Mindfulness has been ushered onto a central stage in recent years. You may have come across this term somewhere or the other. Here’s a brief summary of what it is. Mindfulness is being aware of your surroundings. It’s a state of being in the moment, in control of a situation, simply, by being in the present. A few methods or practices like meditation, yoga, tai chi, and trackers nudges your mind’s potential and bring about mental awareness. Not to forget the numerous benefits of being mindful, some of which include better focus, clarity of thoughts, sustained attention, better sleep, and reduced levels of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness Apps that deal specifically in aiding mindfulness have become a convenient way for people to learn and incorporate simple techniques.
Here’s a list of apps for beginners and novices alike for a head start to mindfulness. They are readily available on both android and iOS.
Insight Timer
This app brings a sense of community and oneness, proudly displaying a global screen with the number of people meditating at the same time and total persons who have logged in that day. Meditation is the crux of this app, with an amazing array of guided tracks from experts. They are easy to follow and cater to a wide range of themes like relationships, stress, and sleep.
You can choose from calming ambient timers and quirky gongs to keep track. Following your favorite teachers and get notified of their new sessions. Other perks include podcasts and talks about life advice and soothing music that lull you to sleep.
Insight Timer has a lot of free stuff for an overview and paid subscriptions that enable user access to courses, downloadable tracks, and daily meditation tips.
The Mindfulness App
The best place to start for complete beginners curious about mindfulness. It gives you an overview of the concept and guided practices that lead you to achieve your mindfulness goals. The app includes ‘relax, calm, focus and sleep’ in its tagline and it helps with just that – better sleep, relaxation techniques to reduce stress especially during these unprecedented times of self-isolation and quarantine), and focus fundamentals.
If you’re short of time, there are meditation tracks of just 3 mins. But if you love a long session, they have 30min tracks too! Another feature of the app is personalizing your profile according to your requirements. You can also set up reminders, track your progress and keep yourself accountable with statistics of your activity. A well-designed app with free and premium paid subscriptions that offer a basket of choices, this one keeps you hooked!
UCLA Mindful App
For those who are still skeptical about mindfulness and its benefits, and are searching for research-backed answers, take a look at this app developed by the Mindfulness Awareness Research Centre at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). The ‘Getting Started’ section defines the basics, which meditation suits you, the best posture and environment, and a few benefits. It’s quite a new app that works on the nuances of making mindfulness a part of your life, not just when you want it, but as a constant companion. It also has a weekly podcast track. The sessions range from 3min to 20min and teach you the specifics of focus with the help of breathing techniques, calming sounds, and aid in upping your emotional stability. It’s a completely free app that guides you on an unforgettable journey.
Calm
The Calm app boasts of a large number of people using it in their daily lives. It has everything related to meditation and sleep, for people from all walks of life, including a special section for kids! The app has a diverse number of followers who can vouch for its superior guided meditations, tranquil music tracks, breathing programs, daily streak feature, and sleep stories for an overall improvement in wellness. The app has won approval from leading experts and therapists alike due to its numerous features and specifications that pertain to different age groups. Try this app with a simple interface with customizable programs that are largely free but also includes a paid subscription for a few extra features.
These apps have been handpicked from the many available. They include information about mindfulness and its techniques, educating on the benefits and effective in bringing change, both in your professional and personal lives. They encourage you on the path to a manageable, focused life, and minimize stress but are never a substitute for professional medical advice regarding a medical condition. Get ready to dive into the world of mindfulness!
