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Do you meditate? Which apps do you use?
I really got into meditation a few years ago through Headspace app but in the last couple of years I've used Simple Habit. I really enjoy the variety of presenters and all the different themes and options. Curious to hear your thoughts!
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@rahulmfg 10% Happier looks like a nice app, it's got a good rating in the Play Store and the interface looks nice. Would you recommend it?
@anna_0x 💯 out of all the apps I tried 10% Happier worked better for me :) Particularly the courses offered by Joseph Goldstein.
@yapartase Another Insight Timer fan here. When I moved my practice away from regular guided meditation I found the timer feature invaluable and enjoy the fact it keeps tabs on how much I have been meditating - helps with the motivation.
@yapartase @sam_cranwell I'm also an Insight Timer user. So much variety and great features to keep you engaged. I feel like this is the most authentic community of meditators on the internet -- lots of different styles and options represented.
@yapartase @sam_cranwell @abadesi The thing about Insight Timer is that it's not just trying to sell you courses the way that, say, Headspace, is. You can use the timer for free forever, or you can explore the free guided meditations, or you can pay for the premium classes. You get all the community features and tracking for free. I think they are genuine in their mission of wanting everyone to meditate. Yes, they make money, but they provide a service that is good for anyone. And that attracts people who know that the app will stick around even if they're not always paying for it. They're created something that is useful to everyone.
Great question @abadesi! I've used Headspace, Calm, Insight timer from an app standpoint. In addition, I use what I've learned from taking yoga teacher training back in 2010 and life experience since then. For example, you can meditate walking, drinking tea, walking, eating a donut (or favorite pastry), and that meditation isn't confined to seated with legs crossed.
@theanthonyware Yes thanks for the reminder we can meditate in so many ways. I'm so tempted to do yoga teacher training one day!
@abadesi I did it originally to have a fall-back (yoga, bartender, janitor). I gain much more in personal breakthroughs than I did as a teacher. Now, I use the lessons in my trainings for founders.
I learn to meditate some years ago in some retreats but lost the habit and now I'm back at it with Headspace. I tried Calm first but didn't like that it's not focused on that.
@abadesi I've participated in a lot of different retreats and meditations from guided to active meditations in Portugal. One of the retreats that I really liked was from this guy https://tulkulobsang.org/ who has a kind of dance/mindfulness with a wooden sword and some other Tibetan teachings that really opened my mind.
I tried getting into meditation a few times, with Headspace and Petit Bambou, but never managed to form a sticking habit. Every time I'm super motivated at the beginning, do it every day for 2 weeks, but then life happens and I end up forgetting completely.
I had the same experience with running for years, and I've recently managed to finally make it a habit, so I know all hope is not lost. I'll try again in a few weeks!
@thomgroutars I think the benefits come quicker to some than others TBH. It took me a while to get into it but now I can't imagine my life without it! Keep going and good luck.
I find it *so* much more beneficial to meditate without an app. I started with Headspace and tried a few others before settling on tech-free. I highly recommend giving it a try.
@tylerlastovich oh yeah I meditate all the time without an app but I really love starting my day with a guided meditation because I'm into mantras and verbal messages of motivation and positivity. Makes me feel like I have a life coach getting me amped up every morning.
I use Insight Timer too. I love the sounds and their overall ideals about keeping parts of their app free forever https://medium.com/insighttimer/...
@abadesi yeah I mostly use it as a timer (I like the more natural bell sounds, reminds me of the monastery I used to go to!), but sometimes I use the sleep meditations if I am wide awake and need some sleep support ;)
@abadesi I've tried many times, but I have ADHD so concentrating is really difficult and meditation is nearly impossible for me. I've yet to see a product that fulfils this need, try as I might to find one. I've been told 'mindfulness' is very important in managing symptoms, but for me that seems like a luxury I just am not capable of getting.
I've tried both Calm and Headspace 2.0, but neither of them really work for me as a person with a cognitive disorder.
