Anxiety. Stress. Depression. Did you know that one in every six adults in the world has some kind of mental illness? Well, in this fast-paced world, life can get stressful. However, this same world has also equipped us with ways to deal with it all.
Take the mobile app industry as an example. Did you know that you could use mindfulness apps to relax? While such apps don’t constitute a significant chunk of the total 178.1 billion app downloads in 2017, this doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Instead, if you know where to look for them, you can benefit massively from such mindfulness apps.
Are you reluctant to spend money on such applications? Don’t worry. Here are five of the best mindfulness apps available on the Play store that you can download for free.
1. Calm
Sometimes playing games like Big Barn World (which has received positive AirG reviews) isn’t enough to take your mind away from your everyday concerns. At such a time, you need an app that effectively calms you down.
And this is precisely what the Calm app does. This application is straightforward. All it does is provide you with soothing sounds. This can include sounds like a crackling fireplace or rainfall. Whenever you are feeling stressed, use the app to turn on the sound and try to unwind.
The free meditation app offers a total of sixteen sounds for you to choose from. The duration of these sounds varies from 3 minutes to 30 minutes. There are different types of sessions available as well. This includes Loving-Kindness, Body Scan and 7 Days of Calm.
To help one sleep at night, the app also offers relaxing sleep stories. In this section of the app, you will find all types of genres ranging from scenic landscape descriptions to science fiction. While the free version offers a lot, some of the interesting aspects of Calm are restricted to premium users.
2. Stop, Breathe & Think
Anyone who is new to meditation will find Stop, Breathe & Think to be an excellent option. This is because this application takes it slowly rather than having you deep dive into the mediation world. You first begin by learning how to meditate and why it is beneficial for you. It sets your expectations about what is to come.
Once you are comfortable with the idea of meditation, the app builds upon the experience by delivering thirty free sessions. Each session is of varying length. But, most of them have been kept short to ensure that the app is aligned with your hectic schedule. There are different themes for you to select from including Be Kind, Connect with your Body and Breathe.
Moreover, to guarantee that you are aware of your meditation progress, the application also delivers a progress page. This page reflects information about how many days have you meditated so far. It is a great app for beginners and long-time mindfulness app users alike.
3. Omvana
The chances are you have heard of Mindvalley. This is because this company is known for its quality mindfulness and meditation apps. One such application is Omvana. While the app has both a free and a premium version, the free version allows you to access over 75 meditations. This is satisfactory enough for a free application.
There are different types of sessions available. Beginners are generally advised to start with a “Day 1” session that lasts for eight minutes. For intermediate practitioners, “6 Phase Meditation” session is present which is a course that lasts for 20 minutes and touches topics ranging from connection to forgiveness.
When the app is downloaded, the number of meditations you are offered is limited to ten. All other free sessions need to be found on the store. For this, go to the top tracks, then free category and select all free. This will help you gain access of the 75 free sessions out of the 1000 total available.
4. Aura
Are you looking for simplicity in your mindfulness app? If so, Aura might be right up your alley. This app delivers a customized three-minute meditation every day. The best part is that no track is every repeated. The founder contributes this to the fact that teachers on the application record new tracks daily.
A great thing about this app is its ability to personalize the meditation experience. To achieve this, Aura inquiries about your age, stress levels, interests and optimism levels. The mediation delivered to you is aligned with your mood.
This is one of the most straightforward mindfulness apps on this list. And that is the uniqueness of it. It is excellent for beginners who are not looking for any flashy features.
5. Insight Timer
No other mindfulness app is as popular as Insight Timer. Once you download it, it is easy to pinpoint why the masses like it. This app is the only free app in our list that allows free users to access a massive amount of meditations. There are over 4000 guides available on Insight Timer. You will find lessons on a variety of topics including nature, compassion, and stress. Moreover, you can also listen to podcasts and talks if you prefer them. Or else, calming noises and intermittent bells are also available for you to meditate to.
A unique feature of this app is that it forms a community. From the get-go, users are told how many others are mediating right now. After you complete a session, the app delivers you information about the number of other users you were mediating with. This helps in feeling connected while being isolated.
Some people have pointed out that the lack of a list of teachers does prove to be a hassle. There is no step-by-step process given either. The former flaw means that you can’t choose to follow the teacher you prefer. The latter flaw makes this app a tad complicated for newbies.
Conclusion
Take good care of your mental health. If it means downloading a few apps and meditating, then do so.
