Everyone has a mix of good and bad habits that affect their lifestyle. While an en masse shift towards indulging in healthy practices is quite apparent in recent times, the one that’s particularly been garnering the most attention is meditation.
For how fear, stress, anxiety and inhibitions tend to hold us captive, a good habit or practice helps us stabilize and navigate through life. And that’s where meditation comes to our aid.
However, we are aware that fully committing to practice in our on-the-go lifestyles isn’t easy. Not all of us can take up courses or take a break and attend meditation retreats. But sparing a few minutes every day to practice guided meditation at home can be a way out. How do you ask?
Well, if you’ve been meaning to introduce meditation into your busy schedules to help you lead a better and happier life, it’s time for you to try some of the best meditation apps. Be it various meditation techniques and breathing exercises or helping you get a sound sleep every night, these apps are our modern-day saviors.
From beginners to skilled meditators, these apps are perfect for all. Easy-to-use and navigable, meditation apps are well equipped with all the wisdom and practical exercises that one would need on their meditation journey — not to forget the availability of expert guidance to ensure maximum benefits for all. And if this motivates you to try a meditation app, scout through our list of some of the best ones available right away.
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
Here are the best meditation apps to help bring calm and happiness into your life
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The award-winning app has breathing techniques and calming exercises for users to indulge in. One of the top meditation apps to try, Calm has a kids section for 3–17-year-olds to practice meditation and is loved for its Sleep Stories section . It features a mix of auditory stories narrated in soothing voices to help you sleep.
Founded by Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith, this app’s popularity can be credited to its easy-to-follow and relaxed approach that’s ideal even for beginners. The app offers a free trial for a week; post which, it can be subscribed for Rs 4,699 per year.
Image: Courtesy Apple App Store
One of the most famous meditation apps to try, Headspace offers various techniques, exercises and types of meditations. Whether you’re looking for a mini session, a guided journey, techniques for kids or audio sessions designed to get you to sleep, this app does it all. It also builds personalized plans based on inputs from you to make it easier for you to fall into a routine and be consistent.
It was co-founded by Andy Puddicombe and Richard Pierson more than a decade ago, Headspace has only been skyrocketing ever since. It has an expansive library of courses, mindfulness tools and single meditations that helps in improving focus, reducing stress, relaxing the mind and leading you to a healthier you.
The app comes with a 14-day free trial after which it’ll cost around Rs 1,499 annually.
Image: Courtesy Apple App Store
Founded by Yunha Kim, Simple Habit helps you attain mindfulness even if you have a busy schedule. It is an app that eases you into the habit of practicing meditation daily. It has a wide range of five-minute exercises that help you in being consistent, without it feeling like a big task. The app’s database has many exercises and techniques that can be done at any time of the day.
It focuses on stress relief, with specifically designed sessions for traveling and your morning commute as well. It also features bedtime stories and motivational guides to help you get a sound sleep at night and sail through life’s challenges, respectively. While the app offers free sessions, you would have to subscribe to it to get full access and be able to download the meditations.
Image: Courtesy Google Play Store
Insight Timer is one of the best free meditation apps that have thousands of guided meditation sessions in its library that you can access without any subscriptions. It helps you refine your searches based on time duration, goal, purpose and different topics as per your preference. The app is also equipped with in-app progress trackers that further aid in motivating you and keeping you consistent.
You can attend guided sessions held by experts and yogis because the right guidance is exactly what one needs throughout their meditation journey. From Vipassana, mindfulness, walking meditation and Kundalini yoga to breathing exercises, there’s so much to indulge in.
However, it does have an optional in-app subscription that offers features like insight, video downloading and advanced player settings.
Image: Courtesy Apple App Store
An app dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community that has more than just guided meditations, Sowlmate will literally be your soul’s mate. It opens up a whole new world of self-care that can reduce stress and anxiety.
Apart from long and short meditation sessions, this app also has courses that are tailor-made to help you navigate through life and challenging situations like coming out. Users can go through shared experiences and stories available on the app. This makes experiences relatable and gives them a feeling of ‘being in this together’.
The app also has an AI-based mood tracker and diary, specialized programs and various other wellness exercises that one can indulge in. It offers a free trial, after which you’ll have to subscribe to it for Rs 4,999 (annually) or Rs 27,900 (lifetime). There are other plans available as well.
