I started doing Chorus meditation at Twilio prior to the pandemic and let me tell you it was WILD. My first session, I experienced a full body high and I was hooked. My mood after these sessions was fantastic. I was relaxed, confident, and my perspective felt so clear. I let go of all those meetings and tasks that were cluttering my day but didn't matter, and thought about the big picture.
In some sessions, I found myself weeping, processing grief I didn't realize I had been holding onto. In others, I had intense visual experiences like sinking to the bottom of the ocean or dissolving into the earth, which helped me to let go of things outside of my control. In another session, I connected with a deep desire to have another child, and decided it was time to do that. I would describe my chorus experiences as relaxing, fun, important, profound, and psychedelic.
I'm one of those people who found meditation frustrating and "not really doing anything", but had a completely different experience with Chorus. I was also really skeptical when a friend first described Chorus to me. I thought "Isn't listening to loud music the opposite of meditation!? That sounds cheesy." I was quickly won over. I encourage anyone with even a slight interest to try it. If you really lean into the experience and let go of your expectations, you might be very surprised at what can happen!
Wow oh my gosh! Michelle is that you? Thank you SO much for sharing your experience using Chorus. Being a former fellow Twillion myself it means so much to me to get to share it with the Twilio community.
I have recruited several folks to Chorus this year and they are finding it quite helpful! My husband in particular has had some really intense (in a good way) experiences. A friend just reached out to me today to tell me how much he is enjoying it, and mentioned he noticed your launch on HN, so I wanted to come put in a good word :)
Interesting pattern, the people I've referred who have gotten the most out of chorus are/were startup CEOs. I wonder if this format is particularly good for people who are comfortable in intense environments? Or maybe those who have already learned the benefits of an introspection practice? I know it helps me show up better as a leader.
First of all - thank you for sharing Chorus with people in your life!
And that ISSS really interesting. We initially weren't as focused on startup CEOS as a core demographic, but since being in Y Combinator and seeing how much a bunch of our batch mates and finding it helpful we are totally rethinking how we can help other founders de-stress and navigate the challenging dynamics of starting a company more effectively. That's so great to hear that it helps with your leadership - I can totally see that. Being more empathetic and in touch is such a plus for leadership. I think your hypothesis about them being comfortable in intense environments AND knowing the importance of introspective practices is spot on!
In some sessions, I found myself weeping, processing grief I didn't realize I had been holding onto. In others, I had intense visual experiences like sinking to the bottom of the ocean or dissolving into the earth, which helped me to let go of things outside of my control. In another session, I connected with a deep desire to have another child, and decided it was time to do that. I would describe my chorus experiences as relaxing, fun, important, profound, and psychedelic.
I'm one of those people who found meditation frustrating and "not really doing anything", but had a completely different experience with Chorus. I was also really skeptical when a friend first described Chorus to me. I thought "Isn't listening to loud music the opposite of meditation!? That sounds cheesy." I was quickly won over. I encourage anyone with even a slight interest to try it. If you really lean into the experience and let go of your expectations, you might be very surprised at what can happen!