Application for meditation in Russian. The best apps for meditation and relaxation on the iOS platform. Calm and bedtime stories

- all this is fine and fights. We have selected mobile applications for smartphones that are best suited for meditation.

Meditation is a psychological exercise, during which a person, in order to achieve harmony, plunges into self-contemplation. The practice originated over 5,000 years ago in India and is now used by people all over the world. For example, more than 18 million American adults regularly resort to meditation every year. There are many different forms of meditation. One of the most common — transcendental meditation, in which a person immerses himself in self-contemplation for 20 minutes twice a day (a prerequisite — sit with your eyes closed).

If earlier meditation was used to achieve spiritual perfection, now it is also used for stress management, improved health. It relieves some gastrointestinal disorders and relieves anxiety.

Since the number of people with stress increases every year, meditation is a good way to get rid of this condition. Now smartphone owners can literally install on their device with just one touch of a finger. meditation app, and work on your psychological state.

There are over 1,000 mobile meditation apps out there, and of course, it's easy to get lost in them. We decided to select the best. They are available for Android and iOS.

Headspace

The app was developed by Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk. Today it is the most popular meditation service in the world.

The functionality is simple: you get a free 10-day trial version (Take 10), which can be considered basic level of meditation.

Headspace blew us away its simplicity, versatility, excellent introductory video. This is a great app for those who have never tried meditation before.

You can access the entire app for $7.99, but only if you take the free 10-day meditation course. Thanks to this free test, a person can determine whether he needs meditation at all, whether it helps him or not.

Full version of Headspace offers a lot of interesting and useful things. This service has a large number of targeted series, covering almost all areas of life: health, sports, relationships, business. Each episode has thematic collections of meditation, lasting 30 minutes.

Whil

Creators Whil applications Chip and Shannon Wilson used to make popular athleisure and yoga apparel. A few years ago they came up with meditation service designed for offices.

White collar workers have very little free time. Many of them do not have time not only for sports, but also for short meditation. So the Wilsons came up with an app with one-minute meditation sessions.

You can install corporate Whil and select individual training programs for each employee individually. In total Whilcontains four meditation training programs: "Grow" (for teenagers), "Thrive", "Lead" and "Move" (for adults). The most popular “Move”, aimed at training the mind and body.

Whil can be used by everyone, not just office clerks and schoolchildren. This is an effective service, thanks to which those who wish to quickly get rid of stress.

Sattva

Mobile application Sattva(self-titled “Meditation Timer & Tracker”) is intended for advanced users. There are no special sessions or lessons for beginners. If you have never meditated before, then this service is definitely not for you. More experienced users will prefer it. For them, Sattva is a great option.

Sattva on iOS seamlessly integrates with the Health mobile app, thanks to which during meditation you can see your heart rate and blood pressure readings. The service is also available for Apple Watch. To do this, just name “Quick start”, and then select “Guided meditation” or “Chant”.

It also measures your heart rate before and after meditation.

Most sessions in this app are free to use. However, there are also paid sessions priced at, for example, $1.99.

Smiling Mind

Designed for adults, teenagers and even children. It has three modules: Smiling Mind for Wellbeing (for adults), Smiling Mind in Education and Smiling Mind in the Workplace. The adult program consists of 10 modules and 42 sessions, as well as “Bite Size” sessions lasting 1-3 minutes.

Much attention is paid to children and teenagers. Thanks to these classes, they will learn to communicate, be tolerant of loved ones and acquaintances, and receive support in case of any problems. A special program for young people aged 16-18 will help them plan for the future and adapt more easily to adult life.

Smiling Mind is completely free to use.

Stop,Breathe &Think

Stop, Breathe & Think app has a short name "Breathe" and user-friendly interface. It is perfect for those who are just taking their first steps in meditation. Its main advantage is the more efficient use of data about your character. When registering, you can select up to five feelings from five different categories, from very happy to very sad. In turn, in each of these categories you can choose 35 different emotions. The result is a meditation session tailored to you.

The “Learn to meditate” package is ideal for beginners. It explains in accessible language what meditation is, why it is needed, what benefits it brings, and also provides basic lessons.

To enjoy some of the unique activities in this app, you need to purchase premium access. Its cost is $4.99. For this money you will get meditation sessions, which are a combination of breathing exercises, yoga and even acupressure (acupressure on certain areas of the body for the treatment and prevention of diseases).

A useful application for meditation and my personal experience of using it

Mobile meditation apps are now a dime a dozen. I'll tell you about the one I use personally. I’ll tell you not only about its structure and internal structure, but also about what uses I have found for it.

The app is called Meditation Helper. It's free. There is a paid version, but to be honest, I don’t know about its benefits and have successfully used the free option. The application looks like this:

The Android application can be downloaded. I’m not sure if it exists for iOS, but similar applications can definitely be found. Just enter “Meditation Timer” into the search engine. So, if you are the happy owner of an iPhone, do not rush to close the article. Read about the application and how to use it. The main thing is to understand the idea. If you like it, you will find an analogue for iOS.

The essence of the application is very simple. This is a timer with flexible settings. Inside it looks like this:

Red numbers are time for preparation. Green numbers are time for meditation. Naturally, you can configure all the numbers as you please. When you click on “Start”, the preparation time begins to count down (this is the time to find the most comfortable body position, get ready for practice, etc.). Once the preparation time is over, the bell sounds. This is a signal that the practice has begun. The countdown for meditation has begun.

Within the meditation time, you can set additional sound signals in any quantity and at any frequency. For example, you can set a sound signal 5 minutes before the end of practice. And in this case, you will know that it is time to prepare to end the meditation.
You can set multiple sound signals to control the time. For example, if the meditation lasts 30 minutes, you can set alarms after 10 and 20 minutes. Then each beep will inform you that 10 minutes have passed.