Image: Courtesy Google Play Store
Drawing from Vedic principles of meditation is the app Sattva which has a curated collection of auditory guided meditations, ranging from six minutes to one hour and beyond. With 100+ meditations, sacred mantras, chants and music tracks to meditate on, the sessions are easy to undertake and build your practice.
It offers pre-made playlists that help eliminate the confusion of what to meditate on; you can rather do it according to your feelings, mood and availability. The app has different subscription plans, including Rs 399 (monthly) and Rs 1,299 (yearly).
Image: Courtesy Sattva
Waking Up, created by bestselling author and neuroscientist-turned-philosopher Sam Harris, is more than just another meditation app. It not just offers daily guided meditations but also includes daily mindful reminders, practice timers and lessons on zen and the stoic path , the app provides an introductory course and theory guidance to help you understand mindfulness better.
From beginners to advanced meditators, this app is meant for all. While the meditation courses are backed by science, the expert-led lessons and short talks on the philosophy of life and nature of mind and science enhance our knowledge.
The app allows you a free trial of seven days followed by different subscription packages, starting from Rs 299 (monthly) to Rs 20,900 (for three years).
Image: Courtesy Waking Up
An AI-driven mindfulness app that has short, science-backed and personalized exercises and meditations, Aura is a sure shot way to lessen stress and anxiety and improve moods. The app takes inputs from you to create a personalized and better experience. You can choose the mood you’re in, and it would suggest an exercise accordingly. Additionally, you can rate your experience, and Aura will accordingly provide you with an alternate session the next time.
Founded by Steve Lee, the app also helps you track your mood and learn about the patterns so that you can consciously work on them. From daily reminders for mindful breathers to daily reflections to generate a sense of gratitude, this app works on your overall wellness.
While there are a lot of free services available on the app, full access can be gained through its subscription plans, varying from Rs 619 for a month to Rs 6,700 for a year.
Image: Courtesy Apple App Store
The Mindfulness meditation app is suited for beginners and experts alike because of the wide range of guided exercises it offers. While it has a five-day introductory course to ease beginners into the meditation flow, it offers other features as well. These include sleep stories, personalized reminders, user statistics, progress tracking, background sounds, and 3-99 minute sessions.
The app was founded by Martin Wikfalk, and it has grown an exponential fanbase for itself. You can start your journey with this app with a seven-day free trial and then opt for a subscription plan starting from Rs 189 per month, among many others they offer.
Image: Courtesy Google Play Store
What makes Breethe stand out amongst all other meditation apps is how it helps meditation easily fit into your lifestyle. Founded by Lynne Goldberg, Garner Bornstein, Pierre Le Lann and Laurence Ardouin, the app offers sound sleep exercises that include meditation, hypnotherapy, sleep stories and music.
It also helps you develop a self-care schedule, has programs for kids and teens, and comes with music for every mood, personalized toolkits and relatable topics like ‘My Boss is a Jerk’, ‘My Family Drives Me Nuts’ and ‘Tax Season—Adulting Is Hard’, among others. It also has various series, talks and master classes from qualified professionals to add to the experience. Its monthly membership starts from Rs 249.
Image: Courtesy Apple App Store
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: Which is the best meditation app?
answer: This would depend on what you’re looking for, which apps are offering those things and at what price. Additionally, customer reviews and ratings, as well as statistics showing how much time people are spending on meditation apps also determine whether it is best suited for you. Hence, do thorough research on various apps, look for reviews and then embark on your meditation journey.
Question: Is there a free meditation app?
answer: Almost every meditation app offers a free trial in the beginning. Users can then pick from their subscription offers. While there are top free apps, such as Insight Timer or Smiling Mind, that give you access to thousands of sessions for free, there are optional paid subscriptions and premium plans within such apps offering in-depth insights and other services.
Question: What are the benefits of using a meditation app?
answer: These apps make incorporating the habit of meditating into our daily lives easier. They have different guided sessions, ranging from as short as three minutes to as long as an hour or more, to suit users’ preferences. Meditation apps provide you with exercises and techniques to enhance your overall mental well-being, improve focus, reduce stress and anxiety, and of course, the daily reminders to keep you consistent. Using a meditation app is probably the easiest way to begin the practice of meditation.
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