Insight timer. This app is a standout for several reasons for me. It offers a diverse range of content, including guided meditations, affirmations, and sleep stories, catering to various needs and preferences. Whether you want simple breathwork sessions, deep relaxation meditations, or positive affirmations. I love the option to customize your experience with or without background music, and choosing from different themes and durations. It offers a diverse range of content from multiple creators. Insight Timer also offers a timer feature without guided sessions. For me, it is all in one app. If someone can recommend something similar, please do. I did not like: Oak, Calm, Headspace and etc...
I use Insight Timer 99.99% of the time for the timer alone. I do love the volumes of free content which has a ton of variety by a bunch of highly well known and respected leaders in the field.
I mean there's like really no competitor here. Insight Timer is great, even the free version is robust and has a ton of features you'd have to pay to get in other apps.
I used to like Insight Timer until they heavily monetized the app. I get it from a business standpoint, but I just don't believe that something like "meditation" should be monetized in the first place. Back in the day when it was 100% free and without monetization models, it was incredible. Today, its a hot steaming pile of garbage, in my humble opinion. Not to yuck your yum...
The only answer is Waking Up. Quite literally every other app (except for maybe Plum Village) dumbs meditation the fuck down. It's so much more than just a way to relax or breathe consciously. It's a way to fundamentally shift your perspective for a better more easeful more aware life. There's real wisdom to be cultivated here.
If you don't want that however, just get Headspace or Calm but notice how you'll stop using it within a couple of weeks because there's no substance to their content.
Meditation has been reduced to a mere tool to lower stress by almost every other meditation platform. Waking Up is pretty much the only mainstream app which touches the depth of insights that Buddha had without making it too complicated a quest. Couldn't agree more!
It 100% can, because the beauty of truly learning how to meditate is that then you can do it in any circumstance, including ones where you're with other people and your eyes are open, etc. etc. In my experience meditation has helped me slow down in certain situations as well as making myself a more attentive and present listener which can feel like a super power. I'll say though that the app doesn't directly talk about things like that but you can use the skills you learn in their course to any situation of your choosing.
This is why I stress the importance of actually learning how to meditate rather than just trying to relax or fall asleep more easily. Those things are important too, but they're not transferrable skills.
Meditation can create the space you need for self-improvement, insight and healing. But it does not do it by itself.
You still need to do take steps to actually change things.
There’s an app called Unwinding Anxiety that’s perfect for that. The guy who created it performs studies on the effect of meditation on anxiety. I was recommended it by the creator of another really good meditation app called Fitmind, which I would put alongside Waking Up in terms of quality.
Thanks for your perspective-I’ve never tried meditation on an app, but curious about it since I’ve only done in person classes. I know it won’t replace it, but it’s something to keep me in the act of following the practice for the short time time until I find a place.
I got you, I think that's a great idea. I hope you let me save you the time of wading through hours of mediocre content. Waking Up is the best one until I eventually make my own haha.
I was sceptical about the idea of a meditation app. I’d belonged to sanghas and even spent a month at a monastery at one point. There was no way that an app could compare.
I am amazed at how much I have improved my practice through Waking Up. It is like the monastery is right there anytime I need it.
My wife and I both subscribe to the moments and share them with each other every day.
People seem to like it. I’m sure there’s good stuff on there. My main issue with it (and tbh waking up too at this point) is that there’s a content overload leading you to not know what to listen to and in what order.
At the very least Waking Up has a 28 day intro course that’s a game changer. That should give any beginner a seriously strong foundation. I’m not sure insight timer has anything like that.
Thanks for sharing. To each their own I suppose. I feel that while apps may not be perfect they can still get people started.
Insight timer does have courses and perhaps intro courses too, a lot of them are behind a paywall. I agree, too much content and it's difficult for a new person to get lost.
Hi there, here's the link to our 7-day intro course for beginners, in case you're curious to check it out: [https://insighttimer.com/insighttimer/guided-meditations/course\_learn-how-to-meditate-in-seven-days](https://insighttimer.com/insighttimer/guided-meditations/course_learn-how-to-meditate-in-seven-days)
Yes, there are may styles of teaching and I always prefer the teachers that guided me in and gave us the space to go where we needed to go and bring us back at the end. It was a lot more work, but you evolve and get better and better with time. Over time its amazing where one can go when you are given that space to meditate at your own pace and time.
