Image courtesy of Pixabay/sciencefreak
Have you ever been told there is ONE thing you should try to do daily?
That it would change things. Somehow make everything better.
So you try. But it’s harder than you thought. Especially sticking to it.
You feel like you re-live Mark Twain’s smoking adventure. He wrote, “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.”
So you give up. Until the next time, when someone tells you how much it changed their life. And that you REALLY should give it a chance.
This is my story of meditation.
You probably heard that mindfulness meditation is a great tool.
It decreases stress , anxiety, insomnia and a risk of heart disease. Researchers report that meditation also promotes creativity, focus and good relationships.
Almost immediately after I started this blog, a friend and colleague of mine, Anne Davies, shared with me her ideas about meditation.
She is convinced that a 3-minute practice is a key to focus, better studying and exam performance for students.
And I promised her to explore this further. I wasn’t expecting miracles but thought it might be a good ritual for me to develop.
Whether you are experienced or pretty new to meditation, the beauty is it can be done anywhere, anytime you need.
The goal is to find a comfortable place, close your eyes and concentrate on breathing.
Depending on which recommendation you follow, it’s typically good to start with 3-10 minutes a day.
So, several months ago I’ve decided to go for it.
Based on my previous experience, I wanted some help and guidance. I turned to my smartphone in search of good apps to help me get started.
These are some that I’ve tried and liked.
- Headspace and Calm are good apps, as both provide you with free, guided meditation programs. Headspace offers 10 days, while Calm has a 7-day free program. If you want to continue exploring their offerings beyond that, you’ll have to subscribe. Headspace charges $7.99/month with their annual subscription. But you’re likely to get their email discount once you’ll be close to completing the first 10 free sessions. Calm is $39.99 for year or $9.99/month.
- Stop, Breathe & Think was another app I’ve tried, and I like that it tries to evaluate your mood and recommend 15 free meditations accordingly. You’ll be asked to pay for other additional meditation sessions.
- If you are interested in shorter sessions (3-5 minutes), Mindfulness Daily ($1.99 on iTunes) offers reasonable options.
All of the apps track your progress and most have reminders (once or twice daily) to inspire you and help making meditation a daily practice.
Even though features vary, an important one is a voice of the app. Andy Puddicombe is British founder of Headspace, you hear his voice during guided meditations. Calm and Mindfulness Daily have female American voices. You’ll find you like some more than others.
- The last option I’ve tried this month is putting a smartphone timer and meditating to the relaxing sounds of Pandora Calm Meditation.
Most recommendations I read suggest meditating early each morning, before the craziness of the day begins.
I’ve tried this for the first 10 days. Eventually, I switched to an evening practice, something I do immediately before bed. A couple of times when I skipped my evening meditation, falling asleep was more difficult for me.
So if my post on sleep research resonated with you, meditation might become your friend.
[tweet]These 5 apps are a good place to start your daily meditation habit.[/tweet]Questions: Do you meditate? If so, what is your favorite practice/routine/tool/app? If not, would you consider giving this practice 30 days?
whoa this is so strange. Just last week I decided to incorporate meditation into my yoga practice…I was going to get on YouTube for some free meditation music but I will definitely try the apps now! Thank you so much for this post..!!
Janine, glad to hear this is helpful!
For the past year I have tried to practice yoga more and began meditating as well. These resources are very useful and helpful for home practice. Thank you again! Looking forward to the next post.
Thank you for sharing, Heather!
I have been practicing some form of daily meditation since July 17, 2009. The practice began with my husband, following the recorded meditations of Mark Thurston, at PTCI. Mike and I branched out from there and have tried P. Pennington recordings and David G online, and meditation CDs from the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, University of Mass Medical School.
The meditation times run from 10 minutes to 35 or 40 minutes. Meditation has brought me closer to my deepest self. It has brought deep physical well-being and awareness, and that deepening continues. Sometimes a new level will be reached in one day, and sometimes I feel the gradual building. Doing it in the morning in the same chair at the same time each day brought a variety of fascinating surprises about perception of reality. Each day different, each day unique. I will continue this journey.
Karen, thank you so much for your insight!
I do meditate, but with a spiritual purpose of knowing myself deep level.
15 minutes are minimum daily for progress and it has been rewarded.
At night, no apps, silence and my untamed mind are my 2 requisites.
Before bed or early morning. Any position.
Getting better everyday.
Nice post!
The best effect is happiness, blissful. I have never been happier from outside as I have been from within.
Thank you, Nayan, for sharing!
Lana, this is very helpful. I can’t believe how similar my path has been to yours. I have also tried everything and love Andy Puddicombe’s voice! He’s so calming. I have worked on becoming a regular meditator for years with no success.
This fall, I came across an eight-day, online program that has actually done the trick. It’s called zivaMIND from Emily Fletcher (www.zivamind.com) and after the 8 days, I am so excited to say that I kept on meditating. The program gets you up to two meditations per day of 15 minutes each. It’s been 52 days so far and I’ve only missed a couple times. I can’t say enough about Emily’s program. I recommend it for anyone who is committed to creating a daily practice.
Thank you so much, Robert! So excited to hear that you have been able to develop a daily practice. Will definitely check out zivaMIND program, thank you for the recommendation!