Technology is so pervasive in our society today that it would be hard, if not impossible, to find someone who doesn’t use it on a daily basis. We are constantly busy, and when we’re not, we make ourselves busy by tuning into our phones, iPads and laptops. There is information overload, and it is way too easily accessible. Undoubtedly, this can interfere with our ability to be present in the moment and distracts us from practicing mindfulness.
What if we spin the story and choose to use the technology at our fingertips as an aid in our mindfulness journey? Here are some mindfulness apps I love that can help you establish or maintain your mindfulness practice. All of these apps are free, easy to use, and most include the option of in-app purchases. Give them a try and see if they finally get you meditating. Perhaps they can take your current mindfulness or meditation practice to a new level, or just refresh it. Remember with mindfulness, there is no right or wrong, it’s all about you and getting you to be here, now.
Insight Timer
Insight lets you access guided meditations or set your own quiet meditation time. As soon as you log on, you can see how many users are meditating with Insight right now and where in the world they are. The app allows you to invite friends from your contacts or through Facebook and also to add your location to see how many meditators in your area are practicing. Insight has more than 5,000 free guided meditations you can choose from and allows you to search for one using keywords based on what you would like to meditate on right now. There also are meditation playlists that include a set of recommended meditations for a particular purpose. Some featured playlists include Relax, Mindful Eating, Pregnancy and Parenting or Sleep, to name just a few. With the Bookmark option, you can store your favorite guided meditations, music tracks or talks within the app.
For your silent meditation option, you can choose a start and end sound or meditate in complete silence. If you prefer ambient sounds during meditation, Insight has you covered, too. You also have the opportunity to add interval bells at desired time periods to let you know how long you’ve meditated thus far.
Within your Insight profile, you can monitor your progress by viewing your stats with surprising detail.
Calm
The name of this app is spot on with what it promises and delivers. The first thing you see when you open Calm is a home screen that says “take a deep breath” – such a simple but lovely reminder. Calm lets you choose a scene from a variety of calming backgrounds with or without sound. You will see a Daily Calm and Featured Story on your home page, which you may access for a subscription fee. There are, however, several alternatives within Calm that are free. The Breathe option helps you practice controlled breathing by creating your own “breath bubble.” It lets you set a number of breaths per minute and a breathing pattern that includes in-breath, out-breath and breath retention. Then, it gives you a graphic representation of the breath pattern you selected so you can follow along. Meanwhile, it tracks the time spent on monitoring your breath. The Meditate option offers guided meditations that vary in focus and length. Finally, a Sleep Story is an option for guided meditation created specifically to assist in transitioning to sleep. Your profile on Calm tracks your longest streak in days meditating, the time you’ve spent in meditation and the total number of sessions you’ve had. A helpful feature is the ability to add a Mindfulness reminder at a desired time to help you stay on track with your mindfulness practice every day.
Stop, Breathe & Think
This app provides a quick overview on the basics of meditation. The most unique feature of Stop, Breathe & Think is that it allows you to check in with how you are feeling physically, mentally and emotionally at the moment, and then it suggests a guided meditation based on your current state. The recommended meditations range in length, focus and narrator. You also have the option to meditate on your own by customizing a meditation timer. This alternative lets you choose the length of time, a chime sound for start and end as well as a soundscape for ambient sounds. The app does have in-app purchase options for a monthly or yearly fee that include more guided meditations, chimes and soundscapes.
Stop, Breathe & Think also tracks your meditation progress with your daily streaks and meditation times. It also keeps track of your check in feelings for the week, month and all-time so you can monitor how these have changed over time.
