THE 5 BEST MEDITATION APPS TO BRING US SOME MINDFULNESS DURING QUARAN-TIMES

THESE APPS ARE HELPING TO BRING US SOME CALM AND INNER PEACE.

TEXT Logan Verlaque IMAGES Laure van Hijfte

WHAT A BETTER TIME TO GET YOUR ZEN ON?

Perhaps you’ve been dreaming of some uninterrupted days in which you can relax, reflect and take some time out of the day for yourself. And while these stay-in-place times may not be what anyone of us bargained for, filled with anxiety and fear for all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the time to improve yourself while stuck inside. We’ve been starting every morning with a few bouts of deep breaths and some guided meditations and have noticed how centering the practice has been during these unsettling times. Here are our favorite guiding forces to keeping calm during this crisis.

“Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help. ”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

CALM

Calm is one of our go-to meditation apps. Upon loading the app, you are greeted with soothing nature sounds. You can decide what you want to focus on, whether it is sleep or anxiety, etc. From there, you are presented with several options to choose from depending on your goals for the session, from 10-minute guided videos on mindful movement to songs geared to help you focus or sleep.

Calm has a 7 day free trial and is $70.00 annually.

HEADSPACE

Headspace is one of the most recognizable meditation apps on the market these days. Known as “your gym membership for the mind,” the principle behind this app is that your mind should be as exercised as your body. It is a great app for beginners as it has a ‘basics’ course to help you learn the principles of meditation and mindfulness.

Headspace has a 2 week free trial and is $70.00 annually.

INSCAPE

With meditations ranging in length from 5 to 88 minutes, Inscape is great for a morning meditation to put you in a good frame of mind to start the day (even if you’re not leaving your house). The app is organized by moments, whether you need “Study Chill,” or a “Dream Journey.” How you want to meditate and what you desire to achieve is up to you.

Inscape has a 7 day free trial and is $59.00 annually.

SIMPLE HABIT

Simple habit is dedicated to the busy on-the-go-er with no spare time. That’s why the app’s meditations are only 5 minutes long. However, these short sessions are just enough to center you and help you breathe. Users can choose topics of interest upon first loading the app, streamlining the process and helping to get you straight into a meditative state.

Simple Habit has a lot of free sessions, but is $90.00 annually.

STOP THINK AND BREATHE

This app asks that you check-in -choosing an adjective to describe how you feel- before starting any meditating. Using this information, the app will then suggest specific meditations or yoga practices to bring you back to center. This app is targeted to the under 25’s, but is equally effective for all ages, and even has a separate app for kids.

Stop Think and Breathe has 20 activities for free, and has a $59.oo annual membership available.