Meditation apps can help you live in the present moment, feel happier, and be more at peace with your life.
If you are reading this article, it’s likely that you spend a good bit of time in front of a screen seeking news, checking updates from your friends, and working, among other things.
It’s also likely you’ve found yourself with 14 open tabs in your browser, wondering where the last two hours went.
One solution is getting folks away from their smartphones so they can practice mindfulness.
Good luck with that.
A more practical solution is to bring mindfulness to the people on their devices. There are several mindfulness and meditation apps available for iOS and Android. Most begin with a free component to get you started, but also offer many levels of in-app purchases to enhance your experience.
Here are our Top 4 Mindfulness Apps:
Headspace is a great app to begin a journey to mindfulness through meditation. They begin with a daily 10 minute program. If you like that, you can advance to more involved programs within the app.
iOS | Google Play
Mindfulness Bell is aptly named as it periodically rings a bell to remind you to take notice of whatever activity you are involved in instead of getting lost in your thoughts.
iOS | Google Play
Calm has 7 and 21 day programs for meditation, as well as 7 types of guided meditation. They also have a book with tips on how to live a less stressful life.
iOS | Google Play
Menthal and Moment are very helpful apps if you are interested in reflecting on your “on-device” time. The app keeps track of all your interactions with your device throughout the day, then allows you to review the data later on.
iOS | Google Play
Plum Village also has a list of mindfulness apps that include options for your desktop computer.
The three apps above are just the first grains of sand in the Zen garden of mindfulness apps. Rake through and find one that suits your needs.
A note: The jury is still out on the efficacy of mindfulness apps. However, time will continue to slip away from us as our online lives grow. And the data and research in the field will grow as well, increasing the effectiveness of these apps.
Are you an app developer, designer, project manager, or experienced practitioner? Register for the Mindfulness Retreat for Software Developers and Designers, organized by Thich Nhat Hanh‘s Deer Park Monastery in San Francisco. One aspect of the retreat is to design a mindfulness app.