Inner transformation through your smartphone - 5 meditations apps to try right now

Meditating for just 10-15 minutes a day can make a big difference in almost all spheres of your life. According to the Mayo Clinic, continuous practice of meditation can help treat chronic ailments like depression, sleep disorders, anxiety and migraine – some of the most common conditions experienced by young professionals of today’s generation.

Ironically, the first step to meditate is to cut off from all kind of digital clutter. Yet, mobile-based meditation applications are becoming one of the most popular resources to amplify the tranquillity and sanity back into your lives. If you’re new to the practice, these five apps can be helpful in several ways.

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Buddhify

Touted as a life-changer, Buddhify is a meditation and mindfulness application that is beautifully built around your modern life. It increases your well-being by teaching meditation and mindfulness influenced and tailor made to suit your daily needs. It incorporates various aspects of your life from sleeping to taking a work break and even socialising online. It is a simple and effective application that can definitely change your life for the better.

It features:

1. A meditation timer
2. Progress tracking
3. Meditation tracks ranging from 5 - 30 minutes
4. A check-in system that measures how you are doing
5. More than 80 guided meditation tracks
6. Meditation tracks are designed for 14 types of activities

The app is priced at Rs 300.

Headspace

Learning the art of meditation was never this easy, but the kind of features that this application boasts will help you develop the habit of meditating regularly. The 10-minute session with Headspace expands its offerings with a Buddy System that ensures you both encourage each other to achieve your spiritual goals. Headspace offers a free level one course through which you can access 10-minute sessions every day. This can help you during your initial sessions.

It features:

1. Free access to a foundation course – you can easily learn the basics of meditation in a 10x10 minute exercise for beginners
2. Progress tracking
3. A buddy system that helps friends motivate each other to meditate every day
4. Various rewards for using this application regularly
5. Reminders to keep you on track
6. Download feature for offline sessions
7. Inspiring tracks and packs on various topics like happiness, stress relief, appreciation and so on

You can subscribe for free. But once you complete the first level, you’ll need to buy the subscription that starts from Rs 860 per month.

Calm

If calmness is what you are looking to achieve, this app is just the right one for you. It begins with a week-long mediation programme. It offers free guided meditations and tailored recordings for sleep, self-acceptance, positivity, visually focus and meditation. When you feel you are ready for the next level, purchase the subscription to add more features and challenges to your meditation goals. Getting the subscription opens up a 21-day programme.

It features:

1. 7 to 21-day meditation programmes to keep you on track
2. Guided and unguided meditation sessions. According to your preference for voiceovers, you can go for either one of the tracks
3. A free introductory programme to teach you the basics of mindfulness and meditation
4. 25 tracks each for guided and unguided meditation

It is priced at Rs 663 per month

Mindfulness App

The Mindfulness App will help you be more aware and conscious of your thought processes throughout the day. Even if you have a minute to spare, simply put on the app and jump into mindfulness sessions played by this ingenious app. The features and activities designed revolve around bringing out your best traits, making you a more realistic, positive and focused individual.

It features:

1. A 5-day free introduction to mindfulness
2. Guided and silent meditation tracks (with bells) ranging from 3 - 30 minutes
3. Personalised meditation sessions through different sound options
4. Progress tracking
5. Time and location based reminders to help you stay mindful through the day
6. A premium library with guided meditations, challenges and courses by some of the world’s best teachers. This is available through subscription purchase.

The app is free, but charges apply for the premium pack.

Sattva

Sattva is a meditation app that has a highly advanced timer and tracker system. It features the use of positive reinforcements, such as rewards and challenges, to help you stay motivated throughout your journey. It also features chants, guided meditation, mood tracker and heart rate monitor, all of which come quite handy if you are traveling and do not want to compromise on your meditation schedule.

It features:

1. A meditation timer
2. A heart rate monitor and mood tracker
3. Reminders to help you stay mindful throughout the day
4. A reward system to help you stay motivated
5. A community of like-minded people and teachers to inspire you

It is available free of cost.

So what are you waiting for? Get downloading and get meditating!