5 Meditation Apps That Will Actually Help You Stick To Your Practice
It's pretty much impossible to ignore all the information swirling around about how great meditation is for your mind, body and spirit.
It's been scientifically proven in over 3,000 studies that meditation increases concentration, lowers your blood pressure, improves memory retention, naturally aids the management of ADHD and even improves your body's immunity to disease.
The problem is, we're so busy in our daily lives that keeping up with a meditation practice can just seem so overwhelming.
But, meditating isn't about having the time.
It's about making the time, and the following apps made it possible for me (a sort-of adult with a full-time job, a relationship, two dogs, a daily exercise routine and a very time-consuming skin care regime) to keep a daily practice going.
So now, I just sit back and wait for my meditation practice to make me perfect and also very rich.
That's what you're supposed to do, right?
Sattva
Sattva is the perfect meditation app for people who want to win a trophy for their calmness.
Really, for someone who enjoys a challenge, Sattva includes daily challenges that you can actually win trophies for. Hell yeah! I love fighting for peace!
Not only does Sattva give you digital prizes, but it also includes daily guided meditation, a heart rate monitor (so you can check out how peaceful you are before and after your meditation sessions) and daily reminders to help you stay on-track.
It's the all-around perfect meditation app for Type A personalities.
Calm
Straightforward title for a straightforward app.
This meditation guide is a good option for someone who isn't trying to make a big "thing" out of their meditation practice, and who just wants to get through their morning commute without getting arrested for assault.
Guided meditation sessions are available in lengths of three, five, 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes, so you can choose the perfect length to fit with your schedule. The topics also range from stress management to deep sleep.
This app can even tell you bedtime stories, and I've been looking for an app that can effectively do that for literally five years.
It's perfect for beginners.
Headspace
Meditations guided by Andy Puddicombe have been covered by the New York Times as "a quick, secularized adaptation of Buddhist teachings that have been distilled for a modern, Western audience."
While this is a for-profit mindfulness app, it does have broad commercial appeal.
It raised $30 million in financing last year that included celebrity financiers like Jessica Alba and Jared Leto.
The app also includes a buddy system, so you and your friends can encourage one another in your mindfulness goals, and subscribers get free access to the apps introductory course.
The Mindfulness App
The Mindfulness App is perfect for beginners and advanced practitioners of meditation alike.
It has many of the above meditation apps' features, including daily reminders and statistics that can track your progress from week to week.
What sets this app apart? It gives its subscribers access to 200 different meditations and courses for improving your relationships with others as well as yourself.
It also allows you to share you experience on social media, if that's something that will motivate you more.
Get those sweet, sweet likes baby!
Buddhify
First of all, Buddhify is pretty to look at.
It's colorful and easy to use, and it provides a type of meditation for literally every single part of your day, including traveling, being online, taking a work break and going to sleep.
If you're someone who needs to be reminded to just take a breath, or if you're someone who is trying to quit smoking and needs something to get you through those cravings, this app is the one you'll want to reach for.
It seems to be perfectly designed for the kind of person who is always doing a million things at once or the type who easily gets bored.
Buddhify allows you to change things up for every occasion.
With all of these meditation apps, there's no way you can't stick to your practice.
