The world can be a stressful place, so it’s perfectly reasonable to take a moment for yourself to re-calibrate your mind. The use of meditation and mindfulness activities has become extremely popular over recent years, but many people struggle to sit long enough to reap the rewards – and many don’t even think they have the time for such activities. Luckily, we live in a world where smartphone apps allow us to do pretty much anything on the go, and the same goes for mindfulness activities. With this in mind, we’ve put together eight of the best mindfulness apps.
Why Are Mindfulness Apps So Popular?
Mindfulness apps are extremely popular because people are constantly searching for ways to alleviate the pressures bought on by life, and these apps are extremely accessible. Additionally, ever since the global pandemic forced much of the global population into lockdown, people had the opportunity to take stock and find a higher sense of self-awareness.
What Makes the Best Mindfulness Apps?
There are countless mindfulness apps on the marketplace, but they’re not all that great, so what sets them apart? Typically, a good mindfulness platform will be backed up by research and input from industry experts. Additionally, many apps will have a specialism like “getting better sleep” or “switching off after work” – these niche areas help to establish the lines between each app.
Outside of the direction and expertise behind each app, a good app will always be great value for money, have a simple user interface, and be a clear point of contact in the event of any issues.
The Best Meditation Apps UK
1. Calm
Calm is a fantastic app that’s packed with a variety of different meditation and mindfulness activities. The guided sessions range from 3 minutes to 25, and there’s an extensive catalogue of topics including breathing exercises, getting better sleep, keeping calm at work, being thankful, and reducing anxiety. As well as a large back catalogue, you’ll never get bored because there are new meditations uploaded daily.
When you sign up with Calm, you get a 7-day trial to decide if it’s the right app for you. After this, you’ll have to pay £39.99 (charged annually) or £399.99 for lifetime access. Even though there’s no monthly option, you’re never locked into the annual billing because you can cancel at any time.
2. Headspace
Headspace is one of the most recognised mindfulness apps on the marketplace, and the main reason is how versatile it is. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to relax, fall asleep, become more productive, get more organised, or adopt better habits – there will be a guided meditation to suit your needs.
If you’re a newcomer to the world of meditation, Headspace is the perfect app for you. There are quite literally hundreds of different guided meditations, and there are also helpful animations to make the platform accessible to children.
You do have to pay to use the platform, but it’s only £9.99 a month (£49.99 annually) and you’re able to try it for seven days before you commit.
3. Aura
If you’re looking for something slightly different, you should take a look at Aura, which works a little like Spotify but it’s designed for meditation. Essentially, the more you interact with the platform, the more likely you are to find daily mediations you’re interested in because the algorithm learns. There are countless themes within the app including:
- Personal growth.
- Parenting.
- Morning.
- Love and relationships.
- Kids.
- Sleep.
- Anxiety.
- Stress.
- Happiness.
Within the Aura app, you can even track your moods and feelings, which allows you to look for recurring patterns. For example, you might feel more anxious late in the evening, letting you address your routine and make positive changes.
The cost of an annual subscription to Aura is £45.25 per year, and there’s also the option to pay monthly or one single payment for a lifetime license.
4. Insight Timer
If you’re looking for support from industry-recognised experts, then Insight Timer is the mindfulness app for you. You can tailor each activity to suit your needs by inputting how much time you have and what style you’d like. Alternatively, you can simply set a meditation timer and practice with zero guidance. To make this app more engaging, you can keep track of your hard work and you get to earn rewards, which will keep you wanting to return for more.
You can download this app on iOS or Play Store completely free, but you’ll need to pay for a small monthly subscription of around £9.99 if you want to get the most out of the app.
5. Glo
If you find exercising pretty calming, then you’ll love Glo because it merges the world of fitness with the world of mindfulness. Every guided meditation is delivered by a reputable teacher, you can tailor your activity to suit your skill level and time allowance, and there’s a wide variety of focus topics you can choose from. As well as guided meditation, you will find a variety of Pilates and yoga sessions, which will help with finding your zen.
You can try Glo for 7 days, and then pay around £15.99 per month, which isn’t bad when you consider how much you get access to.
6. Sattva
Meditation practices can be traced back to 1500 BCE when Hindus practised Vendatism. Sattva draws on the past by bringing an authentic experience to its users. Every guided meditation is at least 6 minutes long, and you will also find a range of different sounds including mantras, Sanskrit scholar music, and sacred sounds. If you’re wanting to learn more about the past and get in touch with your inner self, Sattva is the perfect choice.
You can access all content on the Sattva for as little as £9.17 monthly, £35.30 annually, or a one-off payment of £282.44.
7. Smiling Mind
Put together by educators and psychologists, Smiling Mind is designed to entice people to practice wellness and mindfulness. There are plenty of meditations on this app, and they’re all split up into 10-minute activities that can be filtered by topic and age.
One of the best parts about the Smiling Mind app is how accessible it is, as you can access the entire platform free of charge forever.
8. Buddhify
The Buddhify app is great for anyone looking to meditate on the mood, and it can help with all kinds of issues including challenging emotions, sleep problems, general pain, anxiety, and stress. The content is designed by several different teachers, meaning you can choose a voice that helps you to relax. Every activity on the Buddhify app is designed around specific locations as well as needs including work, travel, and eating, meaning you can do your meditations wherever you are.
The Buddhify app is available on both Android and iOS, and it can be accessed for as little as £24 per year.
Practising mindfulness daily can have a profoundly positive impact on your overall health, and it’s been proven to reduce depression and anxiety – as well as lowering blood pressure and making it easier to get to sleep. If you’re one of the billions of people with a smartphone in your hand, you’ve got no excuses for trying out one of the incredible mindful apps outlined above.