“We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves” — Buddha
For the longest time, the concept of health has been limited to physical well-being. People tend to ignore or undermine the importance of mental well-being. Lockdown and Covid-19 aggravated mental health issues for those who were already struggling. As per WHO, Covid-19 spiked anxiety and depression by 25% worldwide. Thus, we need to take mental health seriously and create awareness. Meditation is an effective solution for improving your mental health. But we often face issues building a meditation routine and tend to give up.
Is Meditation Important in your life?
Meditation is one of the ancient practices associated with religion, spirituality, or yoga. It is a skill of training your mind to feel tranquillity in chaos. It takes years of practice to ace the skill. Various YouTube videos, camps, associations, etc., exist to help people develop the habit of meditation.
However, today, where everyone is rushing to and from offices without any time for a breather, assigning time for meditation may seem impossible. Don’t worry! Technology got your back. You need something handy like a meditation app on your phone to access it as and when you get time.
Top 7 Meditation Apps Of 2022:
1. Meditation app for all – Headspace
Founded by Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson, Headspace is a popular meditation app. It has over 70 million members and prevails in around 190 countries. It is a meditation app for all, from beginners to experts and kids to the elderly. There are two subscription packages: $ 12.99 per month and $69.99 per year.
Headspace Pros
- A user-friendly app with a lot of content, illustrations, and videos
- A wide array of options: meditation for beginners, self-compassion, couple meditation, and so on
- Helps build routine by combining physical exercise with mediation
Headspace Cons
- No trial access without compulsory payment details
- Slow customer services
2. Award-winning meditation app — Calm
Calm is a well-recognized meditation app for anxiety. Founded in 2012 by Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith, it now has more than 100 million downloads. It is the world’s first unicorn in mental health and is featured by many big brands like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Inc., Fortune, CNBC, Apple, Google Play, etc. A customer has three subscription options: $14.99 per month, $69.99 per year, and $399.9 per lifetime.
Calm Pros
- Easy-to-use interface
- Offers video lessons and master classes by mindfulness experts
Calm Cons
- Frequent glitches in the app
- Users may feel lost due to a lack of structure
3. Free meditation app – Ten Percent Happier
According to Ten Percent Happier, meditation improves your life rather than completely transforms it. Mediation is designed to make small improvements in your life so that you become addicted to it. The app provides bite-sized content for users to inculcate the habit of meditation. It offers two versions: Free with limited access and Paid with unlimited access.
Ten Percent Happier Pros
- The free version with limited access allows sceptical users to try meditation before subscribing
- 500+ videos with bite-sized content
Ten Percent Happier Cons
- The paid version is more expensive than the general market rate
- Beginner-friendly and not so great for experts
4. Sleep-focused meditation app – Breethe
Breethe is a meditation app focusing on hypnotherapy and hypnosis for better sleep. It has a team of renowned experts who curate the content for meditation. It offers various easy-to-incorporate meditation programs to smoothen the day-to-day hectic routines. Users have two options: a free version and an in-app purchase facility.
Breethe Pros
- Offers good quality content in the free version as well
- Expert-led content to induce deep sleep
Breethe Cons
- Many pop-up advertisements spoil the experience
- No option to customize meditation time
5. Prime meditation app – Insight Timer
Insight Timer is recognized as the best overall meditation app. It offers more than 45000 free meditations. It organizes many workshops for different areas of life for better living. It is a one-stop solution for wellness covering; meditation, chakras, grief handling, tarot reading, healthy eating, etc. It offers two subscription options: $9.99 per month and $59.99 per year.
Insight Timer Pros
- Access to community of meditators
- Easy-to-use interface
Insight Timer Cons
- Technical glitches are quite common
6. 5-minute meditation app – Simple Habit
Simple Habit, which appeared on Shark Tank, was founded in 2016 by Yunha Kim. It is designed to help busy people manage their stress. It offers many 5-minute meditations to quickly incorporate into your routine. It offers 2000+ meditations for various situations, including commuting, sleeping, etc. It offers three subscription options: $12 per month, $90 per annum, and $300 lifetime.
Simple Habit Pros
- Quick and short meditations
- Offers a free version
Simple Habit Cons
- Interface lacks finesse
7. Mindfulness meditation app – Buddhify
Buddhify started as a side passion gig and later turned into a business. Unlike other apps, it offers on-the-go meditations. You don’t have to sit separately for 10-20 minutes, you can simply meditate while boarding a flight, walking, or doing anything. The app also provides content on the traditional ways of meditation. It costs only $5 with an option of in-app purchases.
Buddhify Pros
- The on-the-go feature makes meditation simpler in busy routines
- Simple interface and pocket-friendly
- Mindfulness incorporated with meditation
Buddhify Cons
- No free version or content for trial
Conclusion
Mental health is not something one should take lightly. Today, stress has become an inevitable part of our lives, whether rooting from a job, relationship, or finances. The termites of stress slowly eat you and your body away, but meditation helps remove the termites from your roots. Thus, meditation is important for mental and physical healing. It teaches you how to handle negative thoughts and clear space for growth, both spiritual and non-spiritual.
Many meditation apps can help you build your skill. You should try the above apps and find the one that suits you the best. With apps, you can simplify meditation and incorporate it into your daily routine. Slowly but surely, you will notice your life-changing with this one practice.