You may have noticed there is a lot of talk about mindfulness these days. It seems like everywhere we look, from social media, to magazines, to television, to the break room at work, people are talking about this form of meditation which involves non-judgementally focusing attention to the present moment. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, and we have found it very beneficial to work mindfulness into our practice in a variety of ways. Mindfulness is a skill that is very conducive to learning via mobile phone apps, and if you search the term in the App Store, you’ll find dozens of apps dedicated to teaching mindfulness. We haven’t tried all the apps out there, but we’ve taken a look at many of them, and these are our favourites:
This app includes sections for Meditation, Sleep, Body (yoga), and Music. It has loads of quality content for free (including daily mindfulness exercises), with a wealth of rich content unlocked when you pay for the app. Free trial is available, but sure to choose monthly payments after your trial is over or you must pay for the entire year at once.
Features we like:
A variety of different mindfulness meditation programs along with some yoga and music. Sleep stories narrated by familiar voices, such as Matthew McConaughey. Various voices are used for the exercises which allows more options for those who are sensitive to certain kinds of voices. Daily Calm features a different mindfulness activity each day and is included in the free version of the app. You can “heart” your favourite exercises so it’s easy to return to them.
Tip: You can adjust the sound of the background nature sounds (including turning them off completely) in the settings section!
This Australian app offers a variety of mindfulness programs for adults and youth. Be sure to browse all the programs in your age range (adult or youth) to get a sense of all the options. This app includes sleep meditations, a digital detox program, and mindfulness for on-the-go.
Features we like: This app is entirely free, making mindfulness accessible to all! There is a phenomenal amount of content for children in this app, some of which can be found under the Classroom Programs section, and some of which can be found under Youth Programs. The adult content is also very good.
The free version includes a 10-session basics module, a 3-minute breathing meditation, several short videos that teach specific techniques, or address specific problems.
Features we like: Features cute illustrated characters and has more animations than the apps above. This app is similar to Calm in terms of quality and quantity of content, but has a more whimsical aesthetic.
Tip: We’ve noticed a lot of these apps have sales around the New Year, so if it’s already late in the calendar year, it may be worth holding off to get your paid subscription!