Practicing meditation at home, especially during quarantine, might require some help. Arriving at a place of calm and undistracted mindfulness takes time, practice, and a bit of effort.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully aware or present of what is happening and where one is while remaining calm and not being overwhelmed by surrounding circumstances. It is an ability everyone has and meditation allows people to grow in mindfulness and be more in tune with their thoughts and emotions.
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), said, 'Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. And then I sometimes add, in the service of self-understanding and wisdom.'
Learning how to meditate might actually be stressful at first - where to start? Am I required to do Yoga? How long should I meditate? Here are the top 5 mediation apps that can help you find a rhythm during home quarantine.
Headspace
'Be kind to your mind' are the first words you'll encounter on their website. Starting a routine with Headspace begins with 'The Wake Up,' or daily short stories meant to inspire, motivate, and promote mindfulness.
The Headspace app guides users on how to meditate - whether you're a beginner or have been meditating for years. Users can choose a specific topic to focus on such as improving sleep, reducing stress, or help with self-esteem.
Each topic, or pack, contains several exercises while the app contains hundreds of meditation practices. Recently, they've collaborated with Snapchat set of sub-apps called Snap Minis.
Calm
As the name suggests, the app helps users find their calm. The main focus of the app is meditation sessions that help deal with stress while getting better sleep.
Sessions range between three and 25 minutes while the Calm app tracks daily progress and has programs that can last up to 21 days. Users can choose from a range of meditation practices such as breathing exercises or listen to nature sounds and sleep sounds while sleeping.
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Insight Timer
With Insight Timer, users can choose from a list of mindfulness teachers or just set the app's timer and meditate independently. One of the well-known instructors is comedian Russel Brand, who teaches how to find calm and serenity.
'If you're disturbed by the sound of uh, my children in the background, imagine how I feel...One of the things you discover as a parent is that you can't press pause on your children,' he said in one of his mediation sessions. Russel uses the app himself and finds the guided meditation sessions very useful.
Aura
This meditation app focuses on emotional well-being where users can choose their daily meditation style according to mood. Aura's goal is to help people manage their emotions to have restful sleep at the end of each day.
The app contains soothing music, meditation guides, life coaching, inspirational and empowering stories, as well as nature sounds. People can also keep track of their progress by writing entries in their 'Gratitude Journal.'
Pax Tandon, the author of Mindfulness Matters, said, 'Meditation apps are a great supplement to a mindfulness practice as they help you continue anytime, anywhere, putting the power of mindfulness in the palm of your hand.'
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