The Best Apps for Meditating On The Go
Meditating can be hard but meditating on the go can be even harder. You may be familiar with meditating while sitting in a comfy chair or even lying down and closing your eyes but what do you do if you have to mediate in public or during your commute? These meditating apps have short meditations you can do anywhere without drawing attention to yourself.
Meditation is an act where you use mindfulness to achieve mental clarity. You can meditate in various ways but most people are familiar with the form of meditating where you listen to a voice that guides you through what you should be focussing on, or guided meditation. Meditation formed as a sort of religious practice but today is used to help treat and reduce stress, anxiety depression, and pain and increase peace, perception and well being.
These apps will help you achieve a sense of well being and help you get over whatever negative emotions you might be experiencing. The best part- you can do these mediations anywhere, any time- just don’t forget your headphones.
1. Insight Timer
Insight timer is the top free meditation app on iPhone and Android and is even recommended by doctors and therapists to help reduce depression and anxiety. Insight Timer has hundreds of meditations varying in length and subject. The app also has calming music and sleep cycle help. Insight timer has many types of meditations from learning to meditate to anxiety, stress, sleep, work, relationships, self-esteem and mornings. Each type of meditation you can filter by time so if you’re in public, you can do a 5-minute meditation and if you’re at home, you can do a 30-minute meditation. Feel free to do whatever subject of meditation works for you but the morning meditations are especially good on your commute to work or as you’re getting ready for work and the work ones are good for when you’re at work and the self-esteem ones are good if you’re about to meet up with a bunch of people or go to a social event. All these mediations can be done at varying lengths depending on how much time you have. Try out Insight Timer, there’s mediation for every mood you’re in!
2. Headspace
Headspace was founded when a burnout marketing exec. had developed so much anxiety that he had trouble leaving the house until he met a Buddhist monk who changed his life and the duo wanted to share his practice with the world. Headspace is now the leader in mediation apps and seeks to increase happiness, compassion and better health and relationships. Headspace was deemed the highest quality mediation app for the iPhone by a peer-reviewed medal journal. Although there are many free meditation apps, Headspace does require a subscription fee of roughly $7 a month but you can do a free trial to see if this app is the right fit for you. When you start a headspace account, they totally personalize your account by asking you questions like your motives for getting the app. You have the options of stress and anxiety, work and productivity, falling asleep, personal growth, physical health, University, and college or movement and sport. Headspace has probably the most categories of meditations and is especially good for students as they have a whole category for school. They then ask you when you want to meditate- morning or night and what time of morning and night and how much you’ve mediated. This way you can pick mediations that suit where you are physically and mentally even if you’re in a hurry or just got home from work. If you want personalized mediations that are good for any time of the day, Headspace is for you.
3. Calm
The Calm app is the #1 app for meditation and sleep and won the Apple App of the Year for 2017 and the Google Play Editors’ Choice for 2018. The Calm App was created to make the world happier and healthier- one meditation at a time. The app includes many features besides meditation including sleep help, relaxing music, mindful body movements, classes taught by mindfulness experts and nature sounds to help relaxation. The Calm App is another app that requires a subscription but also personalizes your account to meet your mediation goals. When you open the app it asks you what you’re trying to work on from reducing stress, developing gratitude, increasing happiness, improving performance, building self-esteem, improving sleep and reducing anxiety. The Calm app has a whole section of quick and easy meditations from meditations for anger, body scans, and concentration to name a few. This app is perfect for mediating on the go and having personalized meditations just for you. If you want to meditate in a hurry, the Calm app is for you!
4. 10% Happier
10% Happier is an app created based on the #1 New York Times bestselling book by Dan Harris who is also a co-anchor of Nightline on ABC. The App was created to give people the same gratification Harris got when he started meditating. The app is designed to make people happier and healthier through working to control stress, increase happiness and give you better sleep. 10% happier gives you mediations based on your experience and what you’re trying to work on. They ask you questions like how you’ve been feeling lately, how you’ve been dealing with your stress and what time you want to meditate to personalize your meditation experience. This app also costs money and charges a yearly subscription a little more expensive than the others but you can’t match how personalized this app is. this app is great not only if you’re on the go but if you are new to meditation. This app will give you information on why mediating is important, what it can do for you and the benefits if you’re hesitant. Get a super personalized mediation plan and mediate anywhere with 10% Happier!
