Top Three Meditation Apps
· 3 min read
With mindfulness and meditation now firmly and wonderfully mainstream and the benefits of a regular practice – including lowered stress levels, deeper sleep and improved focus – well documented, there are a bewildering array of meditation resources out there. But how to choose? Based on 20 years’ meditation and yoga teaching experience, Lucia Cockcroft, Reservie’s Head of Marketing and Content, shares her top three meditation apps.
With mindfulness and meditation now firmly and wonderfully mainstream and the benefits of a regular practice – including lowered stress levels, deeper sleep and improved focus – well documented, there are a bewildering array of meditation resources out there. But how to choose? Based on 20 years’ meditation and yoga teaching experience, Lucia Cockcroft, Reservie’s Head of Marketing and Content, shares her top three meditation apps:
Insight Timer
I am guilty of being endlessly enthusiastic about Insight Timer when recommending it to my students. I use it at least once a day without fail and find it especially beneficial for accessing soothing mindfulness-based Body Scans and sleep-inducing relaxation and yoga nidra practices. Founded in 2009, it operates out of Australia and currently has more than 15 million users. With standard access free, it’s an incredible resource for accessing a huge range of meditation, yoga and relaxation teachers. Bodhipaksa and Tara Brach, two of my all-time favourite teachers, have a big presence and you can search for specific teachers as well as for the length of practice (from 5 minutes upwards) you’re seeking. The sheer variety of offerings is a major strength and there are also plenty of courses to choose from if more structure is called for.
Headspace
Founded in May 2010 by Andy Puddicombe and Richard Pierson, Headspace is a giant in the prolific world of technology-enabled meditation. Puddicombe is a former Buddhist monk, and Pierson has a background in marketing and new brand development. At the helm, the pair have catapulted Headspace into the online stratosphere, almost certainly doing more than any other single web resource to bring meditation into the mainstream: the app now has over 30 million users in 190 countries. Headspace is known for its accessibility, personified by its cheery animations – perhaps a significant factory in helping to ‘de-mystify’ the process of accessing meditation. As with many trailblazers, Headspace is not without its critics, particularly from more traditional buddhist meditation teachers who feel the approach has failed to honour spiritual and buddhist roots of some forms of meditation. Personally, I love it – and particularly enjoy the sleep casts – sophomoric bedtime stories almost guaranteed to lead you into the blissful land of nod.
Calm
A relatively new kid on the block, the Calm app was launched in 2012 and grew exponentially during the Covid lockdown years, as many people struggled with emotional wellbeing and feelings of isolation. The app guides users into improving mental wellbeing with seven-day long programs, daily highlights and stories to help induce sleep. Calm was named App of the Year in 2017 and In the first quarter of 2021 had accrued 7.52 million downloads worldwide. Users choose a topic that seems most pertinent – options include: Improving focus, reducing stress or anxiety, improving sleep quality. Although I am not personally a regular user (no particular reason other than the above two mentioned apps have kept me busy!) numerous students have recommended it with huge enthusiasm. A seven-day free trial can be accessed before signing up.