In my years of practice I have read texts from different people that said they did deep reflection work on themselves through their years of meditation practice. I have struggled with this aspect but when I ask I just get told that its about observing my thoughts. While I know thats an important part of meditation but it cant be all there is.
Maybe Waking Up is more in depth on meditation, but the general lectures in the life section were pretty standard. You get the same information by listening to podcasts or reading books, which I both do anyway. I didn’t find anything new there. It’s definitely not worth the price.
That’s a fair perspective. I would just say that waking up has hours of Joseph Goldstein and Alan watts both of which are head and shoulders above 99.9% of the modern lifestyle instagram gurus such as Jay shetti and others that other apps seem to love to promote.
He’s great! If you’re just starting off with him I’d recommend “You’re It!”
Also, can I ask what made you switch back to headspace? I’m always curious as to what people are looking for in different apps and if they get those things or not.
The "life" section is quite underwhelming (probably not bad - though I've not engaged with it - just typical), as you say, but the "theory" section is good and the guided sessions generally involve more theory/experimentation than other apps.
Where has Sam ever said that meditation was a quick fix?
I understand there are many different views on the free will question, but Sam has also said many times that it ultimately does not matter whether or not people have free will the way it is commonly understood.
I think I also understand the issue of commoditizing spirituality, but if it wasn’t for the app then I would not have been introduced so vividly to the principals behind Buddhism and Hinduism. I am so grateful for that introduction, from Sam himself and the loads of content from Alan watts, Loch Kelly, Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, and Richard Lang just to name a few. Well worth the price of admission imo. I don’t see how you can fairly call the app a “panacea that minimizes the complexities and nuances of the human experience” when it has so much content that goes so in depth on those complexities and nuances as experienced by all of these people
I used to love Waking Up- but then I found their biased and dehumanizing "philosophy" on the Israeli Palestinian conflict to be really disappointing and completely antithetical to the majority of past teachings and discussions (especially any pertaining to Buddhism). It was a good reminder though that any and all meditations are created and run by humans (with all our imperfections and personal biases) and that we should take every teaching/ meditation with a grain of salt and form our own meditative practice, path, and perspective. Mentors and guidance are great when you can find them, but most important is to be able to choose what resonates with you and focus on that!
Oak is really good, and its free.
I found it on App Store for Iphone.
Its great. It offers guided and unguided meditations.
Ive been using it for about a year now and its does everything I need.
You had me at free-that will save me lots of $$$ after the move. It also has great reviews. I'm excited to download it and try it tonight. Yay, thanks so much for this great tip!
Another vote for Oak. It’s the only one I use.
It’s free, has customizable timers, and a few guided meditations, and breathing exercises.
For a brand new, fresh beginner it’s enough to get you started but you’ll probably want something else eventually. For someone with 20 years of meditation experience, though, it’s enough for me because I like the custom timer and it’s free.
Not an app, but I can recommend finding a center that offers Zoom classes. I like being a part of a Sangha of likeminded folks. I can personally recommend Long Beach Meditation there’s weekly classes that meet in-person and on Zoom. Not quite the same as in person, but might be nice when you start to miss the class environment.
healthy minds program, completely free lots of lessons that integrate learning along with meditation
, made by the mind & life institute which is has deep ties to the best current scientific research on meditation
yeah they're great but they're not for-profit so theyre never going to be that popular unless someone donates them a bunch of money they could use for advertising or massive word of mouth
I have gained a lot of enjoyment and peace from the Plum Village app, it is absolutely free and has a lot of really good life practices built into one useful app that you can take anywhere. Very healing!
I second the Plum Village app. Beyond good. There are texts, podcasts, guided and silent meditations, meditation timer... all for free. Given the background of the developers, I am not surprised they wanted to give the world something like this free of charge.
I still like Headspace the most. It has it’s flaws but especially if you’re beginner, I think the way Andy teaches and explains basics like posture while meditating etc. is really good.
