Meditation is the ultimate way to center yourself and refocus, but let’s be real: Life is crazy, distracting, and unforgiving, making mediation difficult to get the hang of. Luckily, there are apps for that! No matter where you are on your meditation journey, these apps will help you stay calm and focused.
Headspace
Ideal for beginners and advanced meditators, as well as kids, teens, and families, Headspace is a user-friendly app that offers hundreds of videos, ranging from guided meditations to breathing exercises and podcasts. The app also features an optional daily routine and schedule that users can access via the app or website. (iOS, Android)
Calm
Calm is a multifaceted app that encourages meditation, relaxation, and sleep through meditations, stories, music, soundscapes, and more. We love that there are no time commitments. Need 90 seconds to chill out? Calm has you covered. The only drawback is that most features require a premium subscription, but you can try it out free for a week to make sure you’ve selected the right plan. (iOS, Android)
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a free app that teaches users how to build mind techniques through guided meditations and written exercises. While most of these are geared toward adults, the app has several programs for kids and teens. We love that Smiling Mind lets users skip the programs that don’t interest them and only opt into the programs they feel will benefit them. (iOS, Android)
Simple Habit
Simple Habit is an app that prides itself on being easy to use and offering five-minute meditations – along with over 2,000 different practices. While the app is not free, users can try it for a week to test it out. (iOS, Android)
Healthy Minds
Another simple-to-use app, Healthy Minds starts users with a questionnaire to get to know them. Users can also fill out an optional questionnaire about their stress levels. Once these are complete, users receive their personalized Healthy Minds course map, which allows them to better understand why they should do specific exercises and how they will benefit. Each lesson is only a few minutes, followed by a guided meditation. Users can preview each exercise to decide whether to complete or skip it. Overall, it’s a great (free) intro to meditation. (iOS, Android)