Tokyo Olympics: IOA acquires Dhyana rings for Indian athletes with eye on mental wellness

New Delhi

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday announced a partnership with Dhyana, the startup behind the smart ring that measures the quality of meditation. The IOA has acquired smart Dhyana rings and Dhyana's health management services for the entire Indian contingent headed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is working together to prioritise mental wellness and improve the focus of the players amidst the ongoing pandemic.

"Developed by Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand and Oxford University alumnus and biomedical technology entrepreneur, Bhairav Shankar, the smart Dhyana ring is capable of measuring your 'mindful minutes', or the amount of time you are actually focussing while in a meditation session," read an official statement. It does this by continuously tracking your Heart Rate Variability (HRV), or the gap in between two consecutive heartbeats, which is further broken down into the three fundamentals of every meditation session -- the quality of breathing, focus, and relaxation.

Dhyana rings have been used by Pullela Gopichand to help his students achieve their 'mindfulness goals' -- which range from improving focus, productivity to overall mental health. In 2018, the International Olympic Committee summit in Lausanne was in consensus about ensuring mental wellness in sports. In India, with a rich history of meditation, the IOA has not only recognised the importance of mental wellness, but is drawing from its cultural roots to address it with technology. Dhyana, which is made in India, hence becomes the first official meditation device to be used at the Olympics.

"Research shows us that Dhyana helps provide a measurable and scientific way of tackling stress, increasing focus and building a positive state-of-mind through the power of meditation", said Bhairav Shankar, Dhyana MD. Talking about this partnership, Gopichand said: "The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is going to be extremely challenging owing to the exceptional circumstances it is being held in. I have always relied on the benefits of meditation throughout my entire career -- both as a player and as a coach, and am confident that data-driven meditation with the help of Dhyana will greatly benefit the Indian contingent to prepare better and help them unlock their full potential."