I have tried many different kinds of meditation in the past 10 years: Vedic, transcendental, mindfulness, you name it and I am living proof of the power of meditation and an advocate that it does work. I can say that I am now a less anxious, stressed and generally more content person due to this wonderful ancient tradition.
Meditation, especially mindfulness, has become more mainstream in recent years due to the rise in people experiencing mental health issues and the increase in medical research supporting the benefits of a regular practice.
As the demand climbed so did the supply, giving birth to the advent of meditation apps. It is quite ironic that our phones, which are one of the main offenders to our anxiety these days, can also help remediate it with the click of a button wherever you are in the world.
Thanks to these apps, meditation is becoming widely accessible including those whose time is scarce to attend a class or those whose such prospect can be quite daunting, or just not very appealing.
Here are the apps I’ve tested and my thoughts on them:
Headspace
Headspace quickly became the synonym for meditation apps. It sparked my interest after I watched one of the co-founders, Andy Puddicombe’s Ted Talk about mindfulness. It is easy to see the appeal: a clean-cut app with bite-sized meditations for busy lifestyles that changed the fisherman trousers-om-chanting stereotype that may have prevented some people from trying meditation in the first place. The added bonus is that the meditations are guided by Mr Puddicombe’s soothing voice, who – surprise – is a former monk himself.
There is a 10-day free trial which changed a lot since I first tried it but it still works wonders for everyone, from meditation virgins to the more experienced ones.
App Cost: 10-day free trial | month: £9.99 | year: £74.99 | lifetime: £299
Calm
This beautifully designed award-winning app offers unguided or guided themed meditations in individual sessions or if you are more into a goal-setting approach, 7 and 21-day programs. There is also meditation music, sounds of nature, masterclasses by renowned wellbeing experts and bedtime stories which can help you ease into sleeping.
I particularly liked the breath bubble which guides you into bringing awareness to your breathing and prompting you to pace it evenly using gentle sounds. The week free trial won’t give you full access to the app but you can still get an idea of whether Calm is your thing and worth the investment.
App Cost: 7-day free trial | month: £9.99 | year: £44.99 | lifetime: £225
The Mindfulness App
The Mindfulness App 5-day introductory meditations are short and simple, particularly suitable to those just embarking on their meditation journey. You can choose between their monthly or yearly subscriptions or just purchase single classes or meditation tracks by some of the most world-renowned teachers without having to subscribe.
There is undeniably a lot of quality in this app created by Swedish yoga and mindfulness teachers, however, it doesn’t feel as sleek as some of its competitors’s and it personally lacked that wow factor to make me fall in love with it. Saying that, you would not want to miss out on the opportunity to try an app that is always ranking amongst the best of its kind.
App Cost: 5-day free trial | month: £9.99 | year: £44.99 | lifetime: £225
Stop, Breath and Think
Let me tell you that I was not even considering trying this app but I’m so glad I did because it is nothing short of cool! Stop, Breath and Think was born out of Tools for Peace, an American non-profit organisation dedicated to teaching meditation to youth. So this app is not only can be a potential jumpstarter to your habit but, in the humble opinion of this highly visually stimulated individual, it is also incredibly cute.
There are some amazing features: you are invited to check in your mood, physical state and emotions before and after the meditation so it can keep track of your progress and suggest a meditation that may be appropriate at the time, you can select different voices and lengths to your meditation and on top of feeling great afterwards, you get rewarded with adorable stickers.
Stop, Breath and Think, you won my heart. <3
App Cost: free for up to 20 activities | month: £9.99 | year: £54.99
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is the Australian equivalent of Stop, Breath and Think as it is another app developed by a non-profit organisation of the same name which was born out of the passion (and need) its founders had to teach meditation to their own kids in a practical and modern way.
It was designed by educators and psychologists so its main strength lies in the programs targeted at children and those educating them. The app is totally free, very easy to use and all you will need to do is to create an account, select your age group and voila, you shall begin!
App Cost: free
Buddhify, Insight Timer, Aura, 10% Happier and Mindfulness Daily are other examples of popular apps that might be also worth checking out.
I hope this selection will help you find your perfect app match so you too can discover the power of meditation in your life. Bear in mind that finding it is a trial and error process like when attending a meditation class, you will have to shop around until you fall in love. And when you do, please let us know below what you think. 🙂
Disclaimer: Please note that these apps are an alternative to meditation as a complementary therapy and not a replacement for the treatment of any mental health illness.
