Inner Balance: Tool for Better Trading Performance

Summary

If you are going to buy one thing to help you improve your trading performance, Inner Balance is that one thing.

Rating

Review

I have been waiting for this new version of Inner Balance of a long time. The moment it is made available, I already ordered that for testing. Given this background information, it is clearly I like it much. Actual review of the product follows.

Inner Balance is a small bluetooth device that you can clip onto your earlobe to monitor your heart rate and more. The older version of Inner Balance only works with iPhone (not a surprise) and has to be connected to the phone physically, making it not as desirable. This new bluetooth version is very compact and portable in comparison.

To utilize the device, you also need to download the Inner Balance app from your app store. Once the application is installed you can sign up for an account so that your records can be accessed anywhere. When you first start the application, it has audio instructions guiding you through the process so there is no learning curve to overcome.

One thing that stands out with this device plus app combo is its ability to monitor your heart rate variability (HRV) for which extensive studies have been made for years in medical research. Better HRV in general means lower anxiety and better emotional balance. Researches indicate that if you train your breathing properly like those meditators, you can improve your HRV and in turn benefit from the practice in all other areas in life.

So why the need to monitor your breathing exercise or meditation session?

Well, majority of people having difficulties in doing meditation is that they were never trained properly with various breathing techniques first. That’s why some people get it quickly while some find it extremely difficult. With Inner Balance, however, there is this real-time feedback that tells you if your breathing is done right and that you can track your progress over time. This helps everyone to find out how to breath the right way in order to get the effects needed to improve their overall HRV, and in turn, improving their emotional balance and health.

As I explained many times in my writings, very good traders do not get very upset or excited during their trading. It is not because their emotions are not affected. It is the fact that they learned to relax during trading so that their best analytical selves can stay in control. For beginner or struggling traders, it is much more effective to teach them meditation or breathing exercises as part of their daily routine than to focus on teaching them specific trading methods. Only until they are less anxious during trading will they remember how to apply their trading methods correctly.

I have tested Inner Balance on someone who has serious trouble in learning anything related to meditation. Interestingly, given the real-time feedback from Inner Balance, she has shifted the focus from “what’s the point doing this” to “a-ha, this is what I need to accomplish” with marked improvement with her breathing practice. This is first time I see a tool that is so empowering.

In short, if you are going to buy yourself something to improve your trading, I think Inner Balance should be that next item you need.

In the future, I will write some articles on how to utilize this type of technology to improve trading performance in various situations.

Disclosure: I have signed up as affiliate to HeartMath after testing out the product to my satisfaction.