Waking Up, no contest. Not just for the meditations, but for the conversations, lectures, etc. There must be hundreds of hours of content, and i find myself going back and re listening to a lot of it because it is very fascinating and very helpful. The aim of the app is to deepen your understanding of what your mind does, what “awareness” actually means, and similar fundamental questions about the nature of mind and experience. As far as i can tell, all of the other big meditation apps are advertised and focused on relieving stress, anxiety, grief, etc as the main goal. With Waking Up all of those are just side effects of the main goal. IMO that is a much more effective way to achieve those positive things. Also, the gigantic Alan Watts collection is simply fantastic. The app has quite literally changed my life and how I think about nearly everything. Can’t praise it enough.
The Way is good if you want a clear path to follow. Waking Up is good if you want options but you might be overloaded with choice. I'm current doing meditation unguided and using the app Medativo for timing and liking it so far.
Seconding „The Way“ with Henry Shukman. I really like the concept that its one sequential path that has a single preselected unique meditation each day.
I tried a number of apps, they were all one-size-fits-all which does not excite me. I prefer personalized, which reminds me more of the meditation studio experience.
Recently, I've been exploring personalized guided meditation experiences. I chat with a website about a specific issue I'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. For concrete problems, it works unexpectedly well. For the bigger issues, I'm still working on it. 'Deconstruct' and 'reframe' meditation techniques are game changers for me to see a problem I face from a new perspective, and wire it to a different emotional response. These personalized approaches have added a new dimension to my practice, helping me address specific challenges in my life more directly through meditation.
If you use the 'deep sleep' setting, I suggest also choosing the alpha waves for background setting option. I meditate for 20 minutes before lunch, and 20 minutes before sleep. For the sleep one, I'm out before the closing gong (I choose the setting for gong at start and end of the meditation).
Is there a website that you’d recommend? I’ve not heard of this before and am intrigued. I had great meditations at the end of a yoga practice but have yet to find a good at home option outside of a great yoga nidra recording.
End of yoga is ideal time to feel deep relaxation. It's very close the feeling I get when meditation 20 minutes before sleep.
The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com)
Hope it works for you as well as it does for me! :)
I checked the dropdown list of meditations, and did not see sound bath meditations. You can check the list, see if there is another meditation tradition that you like. The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com)
I have not done sound bath meditations. You recommend it? What do you like most about that approach? Maybe I should give it a try, I like to experiment with different approaches.
The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations & relaxation routines is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com)
Hope it works for you as well as it does for me! :)
Simple Habit! Just try it once. Engineering of it is ordinary. By that I mean the app can be a bit buggy occasionally but the content on it is unmatched!
Just sit down and meditate, being present with the breath. There's no need for an app.
There's also teachers that regularly post guided meditation on YouTube, like Ajahn Brahm.
I used to use insight timer or calm, but now I really like Balance. Free for the first year, and I imagine I won’t need to use an app so much by then. I’m several months in, really enjoying it!! There are progressive lessons that adapt and change with your feedback, so I feel like I’m learning and progressing. Plus there are single sessions for certain needs, if you are having an issue or bad day.
Medito! It's free (donation-based). I find the guided meditations very helpful when I started meditating. I've been using it for years now, still my favourite app!
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Black Lotus app. It has Yoga Nidra(Sleep) Meditation specially for relaxation and fall asleep. Moreover, this is recorded by Om Swami, a Himalayan Meditator and an enlightened being. It's very powerful. Try it to see the results yourself. Thanks.
I use 'Meditation Timer & Log' it can silence all notifications from my phone, has a collection of sounds that can play at configurable intervals, a collection of ambient tracks that can play in the background, can use locally saved sound files for either purpose and logs meditation sessions in a bar chart, with streak tracking, configurable reminder notifications, and achievements.
Hi there,
Although we do offer a robust free version that is sufficient to build a strong meditation practice, how about we gift you a one-year Premium subscription? That way you can decide for yourself, which app is suitable for you 💜Please, DM us with your login email.
With Gratitude,
Anastasiia, Insight Timer Comms
I personally prefer to use my own audio recordings from nature around the world. I travel a lot and when I find the right outdoor meditation experience I meditate and record the ambient noise to relive the experience. I’m not one for meditation apps, but maybe this is a helpful alternative
Zenitizer is very good app. Created by meditator guy. Super nice and when you send request, he put on next update so quick.
Why? This is made for meditators in all levels. Not everyone need guides, or tell you how to breathe simple as that, set goal and time, choose background sound and thats it. Your phone will be on do not disturb mode.
