The 7 recommended applications for meditation

It is estimated that between 200 and 500 million people meditate around the world. Its popularity responds to the need to put a stop to the maelstrom that is being experienced in the middle of a digital universe where the divisions between leisure and obligations seem to be fading away.

The benefits have been studied on several occasions. According to a study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, which was led by Dr. Creswell, meditation generates changes in the brain that contribute to reducing the inflammatory response. This is just one of many other reports that have been made about the impact of this practice on health.

In fact, on the official website of the National Institutes of Health of the United States, there is a score of some studies that show the benefits it can have to reduce stress, blood pressure, as well as to avoid insomnia.

However, all experts agree that to enjoy these favorable aspects it is necessary to have consistency and regularity. Ideally, take a few minutes of time every day before starting the day or during the day to sit down and meditate. There are options for guided practices, others that use classic silence, or offer background music or a mantra. The modalities vary but the goal is the same: to achieve full awareness in the present and to pause, at least intermittently, the noises of the mind.

Here are some applications that may be useful. They are all available for both iOS and Android.

1. Mindfulness App

The app offers guided meditations and courses in more than 10 different languages. It also allows you to set personalized reminders so you don't forget to meditate. It also has daily statistics so that users can track their performance.

There are options to meditate in silence, with relaxing sounds in the background, as well as to do it with a guide. The sessions can last from 3 to 99 minutes, so that the user opts for the most convenient alternative according to their availability and needs.

2. Headspace

It offers exercises, which teach to control anxiety to calm the nerves, as well as improve breathing and concentration. There are courses designed to optimize sleep, productivity and even athletic performance.

It is an app that has been on the market for quite a few years. Even a few years ago she launched a special on Netflix where the benefits of meditation are analyzed, along with guided sessions as well as the teaching of some techniques to learn to practice.

3. Pure Mind

It offers more than 250 meditation and mindfulness sessions in different languages. There are meditations to achieve calm, manage stress, improve the quality of your rest, concentration, as well as other aspects of physical and mental health.

It also has a choice of specialists in this discipline with whom you can interact through classes, meetings where more tools are offered to promote well-being.

4. Calm

Calm is one of the pioneers in the field of meditation and that is why it is one of the best known. It has mindfulness programs for beginners, as well as intermediate and advanced.

It offers guided meditations, bedtime stories, breathing programs and relaxing music. The programs are grouped around different themes such as happiness, self-esteem, relationships, and much more.

5. Little Bamboo

It has everything from express 3-minute meditations to more advanced programs to do free meditation with a timer or with the help of music and relaxing sounds. It also features animated stories and exercises to train attention, improve concentration and combat insomnia. It offers more than 600 meditations grouped around different thematic axes such as joy, work, fear, relationships or self-confidence, among others. There are also options designed especially for children and teenagers.

6. Elefante Zen

It has a guided meditation program for beginners, a course to learn to meditate in a week and other programs specifically designed to reduce anxiety, stress and insomnia. It offers guided meditation for children, as well as a selection of mantras, relaxing music and nature sounds for relaxation.

7th meditopia

He has more than 150 meditations in English, Spanish and Turkish. There are training programs to learn how to breathe consciously, release stress, sleep well, and cultivate gratitude, compassion and trust. There are express meditation programs lasting between 5 and 12 minutes, as well as more extensive ones to reach greater levels of disconnection. You can also use the timer option to relax without a guide with different background music options.

All of the above applications offer free services and also have a premium option, with extra activities, accessed through a subscription fee.

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