My Top 5 Favorite Meditation Apps
Sep 17, 2021You know by now that meditation is good for your health. But where do you begin?
I thought I’d share with you my top 5 favorite meditation apps so that you can get started today.
By adding meditation into your everyday life, you’ll be able to feel for yourself the many benefits you’ve undoubtedly heard all about. Whether you’ve never meditated before or you’re a long time practitioner, you’ll want to read this.
InsightTimer is my personal favorite! I use it daily and have been using it for years. InsightTimer is a free app with thousands of meditations, breathwork practices, and more.
I love how you are able to use the filter inside the app, so that you can find exactly what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for something to help your kids fall asleep at night, something to calm your nerves before a big presentation, something to tap into self-compassion, or anything in between - you can find it on InsightTimer.
You can sort by guided or unguided, spiritual or secular, with or without music, you can even sort by language or by length of time!
If you prefer unguided, you can use the Timer, where you can set the Timer for however long you prefer to meditate, and then choose what ambient sound you like and what starting and ending bell you’d like to hear.
I love being able to practice with some of my favorite teachers, who are leading experts in the field, like Dr. Kristin Neff and Thich Nhat Hanh. There’s something so comforting about returning to your teacher’s work again + again.
Beyond meditation, you can also find talks, yoga classes, courses, + lives. This allows you to dive deeper with your favorite teachers. Some of these features require a paid version, but there is an unbelievable amount of free content on the app. Listen, I’ve been using the app for years + have utilized an enormous amount of content with little to no investment required!
Headspace is the first meditation app I ever tried + it holds a special place in my heart for that reason. This app is great for beginners, because it walks you through the basics, step by step.
The app was created by Andy Puddicombe, the voice of all the meditations on the app, who cut his British degree short by deciding to become a Buddhist monk. For 10 years, he studied mindfulness and meditation, eventually becoming ordained in a Tibetan monastery. He later returned to the UK with the goal of bringing mindfulness to as many people as possible, and Headspace was born.
There’s also a Netflix special, “Headspace: Guide to Meditation” - you’ll want to check it out. It’s an animated series about the benefits of meditation with some guided meditations to jump-start your practice. I HIGHLY recommend tuning in. Maybe even invite your kids to watch + practice beside you. The animations make it that much more fun + accessible. Check out the Netflix trailer here.
Whether your goal is to meditate, move, focus, sleep, or wake up, you can find something for you on the app.
You can try the app out for a free 7 day trial. There are monthly + yearly plans available, and right now there’s a special offer where you can subscribe for a year of access for just $3.50/month.
Calm is another amazing meditation app. What intrigues me most about it is the celebrity guest teachers: Harry Styles, Matthew McConaughey, Mandy Moore, and Shawn Mendes to name a few.
I definitely see the appeal of listening to “Dream with Me” a soothing Sleep Series by Harry Styles. ;)
There are also courses by some of my favorite teachers like Tara Brach on radical self-compassion and Elizabeth Gilbert on creative living beyond fear.
When you sign up you’ll have access to guided meditations, soothing sleep stories, calming nature sounds, exclusive music, and new content every week. You can cancel anytime.
Dan Harris, founder of 10 percent happier, is a journalist + news anchor, who came to meditation for help after he had a panic attack on live television while 5.09 million people tuned in.
A long time skeptic of all things “woo-woo” Dan Harris found comfort in the science behind meditation, and more than anything his own experience of relief physically, mentally, and emotionally, finding that meditation radically changed his life.
For this reason, he created 10% happier, which offers tools to support you wherever you are on your meditation journey.
Try a 7 day free trial, and become a member for $99/year for full access to guided meditations, sleep meditations, timer, personal coaching, stats and performance tracking, and more.
Breethe is another popular meditation + sleep app. It offers guided meditations, hypnotherapy, stories, courses, + meditative music.
Breethe’s founder Lynne Goldberg has been named one of the top meditation teachers in North America by Forbes magazine.
Lynne was first introduced to meditation because it was offered to her mother as a suggestion to support her in her treatment of colon cancer. Simultaneously, Lynne herself was dealing with infertility issues + found meditation to be very effective for her as well, completely transforming her life.
When you sign up for Breethe, it asks questions to personalize your experience so that the tracks it suggests for you are targeted towards what you like to work on.
Breethe boasts its ability to allow its users to destress + sleep better with as little as 5 minutes a day.
To check it out, you can do a 14 day free trial.
As the old saying goes,
'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'
So here’s to taking your first. You’re exactly where you need to be + you are so supported.
How has your experience been with meditation? Are you a long-time practitioner? Are you new to the practice? What is your favorite way to meditate?
I’d love to hear from you.
