What:

Lava runners come in different shapes and colors. They are made of plastic and usually filled with different colored liquids such as water and oily contrasts.
In a lava runner the effect runs from top to bottom or vice versa.
There are lava runners with bubbles, with drops and with a liquid effect.

Lava runners are primarily intended as toys, but I know several ways to use them in my daily life, see 'How'.

When:

If time is too unclear for someone. A lava runner always runs at the same speed, you can't say that about people. ''Just wait'' is unclear; waiting until the lava runner is ready is a lot clearer!
You can use the lava runner if you have to wait for something.
Or if you want to focus on one thing in a busy space .
Or when meditating .
While using the lava runners, you will come up with all sorts of creative ways to use them. It is fun to use a runner while brushing your teeth to visualize the time.

I myself have come up with an idea where the lava runner can be used in the medical world for measuring blood pressure, taking blood samples and examining the breathing . For children and people with a disability or who are anxious. A lava runner is concrete, visual, distracting, easy to carry in a doctor's bag, sustainable and soothing.

Who:

Anyone who likes to know where they stand can use a lava runner. It looks cool, it's interesting and fascinating.

I think that when choosing a lava runner there are only a few points that are important: what color appeals to you, and what duration does a runner have.
Children who have a very short attention span may want to start with a faster runner. They are all fun, actually.
I have autism myself and that is why I don't like the runner who runs the other way around (upwards) as much because it gives me butterflies in my stomach, it's not right!

How:

I use the lava runners at transitional moments , so from one activity to another, when you have to wait for the guidance. Or to calm down when I am tense. Just looking at the runner. I do that 3 times, for example. Where I pay attention to my inhalation and exhalation.
I don't use these runners for mindfulness exercises, but I have recently started using another one from Toys42Hands, which will be included in a later review.

I have a small lava runner on a key ring , which is handy in a queue or in the car or on the bus as a distraction and to focus on when it is very busy for example. The small runner is ready faster than the larger version but it is just as effective and sturdy.