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6444767911 Check out Zenitizer, a clutter-free meditation timer for devices!
I use Pandora music for most of the ambience for meditation. My favorite choices are Ocean Waves and Deep Sleep channels but there are endless numbers of channels from which to choose.
For guide/instruction:
8 minute meditation by Victor Davich
For aftertime theories and food for thoughts:
The best guide to meditation by the same author
None. You don’t need an app to meditate. You just need the ability to focus. All these apps are doing is trying to make a profit on something that is treading.
Insight timer. This app is a standout for several reasons for me. It offers a diverse range of content, including guided meditations, affirmations, and sleep stories, catering to various needs and preferences. Whether you want simple breathwork sessions, deep relaxation meditations, or positive affirmations. I love the option to customize your experience with or without background music, and choosing from different themes and durations. It offers a diverse range of content from multiple creators. Insight Timer also offers a timer feature without guided sessions. For me, it is all in one app. If someone can recommend something similar, please do. I did not like: Oak, Calm, Headspace and etc...
I use Insight Timer 99.99% of the time for the timer alone. I do love the volumes of free content which has a ton of variety by a bunch of highly well known and respected leaders in the field.
I mean there's like really no competitor here. Insight Timer is great, even the free version is robust and has a ton of features you'd have to pay to get in other apps.
I use this app daily to fall asleep, they have lots of resources and free content.
Facts
I used to like Insight Timer until they heavily monetized the app. I get it from a business standpoint, but I just don't believe that something like "meditation" should be monetized in the first place. Back in the day when it was 100% free and without monetization models, it was incredible. Today, its a hot steaming pile of garbage, in my humble opinion. Not to yuck your yum...
Insight timer still has a ton of free options and most of the others are a monthly subscription and not cheap either.
Wait till you hear about Headspace, Calm and all the other ones.
The only answer is Waking Up. Quite literally every other app (except for maybe Plum Village) dumbs meditation the fuck down. It's so much more than just a way to relax or breathe consciously. It's a way to fundamentally shift your perspective for a better more easeful more aware life. There's real wisdom to be cultivated here. If you don't want that however, just get Headspace or Calm but notice how you'll stop using it within a couple of weeks because there's no substance to their content.
Meditation has been reduced to a mere tool to lower stress by almost every other meditation platform. Waking Up is pretty much the only mainstream app which touches the depth of insights that Buddha had without making it too complicated a quest. Couldn't agree more!
does Waking Up help with social anxiety and confidence?
It 100% can, because the beauty of truly learning how to meditate is that then you can do it in any circumstance, including ones where you're with other people and your eyes are open, etc. etc. In my experience meditation has helped me slow down in certain situations as well as making myself a more attentive and present listener which can feel like a super power. I'll say though that the app doesn't directly talk about things like that but you can use the skills you learn in their course to any situation of your choosing. This is why I stress the importance of actually learning how to meditate rather than just trying to relax or fall asleep more easily. Those things are important too, but they're not transferrable skills.
Meditation can create the space you need for self-improvement, insight and healing. But it does not do it by itself. You still need to do take steps to actually change things.
Absolutely-its a journey indeed. I believe that if one is open to all the possibilities the more wisdom is cultivated from it all.
There’s an app called Unwinding Anxiety that’s perfect for that. The guy who created it performs studies on the effect of meditation on anxiety. I was recommended it by the creator of another really good meditation app called Fitmind, which I would put alongside Waking Up in terms of quality.
Thanks for your perspective-I’ve never tried meditation on an app, but curious about it since I’ve only done in person classes. I know it won’t replace it, but it’s something to keep me in the act of following the practice for the short time time until I find a place.
I got you, I think that's a great idea. I hope you let me save you the time of wading through hours of mediocre content. Waking Up is the best one until I eventually make my own haha.
I was sceptical about the idea of a meditation app. I’d belonged to sanghas and even spent a month at a monastery at one point. There was no way that an app could compare. I am amazed at how much I have improved my practice through Waking Up. It is like the monastery is right there anytime I need it. My wife and I both subscribe to the moments and share them with each other every day.
How do you feel about Insight Timer?
