Greetings all!
You all probably know about the benefits of meditation but do you meditate consistently? And if you do, do you prefer someone to guide you through the practice?
There are a lot of meditation apps, and I decided to try Calm and Headspace. I really liked them both and highly recommend you try them - both offer a lot of options for meditation, breathing, sleep, focus, relaxation, inspiration, and movement, as well as soothing music, landscapes, and content for children.
Both apps are easy to use and have a free trial period after which you can either stay with a free basic version or continue into a subscription ($70/year but search for new member offers for discounts!). See Sources below for more details on the free versions.
Here is my experience with some of the features of these two apps!
HEADSPACE:
I started (and stayed) with the free version of Headspace that offers 10 basic sessions and a few other meditations. I definitely liked the home page message:
The
app is divided into several sections. On some courses, you can choose from several teachers to see which one you like
better.
The “Meditate” section has numerous 3-20 minute courses (several sessions under one topic) and singles on pretty much anything you can think of, such as Acceptance, Creativity, Fear of the Future, Sport Motivation, etc. If you want something shorter, you can choose from several 3-minute SOS sessions (for times when you really need a break, e.g., Feeling Overwhelmed or Losing Your Temper).
There are guided and unguided meditations where you can set the time to 5-120 minutes. And there are also very short 1-minute techniques to help you with your practice (e.g., Focused Attention, Impatience, Itching, etc.).
The “Sleep” section has Sleepcasts, Wind downs, Nighttime SOS, Sleep Music, Soundscapes, and Sleep Radio.
The “Move” and “Focus” sections offer mindful cardio and feel-good yoga sessions, as well as BBC Earth Immersive experiences. Some of these are included in the free version.
Overall, I really enjoy the free version with Andy as the teacher. He has a very pleasant voice and I find his sessions very calming. Even though I do the same 10 basic sessions, I don’t get bored and I like limiting my choices!
CALM:
I then tried (and also stayed with) the full paid version of Calm. I now have many more choices, and sometimes it is really difficult to choose, especially when there are new options added often! After I explored the app, I chose several sections that I use consistently and then on occasion I venture into other options!
There are “Sleep,” “Meditate,” “Music”, and “More” sections with guided meditations, music, sleep stories, and masterclasses with mindfulness experts.
Also, you can listen to multiple “scenes” that play nature sounds – some examples are “Evening Crickets”, “Celestial White Noise,” and “Thunderstorm” - and set these as the background for your sessions.
One of the Calm features that I love is the Daily Calm, which is a 10-minute “inspirational guided mini meditation that explores the landscape of your mind from new perspectives.” Tamara guides these sessions, and her voice is incredibly soothing. The topics change daily and I always find them thought-provoking.
I also really enjoy “The Spark” in the “More” section with inspirational interviews that really make you think. The recent topics were “Building Your Inner Peace,”, “Trusting Your Gut,” and “Cosmic Perspective.”
My verdict? I am staying with both apps! I think both Headspace and Calm are great and offer fantastic resources to be calm and mindful. The challenge is to be consistent and make time to meditate and breathe.
Sources:
- https://www.headspace.com/
- Headspace free version details: https://help.headspace.com/hc/en-us/articles/115008192928-What-s-included-for-free-
- https://www.calm.com/
- Calm free version details: https://support.calm.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008536834-What-is-included-in-the-free-version-of-the-app-What-is-included-in-Calm-Premium-
What did you think? Drop me a line!
Great topic and timely too!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many meditation videos on YouTube that I had been trying. The ones I have liked most are by Mike Sealey, Jason Stephenson, and The Mindful Movement. I also greatly appreciate some of Joe Dispenza's meditations.
I must also admit that during the day, I reset by taking a break, focusing on my heart and breathing deep for a minute or two, which accomplishes coherence of mind and heart and realigns my whole being.
Amazing Blog Post! Thank you for sharing this useful information.
ReplyDeleteInstalling the mindfulness app is just an easy and convenient way to learn mindfulness. Our platform is evidence-based and has a mindfulness app. We are an evidence-based audio-guided platform with multiple apps.