5 free guided meditation apps to cultivate inner peace
IN THE wake of the pandemic, guided meditation became a staple for mental health, as we moved towards practising mindfulness in an effort to keep sane in our fastpaced world.
Stress is rampant, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there was a surge of mindfulness apps in 2020 when the pandemic bit.
According to the Wall Street Journal, between 2015 and 2018, more than 2 000 new guided meditation apps were launched globally.
Naomi Marshak, a professional yogi at The Shala Cape Town Yoga School said, “There are two types of mindfulness meditation. Silent meditation is done by yourself, as you look inwardly to find inner peace. Guided meditation involves listening to a trained professional as they calmly lead you through your practice.
“This might feel like an invasion of privacy at first, considering people associate meditation with silence and stillness, but once you grapple with the power of meditation, having a guide becomes important to your spiritual growth.”
Here are five free guided meditation apps that can help cultivate true inner peace:
Ten Percent Happier Meditation This is perfect for beginners looking to master the art of concentration.
The app even has a podcast titled More Than A Feeling, where the host, Saleem Reshamwala, seeks answers about the nature of meditation.
He interviews neuroscientists, esoteric historians, psychologists and philosophers to see how ordinary people navigate their emotions.
Reshamwala interrogates the human condition and helps listeners define feelings in relation to others. Calm
If you are looking to improve the quality of your sleep, you should download the award-winning mindfulness meditation app Calm, whether you’re a meditation enthusiast or not.
It offers meditation masterclasses, relaxing guided meditations and even stories to help you sleep.
It’s available on IOS and Android, but also on desktop, and according to Healthline, has seen more than 100 million downloads worldwide. Breathwrk
A large part of the practice of mindfulness involves breathing – and Breathwrk is the best meditation app for learning and practising techniques.
It has a user-friendly interface with a calming layout that reflects the focus that people who mediate want to emulate. You will learn how to take breathing from a passive act, to a mindful act.
Smiling Mind
This is a meditation app developed by psychologists and educators for children aged 7 and up, in several daily routines like school, sports etc. Lessons are simple and easy to follow. Headspace
Headspace has been heralded as the people’s choice in mindfulness and guided meditation.
The app guides listeners through eight supportive meditation techniques taken from Tibetan Buddhism and Burmese ancient traditions.
All the guided meditations are narrated by Andy Puddicombe, a world-renowned writer and TV presenter with expertise in mindfulness and meditation.
If you want to start your mental health journey towards a tranquil, clear mind, familiarising yourself with the basics of guided meditation, Headspace is ideal.
The success of the app has led to the development of an interactive Netflix series that personalises the listener’s experience according to their mindset or mood.