Air Force spends millions on relaxation cubes that may prove worth it
Technical Sgt. Kymberli Miner, Lead Integrated Resilience Program manager, demonstrates the Lumena Mindgym cube June 12, 2024, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (Cynthia Griggs/Air Force)
At dozens of bases across the Air Force, troops are undertaking tried-and-true relaxation techniques — biofeedback, meditation — in shiny mirrored cubes that can project light patterns and even galaxies. The experience, as one researcher put it, is more like a “Disney ride” than a studio or clinical office.
This is Lumena Mindgym, a flashy new curriculum-based therapeutic tool that’s taking the Air Force by storm. More than two dozens Mindgyms have been installed at base fitness centers and support facilities for about $100,000 apiece; Mindgym just marked its first installations outside the continental United States, in Kuwait and Turkey, earlier this year.
As the number of Mindgym advocates across the Air Force grows, other services are also entering talks to purchase the technology. It’s a lot of flash and glitz to deliver relaxation to stressed-out service members. But the number of passionate advocates for Mindgym in the military is growing, and some argue the attention it’s getting from troops who might otherwise avoid meditation and de-stressing techniques might make it worth every penny.
The technology itself was created by an entrepreneur with a finance background, rather than a scientist; company executives make clear they are not the clinical experts.
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2025/06/09/air-force-spends-millions-on-relaxation-cubes-that-may-prove-worth-it/?mc_cid=2fb8b6b355
