Edge City Lanna is the third pop-up city that I have attended. In my opinion, it had the most robust wellness program of the three (Vitalia, Edge Esmeralda, Edge Lanna). In fact, I would call it one of the defining features of Lanna compared to the others. This is both a testament to the quality of the wellness programming and a reflection about Edge’s maybe-too-broad focus (e.g. in contrast to Vitalia’s clear emphasis on longevity).
Edge Lanna included a wide variety of themes and projects. People were exploring everything from reimagining governance and researching consciousness to developing decentralized AI and pursuing non-institutional science. Toward the end, there was a growing presence from the Ethereum community, since the last week of Edge was just ahead of DevCon in Bangkok.
Everyone came to do different things, but one thing that we had in common was an open-minded attitude towards rethinking the possibilities of future society.
But I digress. This blog post is about the wellness program, which consisted of many wellness-inducing activities that supported our endeavors, such as: yoga, sauna and cold plunge, vibroacoustic meditation, philosophical discussions and counseling, a temple visit, a mouth taping trial, and the gym. I’ll share some reflections on each of these in more detail.
Yoga
The yoga classes were definitely a highlight. Edge Lanna had rented out an art gallery venue for the month called Red Dog Gallery, which was a perfect space for doing yoga. I attended multiple 9am sessions with two different instructors – Ethan Hill and Zoe – who were both excellent teachers that held well-attended classes throughout the month. Yoga was highly effective in unwinding from the sometimes overwhelming schedule of work and events.
I already practice yoga regularly at home, so it was nice to continue this at Edge—in a way that was actually more fun and engaging than how I do it alone.
Sauna and Cold Plunge
It would be sacrilege to have a pop-up city without a sauna and cold plunge. Thankfully, the organizers (I’m not sure who in particular was responsible for this) made space for a lovely warm wooden box and freezing inflatable plastic tub on the balcony of our coworking space.
At any moment, you could decide to go and shock your senses into alertness or relaxation. When I used them, the sauna was hot and steamy enough and the cold plunge was freezing cold enough, which is no easy feat to maintain.
Vibroacoustic Meditation
Warren Winter, a passionate meditator who wanted to share his expertise with the community, offered several one-on-one “vibroacoustic meditation” sessions throughout the month. I wasn’t sure what to expect before signing up, but essentially, he strikes tuning forks and places them on different points on your body. The vibrations from the tuning forks are pretty intense and help you enter a unique meditative state.
I appreciated the new experience and found it intriguing, though I’m not ready to invest in my own tuning forks yet, as I’d like to better understand the benefits. However, it clearly resonated with many community members, with several people even bringing up to me unprompted how impactful their sessions were.
Philosophical Discussions and Counseling
One weekend included a “Second Renaissance Symposium” organized by Hamdin Sula, Jonathan Heppner, and Toby Shorin about non-duality and the relationship between Eastern and Western philosophy. They engaged participants in questions about Enlightenment, the nature of consciousness, and how to approach living well.
Attending this symposium led to a serendipitous opportunity for me. One attendee appreciated my question about the application of non-duality to scientific epistemology, and he reached out to me afterward. We met for lunch, which turned into a riveting and inspiring discussion, and I ultimately ended up hiring him to help develop the philosophy behind a new experimentation framework for my company.
Hamdin and Johnny also hosted daily individual philosophical counseling sessions for Edge City Lanna attendees. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to do one because they were completely booked out, but I heard they were excellent and highly therapeutic.
Temple Visit
When in Thailand, one should definitely visit one of the thousands of beautiful Buddhist temples. I joined an organized half-day retreat to Wat Pha Lat, a gorgeous temple in the forested hills not far from the center of Chiang Mai. A monk guided us in several different meditation exercises.
I enjoyed the meditation, but my favorite part was experiencing the beautiful nature of the forest. I observed several strange bugs for an extended period. When you stare at a bug for a long time, you start to notice the intricate details of its movements and patterns, somehow enabling realizations not unlike traditional meditation.
Mouth Taping Trial
Cosimo Research, a scientific research service for unconventional ideas, is currently organizing the first large study on mouth taping.
Mouth taping is a trendy wellness practice purported to improve sleep quality, snoring, and even facial attractiveness. It does so by encouraging nasal breathing, which is healthier than mouth breathing for several reasons I don’t have time to go into here. Despite its current surge in popularity, research on mouth taping has been limited to just a couple of small studies focused on its impact on sleep apnea. This study will test the efficacy of this practice on a much larger general population.
They organized a pilot trial at Edge Lanna. There were ~15 participants recruited to tape their mouths shut at night for one week, then go without taping the following week as a control. Participants submitted data from their fitness trackers, allowing for comparison of sleep metrics and overall results across the two weeks.
The pilot trial provided helpful insights to the researchers, and on the participant’s side it was a fun and engaging way to try out mouth taping. Nasal breathing has well-documented health benefits, so if the hypothesis is correct, this experiment helped us start a new healthy habit. I look forward to seeing the results of the upcoming larger study!
Gym
Despite all the varied and unique wellness activities, the one that surprisingly will stick with me the most is simply lifting weights at the gym. I used to lift weights regularly, but recently as I have had very limited time in the early stages of founding a company, I have found it easier to do pilates at home (or on the go wherever I am traveling, no equipment needed).
However, the discounted access to a great gym at Edge Lanna—and, more importantly, the energy of a motivated community—got me back into the gym habit and reminded me how amazing it feels. I’m planning to keep it up when I get home. Sometimes the simple stuff can be really effective, but it requires the right environment to get us there.
I was able to make the most of my experience at Edge Lanna by balancing work and activities with these wellness practices. In the past, the whole concept of 'wellness' and 'self-care' has sometimes felt a bit cringey or self-indulgent to me, but I have to admit that exploring all the different wellness activities at Edge Lanna showed me the value of being open to trying new practices. I’d love for Cosimo Research to explore and test more of these practices through scientific experiments!
评论 (0)