Self-care is something we should all do on a daily basis. It's good for the body, mind and spirit. While we have a plethora of breathing and meditation audios in our SAS RFC gallery, apps are great too. In this article, I’m sharing six free meditation apps that can assist with focus, stress-relief, sleep and even anxiousness.
Meditation can range in length from one minute to more. There is no right or wrong. You simply need to be present. A helpful meditation practice sets the tone for calm, inspiration, restorative sleep and even helps with cognition and increasing gray matter.
Insight Timer is a free app that I’ve been using for ~12 years. It's one of my favorites. It has a large library to choose from and for those who want a little more, which includes multi-day courses and lectures from renown teachers, Insight Timer also offers a paid tier.
This year they are launching the Insight Timer: Healing through Self-Care Summit on Saturday, June 18, 2022 (and
it’s free)! I’ve already registered and giving myself a day of self-care.
If you are in search of an app that is specific to someone dealing with an illness, the Meditation Rx App is a great resource. This app is specific to assisting and supporting a loved one through a challenging time. Many times people are in search of stress-relief during a difficult time in life. In my years of teaching meditation, this has been an app that I recommend and has been helpful.
Calm is another app I have thoroughly enjoyed personally for many years. It has assisted me with calm, presence, finding serenity and so much more. It has won numerous awards and was named by the Center for Humane Technology as "the world's happiest app". I have to agree! I love it!
The next recommendation, At Ease App, is designed to help someone stop the spiral of anxiety/worry. The app features guided breathing meditations and guided journaling with topics to write on and think about during the day. The app's intention is to make deep and lasting change rather than apply a temporary "band aid".
If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep and deal with racing thoughts and perhaps insomnia, the iSleep Easy App is a good choice. The app contains three guided meditations to help you fall asleep and sleep deeply. You can listen to the meditations with or without music or nature sounds. It’s also great for kids.
Headspace is not a free meditation app, but it’s easily the best meditation app for those who are just learning to meditate. They offer the first 2 weeks of meditations for free. After that time, you can continually listen to these meditations again and again. Like Insight Timer, the app tracks consecutive days of meditation. This data acts as a motivational cue to keep the practice going. SAS being SAS, we love data! I recommend Headspace for both the novice and experienced meditators.
Last but not least, visit the RFC video gallery. It's not an app but it is a website that anyone can access. We have hundreds of meditations to choose from ranging from a couple of minutes to 30+ provided by our amazing instructors at SAS. Varied themes are provided along with guided relaxation, breathwork and more. Here's our latest - Honoring Life Meditation.
Note: Make sure that you do not listen to meditations while driving or operating machinery. The beautiful meditation script - Honoring Life - is used with permission. Please be advised that there is no profit or paid affiliation with any of the apps mentioned in this article. It's purely personal experience.
