In this overstimulated and hyper-distracted digital age, with a jam-packed schedule and abundance of choices at every juncture, making time (and brain space) for meditation—the self-proclaimed secret weapon of everyone from Gisele Bündchen to Arianna Huffington—can feel next to impossible.
Ask around, though, and you may find that the same smartphone that fuels your Internet addiction offers the path to daily zen: Guided meditation apps can be a perfect introduction to the practice because they require nothing except a few minutes of your time and a comfortable and quiet space (though some people listen on the subway or at the gym). Unlike other forms of the practice such as Transcendental Meditation (TM), in which you silently repeat a mantra or sound you, or simple silent meditation, guided meditations talk you through focal points, often starting with breath control, moving toward releasing tension in your body, part by part, to visualizing safe and calming places, and then drawing your attention to the present moment.
Credited with everything from lowering cortisol levels to honing focus, these recordings work like exercise for the brain, training it to overcome any number of daily obstacles (from stress to sleeplessness, physical pain to grief). Which is to say, the mental and physical benefits are excuse enough to check your phone. Here are seven apps to help jump-start your practice:
Headspace
Billing itself as “your very own personal trainer, here to help you train your mind,” Headspace will teach you the basics of mediations, provided you surrender ten minutes of your day. If you opt into the program, it offers you a tracking page for your progress, a buddy system designed to help you motivate your friends, reminders for staying on track, and a wide range of recordings for different moods and lifestyles. Not endorsement enough? The brainy actress Emma Watson called it “kind of genius.”
Omvana
Omvana is basically the iTunes of guided meditation apps, offering up a library of recordings that target everything from decreasing stress to revitalizing your sex life to shedding those last five pounds. It boasts a large collection, which provides formidable boredom prevention. Omvana also connects to HealthKit (that app on your iPhone with the pink heart in the middle, for the uninitiated) to suggest meditations based on your stress levels.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer offers several guided meditations by teachers like Eckhart Tolle who penned the cult self-help book, The Power of Now. If you wish to meditate in complete silence instead, Insight Timer will time your session and wake you to the sound of an authentic Tibetan singing bowl. You can also configure it to ring at any interval you wish.
Dharma Seed
Looking for a more mystical experience? This app is well-suited for the spiritually inclined. Founded in the eighties, Dharma Seed is a group devoted to teaching Theravada Buddhism, the oldest tradition of the religion still practiced in the 21st century. They believe that through meditation, one gains mental skillfulness and wider insight.
Meditation Experience
This companion to Oprah and Deepak Chopra’s 21-Day Meditation Experience has been downloaded by the hundreds of thousands, and aims to make meditation accessible as well as enjoyable. Its journal feature, which allows users to jot down notes about their session, is particularly effective in getting the most out of your practice.
The Mindfulness App
The Mindfulness App, named for the popular cognitive self-help method, lets you create your own guided meditations—customizing how long and what type you want to do that day. It also has a convenient reminder function, to help maintain your practice throughout the day.
Buddhify
Seriously user-friendly, Buddhify is for those looking to get something specific out of a guided meditation. The app contains custom recordings for fifteen possible scenarios from your day, including “feeling stressed,” “difficult emotions,” “going to sleep,” “travel,” and “walking in the city.” Want to gauge your progress? It stores stats and presents graphs to track your activity.
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