Your smartphone can be a bountiful source of learning about and sustaining a meditation practice.
Meditation Apps
Meditation has been shown to be good for a wide variety of ailments and conditions. It’s good at reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, reducing chronic pain, and assisting in navigating mental health issues. It also enhances relaxation, increases compassion, and generally changes how we approach life and all its challenges.
Although meditation is in the news quite often, many of us still have basic questions about meditation. Questions such as: How do I meditate? How long should I meditate? Where and how can I learn to meditate correctly? It can all get confusing.
One way to get the information and support you need to start a meditation practice that you can sustain and from which you can reap the many benefits is to use your smart iPhone to access what you need. As a side benefit you will gain access to ways that better nightly sleep, and increase self-awareness.
Women’s Health, Healthline, and Mindful all have published lists of meditation apps that can help you through the immense amount of information that’s out there regarding meditation via iPhone. They can also give you a clear sense of what to do regardless of where you are or what mood you are in. And it’s all in the palm of your hand.
After exploring dozens of apps, here are a few of my favorites:
· A great free app is Insight Timer. It free, very popular and gets great reviews. The app uses the experience of many mindfulness teachers and you can choose from many forms of meditation.
· HeadSpace is another very popular app. It has dozens of guided meditations, sounds to sleep by, mediations for kids, as well as animations to help understand meditation itself.
· Calm is a very effective app. It covers calming anxiety, mindfulness at work, gratitude work, nature and sleep sounds, among many other things.
· StopBreatheThink is especially good for beginners or those who want to test the water before jumping in. There are 34 free sessions. You can check in on your emotions while meditating or just sit and meditate.
· Inscape allows you to choose three techniques, mindfulness, mantra, or focus. You can move between the three depending on your mood or taste. There is a breathing component, some stretching, and sleep meditations.
These apps are all easy to use and can be very helpful for long-term use. Take the time to explore them and find out which ones fit your needs and inclinations. There is something out there for everyone.
As you can see, there are dozens of meditation apps available to you on your phone. It may seem ironic that you will find a place to relax while using your phone. But with some patience, you should be able to use the apps to your advantage. IPhones don’t only have to be the source of distraction and anxiety.
Good luck on your journey of discovery.