Practice meditation with a phone app, why not?

Why turn to meditation apps?

The 21st century technological revolution has permeated every aspect of our daily lives, influencing our thinking, behavior, consumption, and ability to interact with society in new and unexpected ways. The smartphone is certainly one of the leading elements of that revolution. Today, a phone has so many functions that there is hardly anything it cannot do. This convenience and popularity has promoted the application of technology to improve users' mental health, including obviouslymeditation.

Why are people so interested in meditation? In recent years, meditation has become more and more widely known. Many people want to meditate with the hope of achieving some miraculous result, many people just meditate to return to their true self, to appreciate every present moment. However, most people who come to meditation do not know where to start. The most common questions when someone wants to start practicing meditation are: “Do I need a meditation instructor?”, “What if I have such a busy life that I cannot attend a meditation course?”, and “What guarantees do I have that I will get the desired results after spending time and effort on those courses?”.

There are no guarantees. If you come to meditation because you are looking for something, maybe you will find it, maybe you won’t. But if you still want to experiment a little bit and start meditating anytime for almost no cost, there are thousands of options on the App Store and CH Play.

The number of people turning to meditation apps has been growing every year, and even more so in the current global pandemic, many of whom believe thatmeditation = happiness. And there's no denying that happiness is a personal investment worth making, especially when that investment is just a little curiosity and a little time.

What to look for in meditation apps?

The popularity of meditation apps also means that the market is becoming increasingly crowded. If you type the keyword "meditation apps" into Google search, you will receive about 7,260,000 results, along with hundreds of thousands of articles nominating the top effective apps. Faced with such overwhelming numbers and countless different options, first of all, you need to know clearly what you need in a meditation app. How to choose a good app, and ensure that it will help improve mental health?

1. First of all, a meditation app should have different levels for you to choose from, from guided meditation for beginners (e.g., breathing, concentration…) to options for those who have experience meditating (e.g., a timer).

2. Once you’ve chosen your level, make sure the meditation app’s course is clear and specific: know how to set up daily meditations in an organized way, and from there build a long-term habit. If you open a meditation app and find it too confusing, you should probably choose another one. Remember, you’re looking for a meditation app because you don’t know how to get started, and if it makes you even more confused, it’s best to leave.

3. Meditations should be varied in duration, spaced out appropriately, and not so long that they feel overwhelming. The ideal apps should only offer meditations that last 3 to 5 minutes. You will find that time will pass very slowly if you have to sit still for 10 minutes to “meditate”.

4. Choose apps with a pleasing design. It may seem unnecessary at first, but a pleasant design will make you want to interact with the app more, even looking forward to the time to open it and meditate. Everyone will have a different perception of what is considered a good design, but in general, a meditation app should not use colors that are too eye-catching, bright or dark, and the arrangement and display of content should also be simple, easy to understand, and easy to use.

5. This isn't a big deal, but if your app allows you to download meditations for offline use, that would be a great convenience. We don't always have access to the internet, and saying "I don't have internet so I can't meditate" is just... ridiculous.

6. Finally, if the app requires you to pay for access to advanced tutorials, try the free version first. In addition to experiencing the features the app offers, you should also consider whether you like the voice of the instructor. A soothing voice can be calming for one person but distracting or even annoying for others.

Using meditation apps effectively

Once you have chosen a meditation app (or a few) that are suitable for you, the next important thing is how to make this process useful and effective. Reaping great results or achieving spiritual maturity is quite far away, especially with only short meditation courses using phone apps, but that does not mean that this “meditation with technology” time is completely useless. If you know how to grasp the features that the app offers, and at the same time control your meditation process, this will definitely be an extremely interesting journey, at least you are walking on a new path and who knows, there may be a door waiting for you at the end of the road.

Here are some tips if you decide to try this new journey.

1. Keep yourself motivated:One of the challenges of learning to meditate is remembering to practice. Most apps have a feature that allows you to set daily reminders, whether it's an inspirational quote, a short piece of music, or a quick "Breathe in - Breathe out" exercise to remind you when it's time to relax your mind. Use these to motivate yourself and don't approach meditation as a burden or homework assignment.

2. Bring meditation into daily life:Once you have completed your daily meditation sessions and want to expand your meditation ability beyond just sitting cross-legged and focusing on your breathing, it is time to apply mindfulness to your life. There are a number of apps that provide guided meditations that are relevant to daily activities such as walking, surfing the internet, eating, etc. In this process, mindfulness lessons will be cleverly incorporated into these activities by helping you expand your own experiences, such as paying attention to the weather at the park or the color of the food on the plate, etc.

3. Track your progress:In this age of technology explosion, any meditation app has a function to help you track your progress. They will base on the average time you use the app to count the total time you meditate, the time you meditate each day and see how far you have come. The apps can also help you evaluate your mindfulness practice, focus and balance over time.

Conclusion

No app is perfect or suitable for everyone. You can start with guided voice apps, then move on to self-practice apps as you become more comfortable with meditation. The important thing is that you find the process reasonable and that it has a positive impact on you.

And even with the help of technology, meditation, and mindfulness, areit takes time to practice. Just like when you play a musical instrument or a sport, the more you practice, the better you become, and eventually it becomes second nature. Even just 5-10 minutes a day of meditation and mindfulness practice, with or without meditation apps, can be a positive experience that can improve your mental health, reduce anxiety and stress, and bring peace to your mind.

16 meditation apps to consider

Researchers from Lancaster University in the UK conducted a study of the most popular meditation apps on the iTunes store. After testing and narrowing down the number, they finally came up with a list of 16 most popular and positively reviewed apps, of which 14 are also available on the CH Play platform for Android users. It is worth noting that, in the above list, there is only one app:Headspacehas been experimentally studied and has shown positive results that can help users reduce depression and increase positive emotions after 10 days of use. However, this does not mean that other applications do not work, as they have not been thoroughly studied.

List of 16 applications in Lancaster University research:

• Headspace: guided meditation.

• Calm: guided meditation.

• Relax Mediation: guided meditation.

• Insight Timer: practice meditation yourself.

• Digipill: guided meditation.

• Relax with Andrew Johnson Free: guided meditation.

• Mindfulness Daily: guided meditation

• 10% Happier: Guided Meditation

• Simple Habit: guided meditation

• Omvana: guided meditation

• The Mindfulness app: guided meditation

• Pacifica for Stress & Anxiety: guided meditation (not available for Android users)

• Mediation Timer: practice meditation yourself

• Breathe: guided meditation

• 3 Minute Mindfulness: guided meditation (not available for Android users)

• Tide: Focus, Relax, Meditation: practice meditation yourself

Detailed research results atThis.

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