Suggestions for meditation apps, or go back to Calm or Headspace?
@mat_sherman and I have been talking about meditation and I was remembering I had tested out @Calm and @Headspace. I searched forums and see references to these in convos 5 years ago. They still seem like the main contenders, but I also just downloaded @Insight Timer App @Breathwrk and https://www.meditatehappier.com/ too.
Anyone have experience with any of these? I'm new to meditation, have tried it a few times but have yet to build a habit and need to! Any recs are greatly appreciated!
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Very interested in meditation, been meditating for years, mostly using Youtube ones also from specific teachers. Heard very good things about Calm and Headspace. While most people say even 5min it's effective ... my/our experience is the brain needs between 30-45 min to actually get into those brainwaves that are actually transformative. At least for people that are very much in their head and mental.
Quick question: Personally and as a family we're really struggling finding in-person meditation groups. Kind of like alternative to churches where we can meet with others and meditate, socialize, make friends, community, etc. Anyone else struggling with this or interested in in-person meditation/healing/support groups that don't have any strings attached?
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@ovidiudonciu Thanks this insight was helpful. Yea, I'm basically at the point of I need to just get started, a few minutes commitment to build it into a habit first before trying to tackle longer stretches. Who are the specific people who recommend to follow?
Definitely start small and based on the end goal, get deeper. Again, based on the end goal, if you want to get specific and deeper, Joe Dispenza. He also has books and stuff, and it's very scientifically based.
I’ve bounced between Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer too, Leeann and here's what actually stuck for me as a beginner:
Insight Timer was surprisingly helpful in the early days. I loved that it had short, no-fluff meditations under 5 minutes and a massive free library. The “Daily Check-In” feature also subtly nudged me into a habit without guilt.
Breathwrk feels less meditative, more physiological great if you're feeling anxious or need a quick reset vs. deep mindfulness.
Surprisingly, I got into meditation after pairing Insight Timer with a wearable (Oura in my case). Seeing the real-time HRV shift made it more tangible and rewarding.
If you’re trying to build the habit, I’d say: go with whichever app lets you start without pressure or perfect form. And don’t underestimate how much something like “1 min a day” can compound.
Would love to hear how you vibe with Meditate Happier haven’t tried that one yet!
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Hey Leeann @ph_leeanntrang I've been meditating for over 2 decades and since last few years I'm using Muse for meditation. It's not an app but a neurofeedback device which really helped me. Also you might want to check Mendi, it's again a neurofeedback device aiming to improve concentration.
Best,
Can
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@abdgurcantr Thanks for sharing! I did a quick google search and read up more on the Muse device and found this person's experience compelling! I will definitely take a look into this!
I'm a big fan of Insight Timer. It's simple but I've found myself bookmarking specific meditations and revisiting them often.
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@vivian_chaves Thanks for sharing! I will def check it out!
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I always love seeing people getting into meditation! I've been meditating for over 10 years now. It's easily one of the most impactful things you can do for improving your overall wellbeing and just enjoying life more.
I actually started out with @Headspace and used it for probably around 2 years or so. They used to have a really good beginner's course by one of the co-founders Andy Puddicombe. That was a great course and really helped with learning breathing techniques and just general tips and guides on getting started. However, I don't recommend them anymore to people. They did a fairly big change a few years ago and have kind of gone the way of Dualingo in terms of being more about gamification and streaks and not so much about actually learning. And I think it's really hard to find that original beginner's course in their catalog if it's even still there at all.
I also tried @Calm years ago and at the time, it just felt like the push was on showing off celebrities they'd gotten to do recording for them.
So, neither are ones I recommend personally. That's not to say someone couldn't get something out of them, they're just not my pick.
My favorite meditation app that I've been using for years is @Center Meditation Timer. It does exactly what I want in a really beautiful app. You can also turn off streaks and really customize it the way that you want. When people ask for recommendations to start meditating, I typically point them to Center and the book Mindfulness In Plain English by Henepola Gunaratana. I'm not aligned with 100% of the content in the book, but I think it's an incredibly practical guide to getting started with meditation and really prioritizes actually starting instead of spending a lot of time on theory or extra info.
And, a bit of a shameless plug haha, I made @& Breathe to be a very minimalist and low friction way to hopefully get a bit of mindfulness in the middle of work.
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@jakecrump Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. I'll check out @Center Meditation Timer
and @& Breathe !!
Purposeful Poop
@jakecrump is a maker in the space and may have some insights?
Purposeful Poop
@jakecrump :sweatsmile: just realized you commented already haha
I've used Calm and Headspace before.
For that past few years I've been using Brain.fm. I like it because it provides a bit more than just meditation. It has music based on your activity. It uses pulses in the music to get your brain waves in line with what you want to do... deep work, read, small tasks...
Also, a friend of mine is developing a meditation app, Visuatate that blends mindfulness and VR/AR. https://visutate.com/
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@bryce_york_ag thanks for both your suggestions! Encourage Visutate to launch on Product Hunt 😁
@ph_leeanntrang I've mentioned it a couple of times to Orkun... maybe I'll just have to hunt it myself :)
While apps are great, each person finds peace through methods that work for them. I would suggest setting a goal (say, help me unwind after I am done with my workday) , and then researching a method that works for you; very sure Youtube search or one of the AI Chats will be able to help you find the best method for your personality and goal.
Not really meditation. But very calming 👉@Endel
Nomadful
I've actually developed a mental health app, that includes breathing and meditation. I bounced between Headspace and Calm constantly, but what I hated the most is that they were literally charging us to breathe! So, perhaps, you could give Nomadful a try and let me know what you think.
I've been using Insight Time for more than 5 years (on and off). The feature that I enjoyed the most is the courses from some of the greatest teachers. Also I believe in simplicity, just choose one and stick to it as the main point is in meditating, not browsing an app :)
This thread just caught my attention!
I haven't used any apps but have been meditating for 10 years now. The unusual part is that it used to take me 2 mins previously to go deep into meditation but now it takes 15-20 mins. Will have to find the reasons though and maybe try one of these apps.