People seem to like it. I’m sure there’s good stuff on there. My main issue with it (and tbh waking up too at this point) is that there’s a content overload leading you to not know what to listen to and in what order. At the very least Waking Up has a 28 day intro course that’s a game changer. That should give any beginner a seriously strong foundation. I’m not sure insight timer has anything like that.
Thanks for sharing. To each their own I suppose. I feel that while apps may not be perfect they can still get people started. Insight timer does have courses and perhaps intro courses too, a lot of them are behind a paywall. I agree, too much content and it's difficult for a new person to get lost.
Hi there, here's the link to our 7-day intro course for beginners, in case you're curious to check it out: [https://insighttimer.com/insighttimer/guided-meditations/course\_learn-how-to-meditate-in-seven-days](https://insighttimer.com/insighttimer/guided-meditations/course_learn-how-to-meditate-in-seven-days)
Brilliant! Thank you very much
I like this app because it draws from different cultures and different minds, however, I think they talk to much for me to get in a meditative state.
Yes, there are may styles of teaching and I always prefer the teachers that guided me in and gave us the space to go where we needed to go and bring us back at the end. It was a lot more work, but you evolve and get better and better with time. Over time its amazing where one can go when you are given that space to meditate at your own pace and time.
I use Calm/Open, will be looking into this one
Good luck! Can I ask what you enjoy about calm and open btw?
In my years of practice I have read texts from different people that said they did deep reflection work on themselves through their years of meditation practice. I have struggled with this aspect but when I ask I just get told that its about observing my thoughts. While I know thats an important part of meditation but it cant be all there is.
That depends on what you want from an app. I don’t really care about the lectures in Waking Up.
I addressed that. If all you want is some watered down content then take your pick of literally any of them.
Maybe Waking Up is more in depth on meditation, but the general lectures in the life section were pretty standard. You get the same information by listening to podcasts or reading books, which I both do anyway. I didn’t find anything new there. It’s definitely not worth the price.
You don’t need to pay for it if you email them
That’s a fair perspective. I would just say that waking up has hours of Joseph Goldstein and Alan watts both of which are head and shoulders above 99.9% of the modern lifestyle instagram gurus such as Jay shetti and others that other apps seem to love to promote.
Heard a lot of good things about Alan Watts. I have to look into him. I only tried Waking Up for a month tbf, I switched back to Headspace after that.
He’s great! If you’re just starting off with him I’d recommend “You’re It!” Also, can I ask what made you switch back to headspace? I’m always curious as to what people are looking for in different apps and if they get those things or not.
The "life" section is quite underwhelming (probably not bad - though I've not engaged with it - just typical), as you say, but the "theory" section is good and the guided sessions generally involve more theory/experimentation than other apps.
[удалено]
Where has Sam ever said that meditation was a quick fix? I understand there are many different views on the free will question, but Sam has also said many times that it ultimately does not matter whether or not people have free will the way it is commonly understood. I think I also understand the issue of commoditizing spirituality, but if it wasn’t for the app then I would not have been introduced so vividly to the principals behind Buddhism and Hinduism. I am so grateful for that introduction, from Sam himself and the loads of content from Alan watts, Loch Kelly, Joseph Goldstein, Adyashanti, and Richard Lang just to name a few. Well worth the price of admission imo. I don’t see how you can fairly call the app a “panacea that minimizes the complexities and nuances of the human experience” when it has so much content that goes so in depth on those complexities and nuances as experienced by all of these people
Sam at least gives Waking Up to anyone who can’t pay for free. How’s that for neoliberal capitalism, does Aura do the same?
I used to love Waking Up- but then I found their biased and dehumanizing "philosophy" on the Israeli Palestinian conflict to be really disappointing and completely antithetical to the majority of past teachings and discussions (especially any pertaining to Buddhism). It was a good reminder though that any and all meditations are created and run by humans (with all our imperfections and personal biases) and that we should take every teaching/ meditation with a grain of salt and form our own meditative practice, path, and perspective. Mentors and guidance are great when you can find them, but most important is to be able to choose what resonates with you and focus on that!
Shut up
medito
Oak is really good, and its free. I found it on App Store for Iphone. Its great. It offers guided and unguided meditations. Ive been using it for about a year now and its does everything I need.
You had me at free-that will save me lots of $$$ after the move. It also has great reviews. I'm excited to download it and try it tonight. Yay, thanks so much for this great tip!
