A meditation practice employs methods to help you concentrate your awareness and attention on yourself, an idea, an item, or an activity. For thousands of years, people from many different cultures have used meditation to develop their spiritual consciousness.
However, with the development of technology, meditation apps have been created in order to cater to this need while making it easy for everyone to calm themselves whenever the situation forces them into it.
Zen In Your Smartphone
Although there is no right or wrong method to meditate, using an app would be quicker to look up for guided meditations. Especially when you have apps designated for meditation purposes, these apps will absent-mindedly save lives.
If you happen to prefer the traditional way of meditation instead of doing it through apps, read about The Practices of Mindfulness.
1. Healthy Minds Program
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The science nonprofit Healthy Minds Innovations (HMI) is the creator of the Healthy Minds Programme app. This program transforms neuroscience into usable skills that train your mind to uncover the four pillars of well-being. They are awareness, insight, connection, and purpose—based on decades of study by HMI. It does this through podcast-style courses and guided meditations.
Features it offers:
- Hundreds of hours of guided meditations
- Hundreds of hours of guided meditations developed directly from the scientific understanding of the mind
- Podcast-style teachings
- Progress tracking features
Download Healthy Minds Program on iOS or Android now.
2. Insight Timer
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This meditation software truly offers free use. Without requiring a subscription or membership, Insight Timer provides access to a sizeable library of more than 100,000 guided meditations. Additionally, this program provides elements like ambient noise, a soft ending bell, and a free meditation timer that lets you practice unguided.
Features it offers:
- Over 100,000 guided meditations
- Select by time for short meditations
- Thousands of music tracks and ambient sounds
- Customizable meditation Timer
- Thousands of discussion groups
- Stats and milestones for record your progress
Download Insight Timer on iOS or Android now.
3. Smiling Mind
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Smiling Mind is a mindfulness app featuring over 300 completely free meditations and mindfulness programs for both adults and kids that are evidence-based and not intended for profit. Explore research-backed mindfulness programs inside the app by category (such as at work, for the whole family, or adults) or by theme (such as relationships, stress, relationships, sleep, and attention and concentration). With Smiling Mind, you can start your mindfulness education from scratch and it is incredibly beginner-friendly.
Features it offers:
- Available for offline usage
- Build a meditation practice with streaks
- Track your mood with wellbeing check-ins
- Available in Dark Mode
Download Smiling Mind on iOS or Android now.
4. Ten Percent Happier
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To develop mindfulness as a habit that you carry everywhere, you may access both guided meditations and practical training through the Ten Percent Happier app. You can listen to a range of podcasts from Ten Percent Happier that provide relatable knowledge to help you deal with the possibilities and problems in your daily life.
Features it offers:
- Meditation video and meditation combos
- A library of 500+ guided meditations on topics ranging from anxiety to parenting to focus
- A sleep section filled with relaxing meditations
- On-The-Go wisdoms and inspirations
- Weekly content updates
- Quick meditations available
Download Ten Percent Happier on iOS or Android now.
5. UCLA Mindful
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With simple meditations for beginners, instructional videos on how to meditate (think: learning the proper posture and understanding the science behind it), a handy timer so you can practise on your own, and guided wellness meditations to support you through personal struggles, from chronic pain to stress management, UCLA Mindful makes mindfulness simple to try. Figure them out in just a click away with these app.
Features it offers:
- Basic meditations in multiple languages (Armenian, Cantonese, Farsi, Filipino, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mixteco, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, American Sign Language)
- Wellness Meditations
- Informative videos (how to get started, supportive meditation postures, and the science of mindfulness)
- Weekly podcasts from UCLA’s Hammer Museum and other drop-in meditation sessions
- A timer for personal meditation
Download UCLA Mindful on iOS or Android now.
Meditation is widely regarded as safe and beneficial in the treatment of some health disorders, but it is not a substitute for therapy or medication. Check with your doctor to see if meditation is right for you, or if you need treatment that goes beyond meditation.
