Mindfulness Apps and Online Programs

21 May 2015 Amy Greene Comments Off on Mindfulness Apps and Online Programs

Now it’s easier to be mindful of being mindful GEARING UP
By Alexa McMahon

Looking for training that will improve your memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress? Mindfulness meditation appears to affect the brain’s structure in just eight weeks, according to a 2011 study by Massachusetts General Hospital researchers. Thankfully, you don’t have to start this journey alone. Smartphone apps and online programs can help you integrate mindfulness exercises into your everyday activities.

Headspace

Available on tablet, desktop, and smartphone, the platform offers a free 10-day program to let you get acquainted with the basics of meditation. If you would like to continue using Headspace, several subscription options are available on headspace.com , ranging from a $7.99 per month yearly package to unlimited access forever for $419.95. Once you have signed up, access hundreds of hours of guided and unguided exercises, special series collections, one-off meditations, and sessions for meltdown moments, in addition to progress tracking and buddying up with friends.

Buddhify

Mindfulness Everywhere’s app, available on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, consists of more than 80 meditations for all parts of your day. Listen to guided exercises specifically designed to help you remain in the moment while engaged in various daily activities — work break, traveling, feeling stressed, walking in the city. The program also supports tracking of usage and progress, a timer, and guided meditations. Visit the App Store to purchase for $4.99 or Google Play for $2.99.

Mental Workout

The app is composed of program subscriptions, each designed by an expert in the field. The current offerings include “Meditation for Dummies’’ author Stephan Bodian’s “Mindfulness Meditation and Freedom from Stress,’’ Michael Breus’s “Good Night,’’ and Daniel Seidman’s “Up in Smoke’’ for those trying to quit. Each program has a free version with limited content and a $12.99 yearly, full version with all available features. You can access subscriptions on mentalworkout.com or the App Store and Google Play.

The Mindfulness App

Beginners and experienced practitioners alike can use the Mindapp’s platform with its voice-guided training, personally designed programs, and reminder functions. Guided and silent meditations are available in 3-, 5-, 15-, and 30-minute sessions in several languages, including English, French, Spanish, and German. Find the Stockholm company’s product on Google Play for $1.99 and the App Store for $2.99.

White Noise

If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of a full-fledged meditation app, TMSoft’s offering can help your meditation routine by drowning out surrounding noise. Available at the App Store and Google Play, download 40 sounds, record your own sounds, and access the digital sleep clock. Sounds range from air conditioner to Tibetan singing bowl, thunder, and train ride. Noise Lite is available for free, but the app without ads can cost up to $4.99 depending on the device. Alexa McMahon

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