Meditation is a simple way to greatly impact your life. Chances are you already have someone in your life that practices some form of mindfulness or meditation. One of the most overwhelming aspect of meditation is starting. How do you begin? What do you do?
We've selected these meditation apps as recommendations because of their quality, reliability, and great reviews. Download one and begin to reap the benefits of mindfulness and mediation.
A few tips:
- THE RIGHT APP FOR YOU // Finding the right meditation app, is just like finding the right mattress. Each person needs something different. Just because your neighbor likes Headspace doesn't make it the right one for you. Try more than one.
- START SMALL // Meditation is a practice. You wouldn't start running by trying out a marathon. You'd probably start with a mile or 5k race. When picking the meditation, it's great to start with something in the 3-5 minute range and build from there.
- GUIDED V TIMED // Many of the apps suggested include both guided and timed meditation. A guided meditation is when someone is essentially coaching you through the process and giving you prompts. A timed meditation is either silence or natural sounds in the background (e.g. waves, birds, etc). Guided might be a great place to start, but don't be thrown off if you don't vibe well with the voice. Just try another 🙂 Remember, this is just a practice
The Mindfulness App
- Get Started: a five day guided practice and introduction to mindfulness
- Timed Sessions: guided and silent meditations from 3 to 30 minutes
- Personalized Meditation: customize your meditation with guided introduction and bells
- Meditation Reminders and Mindful Notices: help you to be mindful throughout the day
- Statistics: keep track of your meditation journey
- Health App integration allows you to sync your meditation practice time
Insight Timer
The number 1 free meditation app. Guided meditations and talks led by the world's top meditation and mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists and teachers from Stanford, Harvard, the University of Oxford and more. Music tracks from world-renowned artists. Join millions learning to meditate on Insight Timer to help calm the mind, reduce anxiety, manage stress, sleep deeply and improve happiness.
With 10+ new free guided meditations added daily, more meditation is practiced on Insight Timer than anywhere else. Great for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
Simple Habit
Simple Habit is the best meditation app for busy people. Meditate for just 5 minutes/day to reduce stress, improve focus, sleep better, relax faster, breathe easier, and more. The On-the-Go feature teaches you how to quickly calm your nerves and improve mindfulness, while guided meditations for specific situations and symptoms help you tailor your experience.
Calm
Calm is the #1 app for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation. Join the millions experiencing better sleep, lower stress, and less anxiety with our guided meditations, Sleep Stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises, and relaxing music. Calm is recommended by top psychologists, therapists, and mental health experts.
Calm is the perfect mindfulness app for beginners, but also includes hundreds of programs for intermediate and advanced users. Guided meditation sessions are available in lengths of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes so you can choose the perfect length to fit with your schedule.
Sattva
Meditation has ancient roots – so does Sattva. Authentic, deeply profound and drawing from Vedic principles of meditation that millions of people have benefitted from for thousands of years, the meditations, chants and mantras on Sattva are delivered by Sanskrit scholars who have mastered the subtle inner workings of the mind.
For people new to meditation you will find simple yet deep meditations starting from 6mins upwards and you can set yourself goals to slowly build your practice up.
Headspace
Headspace teaches you how to meditate, breathe, and live mindfully. It’s even been proven to improve focus. There are exercises on topics including managing anxiety, stress relief, breathing, happiness, and focus. Don’t worry if you’ve never meditated before. There’s a free Basics course that will teach you the essentials of meditation and mindfulness.