Before I started meditating, I always thought it wasn’t for me. Honestly, I thought it was weird. It wasn’t something “people like me” did.
Once I gave it a chance though, it completely changed my life. My stress and anxiety have greatly decreased. I gained the clarity and focus I needed in order to be able to actually identify and listen to my intuition. You can read more about the benefits here: 5 Ways Meditating Can Improve Your Life.
I started off using the Stop, Think & Breathe app below. This is how I learned meditation. I committed to 3 minutes first thing upon waking up, and continued that for a month or so. I ended up liking it so much that I now do 5-10 minutes when I wake up and another 5-10 right before bed.
Either way, I highly recommend sticking with the same time of day to help you make it a routine. This will also help you identify whether or not it is changing how you feel. For example, meditating before bed can be an incredible way to help you fall asleep faster.
The biggest thing when starting out is to remember that it isn’t going to feel like much right away. Just like exercise or basically anything else, results just don’t happen overnight. I didn’t feel a crazy difference until probably 2-3 months in. That is when it all started to change for me.
1. FitMind
Pros: FitMind is my #1 recommendation for learning how to meditate. The meditations start off short, which is great for beginners. They gradually get longer as you learn to deepen your meditation. Each day, you’ll train your mind on techniques that will make it easy to get into a relaxed space. Additionally, there are training’s for each of the obstacles to meditation, such as mastering Inner Chatter.
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2. Headspace
Pros: Headspace is a super simplified way to learn meditation. This step by step guide walks you through a series of meditations that teach you how to start. It really encouraged me by being able to continue the series each day. It also tracks your progress so you can stay on top of your goals. Also, you can enable reminders throughout the day for mindfulness!
3. Stop, Think & Breathe
Pros: I LOVE the meditations on Stop, Think & Breathe. I found them to be a really good length, and loved the assortment. They have a lot of 3-5 minute meditations, perfect for beginners or anyone who only has a few minutes to set aside.
4. Inscape
Pros: There are a lot of options on Inscape! Categories include sleep, reducing stress, love & relationships, work, learning to meditate and even meditating with kids. There are a lot of different length meditations from 3-20 minutes.
5. Oak
Pros: This meditation app is completely free. There are no locked meditations or pop ups trying to get you to upgrade. No ads either! You can also choose whether or not you want background sounds. This is probably the most simple meditation app of them all.
Looking for accountability as you bring this new habit into your life? Join The Mindful Academy for weekly live meditation classes, weekly journaling prompts, and monthly mindfulness trainings – all for $20 or less per month!
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