In today’s post I’m sharing my three favorite apps for meditation.
While I’ve been meditating for a few years now, it wasn’t until I did my yoga teacher training that I got a better understanding of meditation. While there’s still so much about it that I’d like to learn, I’ve gotten a handle on the basics. I’ve always been someone who worries. Meditation has been such a great thing for me to put those things aside for a few minutes and just be and relax.
I thought I’d share my favorite apps for meditation today. With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I think just about everyone is feeling more anxious and stressed out. Meditation has helped me so much in dealing with stress and anxiety. I mostly meditate now with one of three apps on my phone. I’m sharing what they are and what I like about them.
Headspace
I started meditating a few years ago, and Headspace is what got me into it. I found it to be a no non-sense way to get started. I’m not much of a woo woo person, and Headspace was a great way for me to learn about meditation and be able to do it without all of the extra woo woo stuff.
While Headspace does require a subscription to unlock all of the meditations, you can do the first 10 beginner ones for free. While I have subscribed in the past (and loved it!) it’s not in my budget at the moment. I’ve been using the free ones and that’s been working just fine for me. Since there’s 10 I’m able to go through them over and over again without them getting too repetitive.
Interested in learning more about Headspace? I shared an in depth review of how I use it in this post. I also shared how I used Headspace to meditate for 100 days and what I learned in this post.
Insight Timer
I also use Insight Timer to meditate. I usually use this app when I’m looking for a longer meditation (10+ minutes) or I want to do a yoga nidra. The longest meditation I can do on Headspace without a subscription is 10 minutes, so when I’m in the mood for something longer I’ll go with Insight Timer.
Insight Timer has a lot more free options than Headspace. The trade off though is that because just about anyone can put their meditations on Insight Timer, the quality isn’t always great. Most of the meditations I’ve tried I’ve really enjoyed, but there have been a handful where the audio quality hasn’t been very good or the meditation has been a dud.
There are some paid offering on Insight Timer. It also has a subscription model like Headspace, and being a member allows you to access Insight Timer courses. I’m very grateful that the yoga nidra practices that I do are free. If you’re not able to commit to an annual subscription, you can also donate to specific teachers in an amount that you choose. It’s a great way to support those people who’s meditations your enjoy.
Calm
While Calm is the app that I use the least (once per week or so), I still do enjoy using it. Just like with Headspace and Insight Timer, there are some free meditations available, but to get the most out of the app and get access to the vast majority of meditations, you’ll need to buy an annual subscription.
In addition to meditations Calm also has some additional features including sleep stories and music. If I’m having a tough time falling asleep sometimes I just need something for my mind to focus on long enough to stop thinking. It’s in those situations that I really like Calm. It allows me to focus on something that isn’t a worry or something I have to do the next day. It gives me a chance to stop thinking long enough to fall asleep.
Do you meditate? If you do, what’s one of your favorite apps for meditation?