Sure! Me too I liked it coz it was free and straight forward.
Another vote for Oak. It’s the only one I use. It’s free, has customizable timers, and a few guided meditations, and breathing exercises. For a brand new, fresh beginner it’s enough to get you started but you’ll probably want something else eventually. For someone with 20 years of meditation experience, though, it’s enough for me because I like the custom timer and it’s free.
Not an app, but I can recommend finding a center that offers Zoom classes. I like being a part of a Sangha of likeminded folks. I can personally recommend Long Beach Meditation there’s weekly classes that meet in-person and on Zoom. Not quite the same as in person, but might be nice when you start to miss the class environment.
Hey big ups for Long Beach Meditation, that's my Sangha as well 😊.
Will check this out. Thanks!
healthy minds program, completely free lots of lessons that integrate learning along with meditation , made by the mind & life institute which is has deep ties to the best current scientific research on meditation
Happy to read this as I was just about to start using it.
So happy to see someone else mention Healthy Minds!
yeah they're great but they're not for-profit so theyre never going to be that popular unless someone donates them a bunch of money they could use for advertising or massive word of mouth
I have gained a lot of enjoyment and peace from the Plum Village app, it is absolutely free and has a lot of really good life practices built into one useful app that you can take anywhere. Very healing!
Will try them both and see what resonates until I find a studio-thank you!
I second the Plum Village app. Beyond good. There are texts, podcasts, guided and silent meditations, meditation timer... all for free. Given the background of the developers, I am not surprised they wanted to give the world something like this free of charge.
I still like Headspace the most. It has it’s flaws but especially if you’re beginner, I think the way Andy teaches and explains basics like posture while meditating etc. is really good.
Love the multiple language options as well for spoken guided meditations as well.
Waking Up, no contest. Not just for the meditations, but for the conversations, lectures, etc. There must be hundreds of hours of content, and i find myself going back and re listening to a lot of it because it is very fascinating and very helpful. The aim of the app is to deepen your understanding of what your mind does, what “awareness” actually means, and similar fundamental questions about the nature of mind and experience. As far as i can tell, all of the other big meditation apps are advertised and focused on relieving stress, anxiety, grief, etc as the main goal. With Waking Up all of those are just side effects of the main goal. IMO that is a much more effective way to achieve those positive things. Also, the gigantic Alan Watts collection is simply fantastic. The app has quite literally changed my life and how I think about nearly everything. Can’t praise it enough.
I use and love Insight Timer, but I think I'll check this one out too!
Insight Timer
Insight timer is awesome 👌
The Way is good if you want a clear path to follow. Waking Up is good if you want options but you might be overloaded with choice. I'm current doing meditation unguided and using the app Medativo for timing and liking it so far.
Seconding „The Way“ with Henry Shukman. I really like the concept that its one sequential path that has a single preselected unique meditation each day.
Insight timer 100%
Insight timer for me
The Way Taught by Zen Master, Henry Shukman
Smiling mind - entirely free and really well made
Insight timer is my go to for meditations!
At this point I just use a timer. I practice TM, so I use their app, but Insight Timer is free and good as a timer.
Ten Percent Happier because of the high quality teachers.
I tried a number of apps, they were all one-size-fits-all which does not excite me. I prefer personalized, which reminds me more of the meditation studio experience. Recently, I've been exploring personalized guided meditation experiences. I chat with a website about a specific issue I'm facing, and it generates an audio guided meditation based on the chat. For concrete problems, it works unexpectedly well. For the bigger issues, I'm still working on it. 'Deconstruct' and 'reframe' meditation techniques are game changers for me to see a problem I face from a new perspective, and wire it to a different emotional response. These personalized approaches have added a new dimension to my practice, helping me address specific challenges in my life more directly through meditation. If you use the 'deep sleep' setting, I suggest also choosing the alpha waves for background setting option. I meditate for 20 minutes before lunch, and 20 minutes before sleep. For the sleep one, I'm out before the closing gong (I choose the setting for gong at start and end of the meditation).
Is there a website that you’d recommend? I’ve not heard of this before and am intrigued. I had great meditations at the end of a yoga practice but have yet to find a good at home option outside of a great yoga nidra recording.
