This year’s election is upon us, which is enough of a reason for most Americans to be in dire need of a mental health break. The need for self-care is evident within the Black community, where we’ve been speaking on racial injustice, depression and more on a larger scale than in the past. Meditation is a great way to preserve your mental health and sanity during these seemingly tumultuous times.
When it comes to self-care, meditation is one of the best ways to refresh your mind, body and spirit. The perks of meditating are endless, from being more energized, to having increased concentration and performance, adopting a meditation practice is a must. Meditating also helps improve overall moods and helps to ensure sound sleep at night. One thing most people do not realize is that meditation also takes practice and discipline. Like any good habit, meditating must be done regularly to reap the full spectrum of rewards.
Check out our picks for 3 meditation app must-haves, that will help you begin and maintain a healthy meditation regimen.
Calm
Operating System: Android or IOS
User: Budding Buddha
The Calm app contains a library of meditations as well as meditation “scenes” that users are able to watch. Although they do have some free meditations, the full library of meditations becomes available with a subscription, 4.99/month when you pay for an entire year or 12.99/month monthly. Users who register but do not subscribe have access to the 7 days of calm program, to help initiate beginners into the practice of meditation. Once a user feels ready for more programs, they become a subscriber and gain access to Calm’s entire library. Where Calm really shines is that it contains guided meditations and unguided meditations that rely on scenes and sounds. The meditation scenes (think interactive screensaver that has sound) take the user to peaceful places like a fireside, cloud, or summer meadow.
Sattva
Operating System: Android or IOS
User: Buddha on a Budget
Sattva boasts a community of users who use the app to track the time they spend meditating. Users can accept challenges and earn rewards for being consistent, as well as listen to guided meditations and even chants! Another great thing about the app is that it helps users gain insight into whether or not the meditations are improving their quality of life. Features like the mood tracker, heart rate monitor, and insights engine allow users to understand the value in meditation, and inspire them to do it consistently. In addition to all the great product features, Sattva is also free, so for the Buddha on a budget, this just may be the app you need to get started with meditation.
Buddhify
Operating System: Android or IOS
User: Advanced Buddha
Buddhify is for users who already know the drill and are ready to jump right into their meditations. Available for both IOS and Android, users from around the globe pay $2.99 for access to 11 guided meditations and 80 tracks (for a total of 11 hours of content) that contains background music (which can be used for personal meditations or listened to while working on daily activities). Buddhify does some heavy lifting for its users in categorizing their meditations in categories such as “Going to Sleep,” “At Home,” “Difficult Emotions & Dealing with Pain,” “Traveling” and more. Buddhify also allows users to ask a meditation expert questions about their practice, making the app worth the $2.99 fee.
Elizabeth Aguirre is a Digital Writer and Retail Design Project Manager living and working in Chicago, Il. When she’s not tweeting about social justice issues, she can be found meditating or blogging at cultureofthechi.com.
