove the regular goggles from the bundle and add the DeepVision goggles, the price increase is $50.
It’s not a savings, it’s a difference in cost.
Tim
Hi Steve,
Thanks for reading and for your comment. Actually, they still do include the regular goggles in the bundle so you get both goggles. At least, when I purchased mine a couple of years back they did. If you have purchased the bundle and only received the DeepVision goggles let me know and I will contact them, or let them know as they probably left the regular ones out by mistake.
I still use my mind machine all the time and I do prefer the DeepVision goggles most of the time. Sometimes it’s nice to use the regular ones too just for a change though.
Best wishes,
Tim