Whether you’re stressed out by the worsening situation of COVID-19 or from work, meditation and silent me-time can do wonders to relax the mind.
Meditation is proven to not only relax stress, it also promotes emotional health, and increases attention span, so why not give it a shot? We’ve gathered 20 apps to cater to your meditation needs that are mostly free, and will work for both beginners and meditation masters alike.
Calm
You may have seen this app’s relaxing ads on YouTube before. This Apple App of the Year 2017 is perfect for beginners who still find concentrating on yourself and heightening self-awareness intimidating or difficult, as they have options like “sleep stories”, “sleep versions” of your favourite songs, as well as podcasts on how to meditate, and how to have a better night’s rest.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Tide
This multi-tasking app is great if you like your home screen look as minimal as possible. With settings like “Focus” for work, “Sleep”, “Breathe” when you want a short, mindful break, and “Meditate”, you can set a timer on each of these to help you keep track of time you’ve spent on each section, while soothing nature sounds like the gentle crashing of waves or the rustling of a wheat field plays in the background.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Sleepscape
If you can’t completely relax in silence yet don’t want to spend money on a white noise machine, try this app! With a variety of natural sounds like pouring rain, a crackling fireplace, and rumbling thunder, you can pick and choose which one to relax to.
Free on App Store.
Oak
Here’s one for you if aesthetics are important! The interface has a light and tonal colour scheme for a pleasant experience, and different meditation topics, Mindfulness, Loving and Kindness, as well as an unguided version for the pros or for some undistracted me time.
Free on App Store. Similar one on Android here.
Present
If you really want to get into meditation, this 3.8 rated app on App Store has guided meditation to keep you on track. Different topics are available, such as regular mindfulness, sleep, stress management, and pain relief, so you can switch it up depending on your mood of the day!
Available on App Store with paid features, and you can get a similar one on Android here.
Headspace
Can’t stay still for long? Headspace offers shorter meditation sessions so you can relax for a few minutes anywhere and anytime without getting fidgety. There are hundreds of guided meditations to choose from, as well as their new Wake Up and Move mode, which starts off your day with a mindful and grateful attitude with short stories and advice from experts.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Breethe
Featured in magazines like Time, People, Forbes and InStyle, Breethe has over six million downloads, and has your usual functions like guided meditations, as well as masterclasses from meditation experts on how to centre and ground yourself for a better experience. It also has sleep music for every mood, so if you’re a music lover, you may just love this one!
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Smiling Mind
This one’s for all ages, from as young as children aged seven! Spend some quality family time together recuperating mind and spirit with their specialised meditation programmes, including a tracking feature to remind yourself to meditate each day.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Aura
Another app with a beautiful interface, this one offers three-minute meditation sessions, so there’s no excuse to skip! It’s also based on your mood, so there’s one out of more than a thousand choices to suit every emotion from sad, to stressed and anxious.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Shine
Self-care has been big, so why stop? Shine combines self-care and meditation in this 4.4 rated app, with encouraging mantras and affirmations to assure, relax and motivate you each day. Plus, you can log in each day to track your progress and emotions so you can look back in the future!
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Meditation Time
For a fuss-free session, all you need is this simple meditation timer app. Simply set your preferred time, and start! If you want a more immersive experience, you have a selection of Tibetian singing bowl sounds, as well as nature sounds to accompany you.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Omvana
One of Healthline’s Best Apps of 2019, think of this one like a personal meditation teacher if you’re a beginner. Ranging between three to 60 minutes, guided meditations and customisable music mixers help you to get into a personalisable restful trance.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Stop, Breathe, Think
If you’re a diary sort of person, why not integrate it into your phone? This app allows you to track your emotions each day, and suggests meditation, sleep, and breathing tracks to help keep your emotions in balance.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Meditation
Meditating right before sleep can really “cool down” and ease your mind to make your sleep more restful. Try this one that has sleep-inducing relaxing sounds called Zen to help your transition between mindful meditation and sleep.
Free on App Store.
Zen
For a realistic experience, Zen has 3D sounds that surround and immerse you, or if you’re a spiritual individual, this app also uses binaural beats to balance chakras and elevate your mood.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Harmony Hypnosis Meditation
Try this hypnosis meditation one if nothing works! The app is highly rated at 4.9 stars, and is created by a leading UK hypnotherapist, with longer tracks of about 20 minutes to deeply relax your mind, and relieve stress from your environment.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Meditation and Relax Music Pro
If you’re looking to invest in a great app, try this one. In addition to the basic relaxing nature sounds of evening birds and hypnotising clock ticking noises, specially curated sounds of singing bowls and Chinese lullabies are also available to suit every taste. You can also choose to relax with their brain stimulation frequencies, which use higher pitched sounds to soothe your overactive subconscious.
SGD4.48 on App Store and SGD3.99 on Google Play.
Moshi
This adorable one is made specially for children: if your little one is hyper all the time, this may just be the trick! With sleep and meditation settings, this easy-to-use app has short relaxation audios to calm the listener down, as well as natural sounds for meditation.
Free on App Store and Google Play.
Mesmerize
The app uses hypnotising visuals like rotating and expanding black and white swirls to clear your mind of distracting thoughts, if all of the above audios don’t seem to work. In addition, you can pair it with guided meditations, or soothing nature sounds for maximum benefits.
Free on App Store.
Bonus: YouTube
You probably already have this one: YouTube may be one of the best apps for entertainment, but did you know there’s a whole community dedicated to relaxing you as well? While the idea of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) may be unsettling to some, there are other versions that use white noises like snapping firewood, a rushing waterfall, and rain against a window that creates the perfect background noise for relaxation. There are even themed ones, like ones set in Harry Potter dorms, or in Lord of the Rings to add extra fancy to your meditation routine!
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