The 5 Best Meditation Apps for 2019, According to Meditation Experts

Pop in your earbuds to de-stress and calm anxiety wherever you are.

By Stephanie Dolgoff

 

 

Mindfulness expert and psychologist Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D., has heard multiple covers of that classic tune, and says it's natural to feel that way at first. He likens learning to meditate to starting out on something that's physically challenging, such as riding a bike. "When you practice over time, it gets easier," says Goldstein, creator of the Mindful Living Collective, an online network of regular folks who practice mindfulness and work together to share what they've learned to help each other meet their personal goals. Just as you owned your neighborhood once you got the hang of pedaling, meditation, Goldstein says, "allows you to gain more confidence around managing your stress and emotions." 

There are other reasons to take a few minutes and breathe as well: Meditation has been shown to mitigate the health effects of stress on your body. While research is ongoing, various styles of meditation can help lessen pain, lower blood pressure, and dial down anxiety and depression, according to the National Institutes for Health. And a Harvard study found that folks who meditated around 20 minutes showed "significant, beneficial results in as little as eight weeks," says Josh Korda, a meditation guide, podcaster, and author of Unsubscribe. Even as little as five minutes of controlled breathing "can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn reduces the symptoms of stress and our serum cortisol levels, lifting our mood and strengthening our immune system," he says.

What can help when you're just getting started—or when you need to drown out bickering children or chatty commuters? Apps with guided meditations or peaceful music. "I'd highly recommend individuals who are starting a practice listen to guided meditations rather than practice in silence," says Korda. "That invariably results in mind wandering and increasing stress, rather than reducing it."

Check out our expert picks: 

1 Insight Timer

Korda, Goldstein, and every expert we spoke to gave this one a massive thumbs up. "When I am suggesting it to clients, the fact that it’s free is a really good perk for someone who’s just starting out and doesn’t want to sign on any dotted line," explains Andrea Wachter, a licensed therapist and author of several books on getting over compulsive eating (she has a course on the app as well). Meditation teacher Lodro Rinzler, author of The Buddha Walks into a Bar and Love Hurts: Buddhist Advice for the Heartbroken, adds that with thousands of people meditating all over the world using the app, "it cultivates a sense of community," he says. Indeed, you can send messages to other users, and read reviews of each of the 15,000 meditations of all styles. If that sounds overwhelming, it's not, says Wachter. Insight Timer features "really user-friendly ways to search out recordings based on length and topics of interest," she says.

How to find it: Available in the Apple App store and Google Play
Cost: The app is free, and there is a premium option for $4.99 a month, which gives you access to courses.

2 Meditation Studio

Rinzler also loves this one because "they have really thoughtfully curated their teachers," he says. There are 50 or so veteran instructors with different backgrounds (you'll find Zen Buddhist monks alongside child psychologists and addiction recovery specialists) so you can pick the voice that speaks to you best, or mix it up. "In my experience, meditation becomes a daily practice when it feels relevant to our lives," says Chrissy Carter, a yoga and meditation instructor, who (along with Rinzler and Goldstein) is one of the teachers. With themed groupings (meditations for life transitions, for instance, or compassion) and for specific groups (veterans and children, to name two), "you can practice in a way that meets you where you are," she says. You can also use the timer feature and listen to instrumental music or nature sounds.

Where to find it: The Apple App Store
Cost: There is a 10-session free starter series; $7.99/month subscription, or a year for $49.99.

3 10% Happier 

The tagline for this app is "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics." You know who you are! What Rinzler likes about this app is its full courses, so you can "go down a journey with a particular teacher," if you find one you love. Started by bestselling positive psychology writer Dan Harris, the app has a real-world, non woo-woo vibe to it. "Bonus: they have a 'coach' function where you can ask a live human any questions that arise during your meditation path," says Rinzler.

Where to find it: Click here on your device to install, or find it at Apple or Google Play.
Cost: Free 7-day trial, $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr

4 Simply Being

Some experts believe that it's better to meditate to an anonymous, recorded voice than an instructor who you could Google and know more about or become attached to; that way the experience is thought to remain more about you and less about whatever associations you may have with them or their style or history. If that's your jam, then Simply Being is perfect. An incredibly soothing woman's voice talks you through a relaxing meditation that encourages you to "simply be," and shelve all future or past concerns for later. You can customize the loop from 5 to 30 minutes, and add music or ambient sounds as well. It's particularly good for low-tech types who get stressed by too many bells and whistles, or who don't want to pay a monthly subscription fee.

Where to find it: At the App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore for Android
Cost: $1.99

5 MNDFL Video

Want to feel like you're meditating with a community but just can't get your butt to a gathering? MNDFL aims to bring the group and the instructor to you! MNDFL is a trio of intimate meditation studios in New York City, and the 100 streaming videos available through the same company were filmed at their sunny location in Greenwich Village. "We have one-minute quick fix videos up to full 30-minute sits," says Ellie Burrows Gluck, a meditation teacher and co-founder of the studios (Rinzler, also a co-founder, is in many of the videos.) Teachers at MNDFL come from varying traditions such as Tibetan Buddhist and Shambhala, so you can try them all and see if you want to take a deeper dive into a style that works for you.

Where to find it: Click here for links to the App Store, Google Play, or specs for watching on your computer or TV.

Cost: Try it free for two weeks, subscription is $14.99/mo.

 https://www.prevention.com/health/g27241883/best-meditation-apps/