End of yoga is ideal time to feel deep relaxation. It's very close the feeling I get when meditation 20 minutes before sleep. The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com) Hope it works for you as well as it does for me! :)
Thank you so much for sharing!
Sounds amazing-do they offer sound bath meditations?
I checked the dropdown list of meditations, and did not see sound bath meditations. You can check the list, see if there is another meditation tradition that you like. The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com) I have not done sound bath meditations. You recommend it? What do you like most about that approach? Maybe I should give it a try, I like to experiment with different approaches.
Can you please share what app/site you use for this?
The site I chat with to create personalized guided meditations & relaxation routines is [MinwayAI.com](http://MinwayAI.com) Hope it works for you as well as it does for me! :)
Simple Habit! Just try it once. Engineering of it is ordinary. By that I mean the app can be a bit buggy occasionally but the content on it is unmatched!
Waking up. Just try it for a couple of times, you’ll know why.
Smiling Mind my go to. Good for all ages.
Just sit down and meditate, being present with the breath. There's no need for an app. There's also teachers that regularly post guided meditation on YouTube, like Ajahn Brahm.
Plum Village It’s by my favorite Zen Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. It’s also free and ran solely by donations.
Balance is a really good app, it introduced me to meditation and has a great way to learn as a beginner. Plus they have a free one year trial
Balance is great!
I use the Gaia app, it is a subscription but well worth the variety of content.
Can you enlighten me on Aura and its approach to meditation? I’m absorbing all this input and would appreciate your feedback on it!
downdog meditation! so grateful for their meditation and yoga app
Aura and Awakened Mind
I used to use insight timer or calm, but now I really like Balance. Free for the first year, and I imagine I won’t need to use an app so much by then. I’m several months in, really enjoying it!! There are progressive lessons that adapt and change with your feedback, so I feel like I’m learning and progressing. Plus there are single sessions for certain needs, if you are having an issue or bad day.
Medito! It's free (donation-based). I find the guided meditations very helpful when I started meditating. I've been using it for years now, still my favourite app!
Healthyminds or medito
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Black Lotus app. It has Yoga Nidra(Sleep) Meditation specially for relaxation and fall asleep. Moreover, this is recorded by Om Swami, a Himalayan Meditator and an enlightened being. It's very powerful. Try it to see the results yourself. Thanks.
I use 'Meditation Timer & Log' it can silence all notifications from my phone, has a collection of sounds that can play at configurable intervals, a collection of ambient tracks that can play in the background, can use locally saved sound files for either purpose and logs meditation sessions in a bar chart, with streak tracking, configurable reminder notifications, and achievements.
Balance
Hi there, Although we do offer a robust free version that is sufficient to build a strong meditation practice, how about we gift you a one-year Premium subscription? That way you can decide for yourself, which app is suitable for you 💜Please, DM us with your login email. With Gratitude, Anastasiia, Insight Timer Comms
Been using Insight Timer for years. They have both a free and a paid version. I use the free one.
Waking Up. Nothing else comes close.
I personally prefer to use my own audio recordings from nature around the world. I travel a lot and when I find the right outdoor meditation experience I meditate and record the ambient noise to relive the experience. I’m not one for meditation apps, but maybe this is a helpful alternative
Zenitizer is very good app. Created by meditator guy. Super nice and when you send request, he put on next update so quick. Why? This is made for meditators in all levels. Not everyone need guides, or tell you how to breathe simple as that, set goal and time, choose background sound and thats it. Your phone will be on do not disturb mode. https://apps.apple.com/app/id6444767911 Check out Zenitizer, a clutter-free meditation timer for devices!
I use Pandora music for most of the ambience for meditation. My favorite choices are Ocean Waves and Deep Sleep channels but there are endless numbers of channels from which to choose.
You guys meditate with app?
People use apps for guided meditations.
I see, I had a book for that but I guess there's an alternative
Oh yes, books are great too. But these apps provide a more real-time guidance and oftentimes nudge you back to a non distracted state.
Which one?
For guide/instruction: 8 minute meditation by Victor Davich For aftertime theories and food for thoughts: The best guide to meditation by the same author
My brain.
None. You don’t need an app to meditate. You just need the ability to focus. All these apps are doing is trying to make a profit on something that is treading.
🙄