And now you’ll just have to meditate to get rid of that nice little ear worm, right? I could go into all the ways meditation can benefit you, but then this wouldn’t be readable in five minutes. Who am I kidding, it still won’t be — but I’m trying!
I have been meditating almost daily for a couple of years now. I don’t spend a lot of time — anywhere from a minute to maybe 20 minutes tops, but usually it’s about 5-10 minutes. I definitely notice a difference with even that short a practice — calmer and more able to roll with the punches — at least more often.
I like guided meditations. Sometimes I do sit and just breath, which is definitely beneficial, but I find that I get more out of meditation when someone is guiding/talking to me.
I am joining the Friday Five 2.0 from Fairytales & Fitness and Rachel @ Running on Happy to share with you some of my favorite meditation apps.
Calm
This is the app (find it here) that got me started with consistently meditating. I paid for unlimited access, but somewhere along the way, credit cards changed. I never did get around to re-subscribing, but I really enjoyed this app. There are several courses, and more than a hundred meditations
There are quite a few free meditations — you can choose to start a free trial (but will be billed the monthly subscription price automatically at the end of the trial) or just choose to explore the free content. There are no sports-specific mediations.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer (find the app here) has quickly become my favorite meditation app. Although you can pay for certain features, there’s so much that’s free, I’m not quite sure why people would pay. And there’s a lot more than just guided meditations, although that is what I usually use. I like to play some of the healing music sometimes, too. You can also just set a timer and meditate, and you set filters to only show you meditations of a certain length.
There are also talks, you can follow teachers you like, and see what’s popular and new. If you want to download your favorite meditations, that will cost you a small fee (I haven’t paid for that service). There are so many meditations, categories, and teachers that it can be a bit overwhelming choosing!
Primed Mind
Primed Mind (find the app here) has both guided meditations (they’re called Primers) and Courses — but I have not yet taken one of the courses. Some of the courses are definitely interesting, such as confidence, determination, and recovery.
There are both free and subscription Primers. There are fitness-specific Primers, but the vast majority of them require you to pay for the Pro version — which I did not. All the Primers I tried were about 10ish minutes long, with the same man, and really seemed to follow a pattern — starting out soft and slow, then revving up more and more until the end. They also seemed to be a cross between guided meditation and self hypnosis.
I do enjoy this app, but the pattern and having the same narrator for all the Primers can get old.
Alexa
Yes, you can meditate with Alexa, too. Yes, I actually still do use Alexa for many things. And she amuses us when she chimes in for no known reason, so there’s that, too. I haven’t used her much for meditation lately, because there’s so much to explore in Insight Timer, but a quick check shows a lot of meditation skills!
Here are two to try: “Alexa, open Mindful Meditation” and “Alexa, open Guided Meditation”. Google Alexa Meditation and try out a few on your own! The good news is that it doesn’t cost you anything. And I really should be trying it!
Danette May
I’m a huge Danette May fan, too. I enjoy the recipes, the workouts, and yes, the meditations. I think tying together mind, body, and spirit is important when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. You have to either join one of her challenges or join the community to have access to the meditations — but I definitely recommend it.
I’m sorry that I failed miserably with the whole “read it in five minutes” thing. I do hope you found something interesting — maybe even try out one of the apps and meditating. Hey, elite athletes meditate — if it’s good enough for them, right?
Talk to me. Leave a comment or answer a question:
Have you ever thought about meditating?
Do you just sit in stillness or do you use guided meditations?
Do you use an app I haven’t listed?
How do you relax?
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Thanks for this, Judy. I, too, love guided meditations. Here at the academy, one of the Brothers does a lovely guided meditation in our chapel once monthly, before school. When I worked in the Admission Office, I was able to attend. In Guidance, the hour before school is the busiest so I have not been able to participate for the last several years.
I will definitely look into those you suggest. I am especially interested in “Insight Timer.”
Again, thank you.
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Insight is my newest fav. Although I love a lot DM’s meditation & was just listening to one this morning.
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I do really aspire to be someone who enjoys meditation but just have not been able to get into yet. They do a guided 5 min at the end of my yoga class and I usually just fall asleep. I guess that;s a start! I need to check out some of your app ideas
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I actually didn’t meditate regularly until I started with Calm. I wish I could fall asleep that easily! Well, at bedtime I can.
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I have never done a guided meditation but I practice steady controlled breathing on my own to relax myself.
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Well, that’s meditation! I find I just feel more relaxed when someone is talking to me. Don’t know why. Even if it’s a guided breathing meditation.
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I have several friends that use the Calm app and they have recommended it to me. My issue is that I have such a hard time shutting my brain off to do any meditation! I’m really going to work on it though because as work gets busier this year, I will need new tips and tricks to keep calm 🙂
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The point of meditation isn’t to stop thinking, though. It’s to notice your thoughts and let them go.
And that’s why I like guided meditations — because I’m focusing on what they’re saying, I don’t have as much problem with my thoughts.
But you’re always going to be thinking. It’s the letting it go that relaxes you.
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Definitely too much text for 5 minutes! LOL
No I’m not a medication kind of gal. Wish I was.
Too much going on and too much to think about – work, family, sick friends, dying cat, and more……
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Brevity is not my strong suite. Unless it’s meditation (and I’m giggling at your typo — medication).
I am sorry about your friends & cat. I definitely have enough family stuff of my own. Which is exactly what meditation helps with.
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that darn phone auto- correct. You wouldn’t believe some of the funny mistakes it makes. You probably meant suit not suite. LOL
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I have used guided meditation occasionally, but in general it works better for me to have the phone far away during meditation, yoga, etc. So no apps for me.
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I have almost all of my notifications off, and generally I’m doing it at 5 am anyway. So the phone isn’t a problem for me. 🙂
I’m actually not a power user when it comes to the phone.
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I have tried meditation, but my mind is too “busy” to shut down and just be. I have the same issue with yoga …it’s really hard to just be in the moment and not be thinking of the days activities.
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As I was explaining to Kim (KookyRunner), shutting off your mind isn’t really the point of meditation. It’s to notice your thoughts & let them go — that’s what relaxes you.
I understand that it isn’t for everybody. There are also all sorts of yoga — they’re definitely not all relaxing, either — it can be a pretty tough workout!
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I’ve been eyeing Calm. Nice to know these others too. I think I would be very picky since I am so resistant to meditation — but intrigued too.
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Everyone who doesn’t meditate thinks it’s about not thinking. But it’s not. I was never resistant to it, but it took finding apps I like before I became a regular at it. It’s a rare day that I don’t spend at least 5 minutes meditating.
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Yes I’m a regular meditator (unlike my running!) I think the insight app is great and I recommend it to beginners- why pay all that money for ‘headspace’ when you can get it for free? There’s so much on there and you can save your faves though you need to stream them rather than download.
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There is a ton of stuff on Insight!
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When I see OM, to me that means Oddyssy OF the Mind (That’s what it stands for at my school)..lol
I didn’t understand why someone would pay for a meditation app but after reading this I feel like I at least need to check it out. Thanks for linking up with us!
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And I have no idea what you mean by Oddssy If the Mind!
If you try Insight timer, you really don’t need to pay for anything (unless you want it available in offline mode).
At least for the moment!
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I’ve been loving my yoga routines, I just wish youtube videos had a longer segment for corpse pose at the end. It’s nice to just lay there and listen to the calming music.
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Well, you can keep laying there. Just no music. 🙂
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