The best meditation apps according to Psychologist Sabina Read
Whether you need some mental rejuvenation, want to improve your focus or would like to lower your stress levels, a strategic dose of workday mindfulness might be just what the doctor ordered.
Over the last few years, mindfulness and meditation smartphone apps have proven to be more than a trend thanks to their ability to reduce stress and anxiety, help promote sleep, and even boost focus.
As SEEK’s resident psychologist, Sabina Read, puts it:
“I think it’s an oversight if we think we can’t use technology to support our wellbeing and why not use technology that makes these skills accessible, particularly in the workplace. A lot of [these apps] are free but most have minimal costs and they’re really clear and easy to follow.”
While Read believes there may be a few misconceptions and unrealistic expectations around meditation that need to be better understood, she says meditation apps can still act as a great “circuit breaker” during the work day.
“Some people may feel more agitated, angry or tired along the process and they may find that their mind wanders and it’s difficult, challenging and sometimes uncomfortable,” she says. “It doesn’t mean we’re not doing it right, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, it just means we’re human and perhaps it’s a greater invitation for us to use them as a respite in our hurried day-to-day life.”
Here are the top four tried-and-tested meditation apps that Read recommends.
1. Headspace
Founded by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe and advertising executive Richard Pierson, Headspace is an app that aims to demystify meditation and make it accessible. Now one of the best-known mindfulness apps on the market, it allows complete newbies to start with a free 10-day guided meditation course, while subscribers have access to specialised tracks for things like focused attention, creativity, reflection and more advanced meditation guides.
2. Calm
This all-inclusive app includes meditation tracks and masterclasses, music, stretching sessions, sleep aids, and even nature scenes. Calm really ticks all the boxes. There’s a category to help you get through whatever particular challenge you’re facing, so you can feel a little more prepared and composed to face your day. The app also includes curated playlists and sleep stories from well known celebrities (think Harry Styles, think Kate Winslet).
3. Insight Timer
Insight Timer gives you access to more than 80,000 soundscapes, yoga videos and guided meditations. There’s also a special section for parents with guided meditations, bedtime stories and a variety of mindfulness courses for babies to teens. Best of all, the app is completely free.
4. Smiling Mind
Developed by psychologists and educators, Australian not-for-profit app Smiling Mind makes the claim that 10 minutes of meditation a day is all you need to reap the benefits of mindfulness. The app has specialised programs for families, classrooms, workplaces and youths, plus sessions developed in Indigenous Kriol, Ngaanyatjarra and Pitjantjara languages. The app is completely free, however donations to help Smiling Mind continue their work with schools and community organisations are welcomed.
Originally published on news.com.au, republished with permission.
