Meditation is one of the best ways to reap great benefits. It is not about becoming a new person, a different person, or even a better person. Meditation is about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. Meditation is learning about your feelings or thoughts and observes them without judgment. With time, you start to understand your feelings and thoughts better. Learning to meditate is like learning any other skill. Think of meditation as exercising, a part that you’ve never worked out before. So, where do you begin, and how do you know exactly what to do? Below are the five best apps to build a meditation habit:
Insight Timer
This app is available for both Android and iOS versions. The application is free at the start, but you’ll have to use it with a button saying “Start 7 Day Trial” Once your past that, you will be able to access all the free content. Insight timer has a vast library of content with over 25,000 guided meditations from over 3,000 teachers on topics such as relationships, creativity, stress, and more. It is an application with over 6 million meditators from around the globe. The app feels like a community. After your meditation, The app will inform you of exactly the number of mediators mediating with you during that time. Besides, by setting your location, you can see the mediators near you and the tracks they’re listening to.
Smiling Mind
Smiling mind is a great free app that features hundreds of meditations, enough to keep you engaged without overwhelming you with a choice. The meditations are organized into structured programs such as Sleep (6 sessions), Mindful Foundations (42 Sessions), Relationships (13 Sessions), Workplace (41 sessions). You are given the freedom to choose where to begin, and you can easily jump between programs.
Stop, Breathe & Think
The entry price is free, but if you explore all sections, you can access all the free meditations in a single place. Besides, you can also take a peek at what the upgrade version to the paid plan offers. This app focuses on creating a more intentional, deliberate experience. In addition, there is a section called Learn to Meditate that defines mindfulness and why it is important. The app recommends mindful walks, acupressure videos, and meditations tailored to how you feel daily.
Aura
This app provides users with daily micro-meditations lasting only three minutes each. It helps users relieve anxiety and stress with a simple, effective, and technologically advanced meditation platform. Besides, it allows users to track mood, keep a gratitude journal and listen to nature sounds. It makes meditation a game by allowing you to level up as you continue to learn and participate in daily challenges.
Breethe
Breethe is a free application that follows you throughout the day, from the time you wake up to the time you retire to bed. It provides users with guidance and supportive tools to help them stay on track with their meditation practices throughout the day. It offers inner peace, living with intention, overcoming pressure, and feeling the love.
Other helpful apps to help you meditate:
- Buddhify
- Calm
- Headspace
- Meditation studio
- 10% happier
- Mindfulness daily
- Omvana
- Sattva
- Simply being
- The mindfulness app
- UCLA mindful