๐งญ Building the Meditation States Monitor: From Inner Yardstick to Interactive App
How I turned a centuries-old meditation framework into a live AI-built experience
๐ช The Spark of an Idea
It began with a deceptively simple question:
Can something as inward and intangible as meditation be measured?
Someone once asked me, "When you say you had a good meditation session... how do you know that?"
We track everything today - calories, heart rate, productivity, sleep. But meditation? We just guess.
If meditation is truly a discipline, shouldn't it have a framework to show when we're progressing inward - not just sitting longer or thinking less?
๐งฉ Step 1: Neti, Neti - "Not This, Not This"
To find what defines a good meditation session, I began by ruling out what it's not - using the Vedantic method Neti, Neti ("not this, not this").
What Meditation Is NOT:
❌ "I sat for 30 minutes."
❌ "I didn't move."
❌ "I had zero thoughts."
❌ "I saw light or heard sounds."
These are side effects, not essence.
True meditation must be measured from within.
That insight led to the idea: Could we visualize the classical Yogic journey from Dharana → Dhyana → Samadhi - not as a text, but as an experience?
So, I collaborated with Claude AI - a conversation, not a coding session.
๐งญ The Search for an Inner Yardstick
In an earlier video - "Can You Measure Meditation? Don't Be Silly - It's Not Golf. There Is No Par Score" - I explored why time or silence can't measure meditation.
Applying the Neti Neti principle, three authentic internal measures emerged:
๐ด Absorption
How deeply attention settles inward
๐ข Peace
The calm that lingers beyond the cushion
๐ต Joy
Natural bliss arising when the mind rests in itself
These three became the foundation of the Meditation States Monitor.
Absorption, Peace, and Joy.
๐งฉ From Generic Sliders to Spiritual Journey
๐️ The First Prototype
The journey began with a simple request. I started with this prompt to Claude AI:
"Create an app with three vertical levers that show different text based on their values."
Within minutes, the AI produced a working prototype - three sleek sliders labeled "Power," "Efficiency," and "Stability."
Functional, yes. But soulless.
That's when I reoriented the design from mechanical to meditative.
๐ซ Adding Meaning
Renaming the sliders gave it soul:
- ๐ด Absorption - depth of focus
- ๐ข Peace - calm of mind
- ๐ต Joy - inner bliss
Now, it wasn't code. It was a mirror.
๐ช The Three Stages of Meditation (and App Development)
1️⃣ Dharana - Focused Concentration
Below 50% on any slider:
"Beginning concentration and focus."
At zero:
๐ด "Dude, you are not meditating!"
It's not failure - it's where everyone begins. The app gently (and humorously) reminds you to engage.
2️⃣ Dhyana - Sustained Meditation
Above 50% on all sliders:
✨ "Sustained meditation and mindful awareness."
Balanced levels:
⚖️ "Perfect Balance - Absorption, Peace, and Joy in harmony."
It's a reminder that meditation isn't about maxing everything out - sometimes it's about finding equilibrium.
3️⃣ Samadhi - Complete Absorption
All at 100%:
๐️ "Samadhi!!! - complete absorption in divine consciousness."
Three exclamation marks, because if you've reached Samadhi, you deserve the enthusiasm!
๐ฑ Making It Mobile-First
Meditation happens everywhere - not just at home on your laptop.
The app adapts perfectly with touch-friendly sliders, balanced typography, and responsive design that works seamlessly on phones and tablets.
๐ค The Power of AI Collaboration
Let me be transparent: I didn't write all this code from scratch. I collaborated with Claude, an AI assistant.
Here's what that conversation looked like:
The AI Development Dialogue
Me: "Make it mobile friendly."
Claude: Applies responsive CSS with breakpoints.
Me: "Add humor at zero."
Claude: Implements 'Dude, you are not meditating!'
Me: "Define Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi."
Claude: Creates conditional logic for meditation stages.
What I Learned About "Vibe Coding"
- Be specific - Vague requests get vague results
- Iterate quickly - Don't aim for perfection on the first try
- Give feedback - The AI learns what you want through conversation
- Know your vision - AI executes, but you're the creative director
๐ 3h
Total Build Time
20
Iterations
~250
Lines of Code
8-12h
Manual Estimate
Compare to traditional development approaches:
| Approach | Time Required | Result Quality |
|---|---|---|
| React + AI (Our approach) | 2-3 hours | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Power BI version | 2-4 days | ⭐⭐ |
| Tableau version | 1-3 days | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pure hand-coding | 8-12 hours | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
๐ง The Technical Stack (For the Nerds)
Built with:
- React - For smooth, reactive UI
- Tailwind CSS - For beautiful, responsive styling
- JavaScript - Mobile-first approach
- Real-time hooks - State management with useState
- Share buttons - LinkedIn and WhatsApp integration
Responsive layout with ~250 lines of code. Remarkably compact!
๐ฟ Why This Matters
For Developers
A glimpse into Vibe Coding - building through conversation, not syntax. AI can accelerate development without sacrificing quality. The app is production-ready, mobile-optimized, and genuinely useful.
For Meditators
A visual guide to inner progress. It makes abstract concepts tangible - you can see your meditation practice through Absorption, Peace, and Joy.
For Everyone Else
Proof that technology and mindfulness can evolve together. We can build digital tools that encourage presence, awareness, and inner peace.
๐ง♂️ The Unexpected Lesson
Building this app taught me something about meditation itself: progress isn't linear.
The app evolved through trial, feedback, and clarity - just like meditation itself.
I didn't get it right on the first try. The levers were called "Power Level" before they became "Absorption." The logic changed three times. The title went from "States" to "Stages."
Iteration is practice. Refinement is awareness.
You don't sit down and immediately reach Samadhi. You stumble through Dharana, catch glimpses of Dhyana, and slowly - iteration by iteration - you improve.
Progress isn't linear - in code or consciousness.
๐ป Try the Demo
Experience the Meditation States Monitor for yourself
๐ Launch the Live AppTry adjusting the levers. Balance Absorption, Peace, and Joy - and watch the states unfold.
๐งฉ The Meta-Meditation
There's something meditative about the development process itself. Each build cycle felt like breathwork:
Prompt → Response → Refine → Release
You stay present with the problem. You let go of perfectionism. You accept that version 1.0 won't be version 2.0, and that's okay.
Maybe the real meditation was the app we built along the way. ๐ง♂️
๐ธ Final Reflection
Ancient wisdom meets modern intelligence.
The Yoga Sutras meet JavaScript.
The concepts of Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are thousands of years old. The technology to build this app is months old. Yet somehow, they work together perfectly.
In our hyperconnected, always-on world, we need tools that remind us to slow down, focus, and find inner peace. But those tools should be beautiful, accessible, and - dare I say it - fun.
If this little experiment helps even one person smile - or go deeper in their practice - that's success.
- Ancient AI proverb (probably)
๐ Resources
- Live Demo: Launch the Meditation States Monitor
- Full Documentation: Complete conversation history available
- Source Code: Ready to deploy on Vercel, Netlify, or GitHub Pages
- Learn More: Video - "Can You Measure Meditation?"
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