Exercise and doing simple and repetitive tasks (cleaning, spreadsheets) are somewhat therapeutic though - so I suppose that's a form of quasi-meditative activity for me.
@mrjackolai Where do you live? There may be places that you could go to meditate together with a group, which may help. And really, just showing up and sitting quietly is enough - there isn't a "goal" to try to hit - so even a few minutes of sitting quietly and watching thoughts bubble up and trying to let them go is a beautiful thing. You may see the same thought come up, you let it go, it comes up, you let it go, and that's part of meditating! :)
I feel you on the cleaning and spreadsheets. Any repetitive task can be soothing!
@mrjackolai agree with Sarah that the value of meditation is finding stillness in the mind and really trying to be present. Some folks argue meditation is outdated given how different our lives are now since it was first invented. Whatever works for you makes sense.
@sarahloertscher I tried Yin Yoga a few times but it didn't really stick. Anything routine based is difficult for me, so having to show up and be at a place at a specific time can be difficult to do, often when I need it most.
@abadesi I suppose what I'm getting at is that at the moment, I haven't found anything that works. Merely self-soothing through work (which is a coping mechanism, definitely not a strategy for success).
@mrjackolai oh I see what you mean. Have you ever tried art? When I am painting it takes up all my focus. I don't get too caught up in the artwork itself, its more the act of doing it I find very calming. Similarly I've taken up piano again. I think finding anything which occupies both your conscious and subconscious mind at the same time on the same task will help!
Not exactly meditation app. But an app to calm mind by playing music https://play.google.com/store/ap...
https://www.producthunt.com/post...
Running is my kind of meditation, along with a once a week yoga class. Have calm and headspace on my phone but never got into it.
@john_mctavish Running definitely is a kind of meditation! Do you usually listen to anything while you run?
@abadesi not if I'm outside. Winter is coming though, so that means treadmill and music / podcast time.
I use Oak by the one and only @kevinrose, completely free to use, great content, pleasant and easy-to-navigate UI, and features such as streaks to keep you engaged and committed!
Personally I go with the Mindful meditation for 10 minutes every morning to get my day started off right, but sometimes I'll play the Relaxing sounds or the Box breathing exercise depending on the circumstances 🙌
I use Insight app. They award different color of stars if we continue our streak and that's one of nice way to glue users to the app and it makes me not miss a single day. Even on busiest days i try to meditate atleast 5 mins using this app.
While coding i use calm on web with soothing music.
I use Balance, https://www.producthunt.com/post...
I just crossed the 32 day streak.
I use the Bible app, YouVersion. I tend to meditate on reading plans, learning how to just get rid of my own thought and filling myself with what I believe the Word of God says.
But I only meditate sporadically, which means I don't get the benefits - unless running provides them instead (I don't run daily; ideally I should meditate on the days I don't run). I meditated almost every day for over a year, and started with a Zen course at a Buddhist temple years ago. I have listened to guided meditations on YouTube and Podcasts, but when I sit down to practice, I use a simple timer: ZenFriend. It has guided meditations for pro accounts. I really like it for its simplicity. It lets me set reminders to meditate, tracks my fidelity in a dashboard, and it has a very light social aspect to it - you can see who else in the world is meditating. One thing I would appreciate all apps to do (GoogleMaps does this if you elect it to!) is to block off time in a chosen calendar as time I've spent meditating. I do have a Health calendar I use for any time spent on that purpose, and that's the one I'd choose. I imagine Apple's Health app would be a good place to capture this info as well.
I use Calm, it is perfect for my needs because I only use the "Timed Meditation". I don't like someone talking while I am trying to focus.
@nvalchanov Oh interesting I find the guided meditations help me focus most of the time.
I used Headspace and it was cool but it got a bit expensive to be spending money on it with other streaming services being paid for every month. I think there are free meditations but I haven't been back in for a while now :(
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