While incorporating a meditation practice into your life may sound like a good idea, the actual implementation of a routine can be difficult to do on your own. Enter meditation apps. With everything from a guide for the skeptical beginner to award-winning libraries with thousands of virtual sessions, these meditation apps will make it easy to add mindfulness and meditation to your day - and their instant availability in your back pocket means you can open one up during any moment of anxiety or crisis. We’ve rounded up six of the best meditation apps available, so why not try them all!
Headspace
From beginners to experts, Headspace has something to offer everyone on their mindfulness journey (and only costs $5.83/month on an annual plan). This app’s interface is easy to use and breaks down sessions into several categories for easy searching. By incorporating animations and some science to support the “why,” users will find that they not only enjoy the meditation itself but come away with the knowledge to incorporate a mindfulness practice into their daily lives with ease. Daily 20-minute focused sessions are a great way to engage with new content while browsing through the extensive library can help users find sessions to meet particular needs.
Calm
There’s a reason that the Calm app has won so many awards – its diverse offerings, user-friendly interface, and continuously updated content make a great package. The Calm app is also free to use, with additional content available for purchase ($69.99 annually). Calm offers the traditional guided meditations found on many other apps, but peaceful images, stories, music, and more can make the annual cost worth it. The premium content library is also vast, so you’ll be able to find just the right session for every situation.
Insight Timer
A free meditation app designed to engage a lifelong mindfulness community, Insight Timer provides guided meditation and wellness sessions from its 3000+ trained experts. Not only can you listen to targeted meditations, but you can also log on and join live sessions to hear wisdom from world-renowned experts. While other apps may have higher revenues or boast more downloads, users on Insight Timer spend almost three times more time on the app than other platforms. If investing in mindfulness and meditation is your goal, this app is the way to do it (and you can purchase a premium membership to help support them if you end up loving the features!).
SolStock via gettyimages.comSmiling Mind
If you’re looking for something simple, free, and community-focused, try Australian-based Smiling Mind. With guided meditations and mindfulness exercises for different age groups and adult situations (work, sleep, and home, for example), this app is great for establishing a consistent 10 minutes a day of meditation. With so many free collections, beginners will love browsing to find a style that’s right for them.
Inscape
Tailored meditation on the go? Sign us up. Inscape’s app is based on its in-person meditation space and classes, so the developers and content creators have lots of experience designing meditation and mindfulness exercises that can adapt based on your needs. Get recommendations based on the time of day, your experience level, and your goals. From quick 5-minute sessions to longer guided meditations that will help you relax at the end of the day, Inscape offers a great variety for every user. After a one-week free trial, a premium subscription is only $14/month.
Ten Percent Happier
If you like the idea of meditation but are skeptical about its actual effectiveness, then this is the app for you (free content available, but most unlocks for a $99/year membership). Developed to complement the book of the same name, this app will walk you through the basics of meditation so that any beginner will feel comfortable with the process. As the name implies, the goal here isn’t an immediate shift in your entire life but rather a small step towards the increased happiness that can come from reducing stress and anxiety and making more room in your life for joy.
If you’re looking to incorporate meditation into your life easily, try one (or more!) of these apps today and find the sessions that are right for you.
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