The last beep, of course, signals the end of the meditation.

The application is very simple and easy to use. There is nothing superfluous in it, but there are simple and necessary little things. For example, it can be configured so that when the timer is turned on, the sound of incoming calls and notifications will be automatically muted. This way, no one will disturb you during practice.

There are statistics inside the application. If you always use it for your practice, then you will be able to evaluate with what frequency and how long you have meditated over the past time.

The app has a setting that allows you to leave your phone screen on while you meditate. This is useful for those who want to control time. I opened my eyes, glanced at my phone and instantly realized how much time was left for practice.
You can set as many timers as you want. For example, I have two timers installed, each with its own individual settings.

My personal experience using the application

An obvious way to use the app is to set a timer so that it tells you when to finish your meditation. But there are also non-obvious ways of using it that help enrich the practice.

1. Beep as a reminder to stay mindful

One of my timers is set to meditate for 15 minutes. An alarm sounds every 5 minutes. Why do I need it? The fact is that after 5 minutes of meditation it is easy to lose awareness. The sound signal stimulates you to ask yourself the question: “Where am I now? Am I focused on practice, or has my attention wandered elsewhere?

Human attention behaves very cunningly: a second ago you were completely concentrated on practice, but now you’re distracted and didn’t notice it. Therefore, external control in the form of an audio signal comes in very handy.

2. Sound signal as a way to divide meditation into several parts

It is not necessary to concentrate on one object (for example, on breathing) throughout the entire practice. Eventually, it can get boring. And it’s important to make practice interesting. Several techniques can be combined within one meditation. For example, you can do this: for 5 minutes you concentrate on bodily sensations, then 5 minutes on some visual object in front of you, and the last 5 minutes on sounds. Or this: 5 minutes on bodily sensations, 5 minutes on emotions and 5 minutes on breathing.

I don’t have any established meditation structure. I define the structure immediately before starting the practice. And every day it can be a new structure, depending on my needs and mood. I come up with a structure, set a timer and begin meditation. Every 5 minutes a signal sounds indicating that it is time to move on to the next stage.

In my opinion, this approach to meditation helps you tailor your practice to your needs as flexibly as possible. I recommend.

In order to come up with your own meditation structure, look at this article. It describes a large number of techniques that can be combined with each other if desired.

3. How sound cues can help you get through a long, difficult practice

Meditation is not always easy. I often come across the fact that people who are starting to master the practice find it difficult to meditate even for 10-15 minutes. Tension appears, a lot of important thoughts arise, and you want to jump up and run.

For people with experience in meditation, not everything is so easy either. There are practices that require endurance.

For example, I recently started mastering qigong practices. One of the exercises is called “Big Tree”. It looks like this: You need to take a pose like in the photo: legs bent, arms raised in front of you. Try standing like this for at least a few minutes, and you will see that it is not very comfortable. And you need to stand like this for 30 minutes!

For me personally, I’ll tell you, such feats are achieved with great difficulty. They say it gradually gets easier. But it’s not easier for me yet. I am faced with pain and a lot of unpleasant sensations. It seems to me that it is almost impossible to withstand these sensations without meditation. Only by remaining in the position of a neutral observer, not getting involved in your own sensations, but being present with them and carefully observing what is happening in the body, is it possible to survive the entire 30 minutes. This is the kind of specific meditation I periodically arrange for myself.

So, in order to help myself, I set a timer for 30 minutes and set intermediate sound notifications every 10 minutes. Thus, a long period of time was divided into three short periods, which are subjectively much easier to endure.

So, if the practice seems too long and difficult for you, break it into three parts with sound notifications. For example, if you find it difficult to sit for 9 minutes, set the timer so that a bell rings every 3 minutes. You will see that it will become much easier for you!

That's all I have for today. I hope this was helpful. Share your thoughts, questions and ideas in the comments!

Very easy to use with a variety of levels that are divided by duration. Only beginners can start their daily meditation sessions with five minutes, while more experienced ones can do more advanced meditation with a duration of 10 minutes or longer.

OMG. I Can Meditate!

Let’s make it clear right away that the program is paid. The free trial period is only for the first 7 days. In the app's defense, it has been recommended by many influential publications. The application is made in the language, so without at least basic knowledge you have nothing to download it.

The Mindfulness App

Another good program with different levels, but they are built a little differently. It is suggested to carry out meditation from feeling to feeling (from concentrating on your breathing to feeling universal gratitude). The application is very easy to use.

Smiling Mind

Quite simply, it is a kind of timer. It tracks the amount of time spent meditating and also rewards its users with virtual rewards for diligence.

Zenify

An excellent application in Russian for developing awareness. The application constantly gives you instructions for action, tells you how to achieve a state of conscious calm. It is possible to set a reminder to practice mindfulness at the right time. In addition, the application has a very nice cute interface.

Dasha Tatarkova

Smartphones and wearable gadgets They have long helped us monitor our health, but it is not necessary to limit ourselves to counting steps or monitoring our heartbeat. According to experts, more than 350 million people on the planet suffer from depressive disorder alone - and it is very convenient to monitor your psychological state using your phone. Of course, apps are not qualified help from a specialist, but they will help you control your condition and predict the moment when it’s definitely time to see a doctor.

Calm

The name speaks for itself: this application will help you relax even on the most nervous day. People suffering from anxiety are often advised to try meditation in one form or another, and this is especially convenient with the help of a smartphone. Even Calm's main site instantly helps you relax, and the app itself offers dozens of meditations, ambient music tracks, nature sounds, and so on - everything to take a healthy break during the day and go to bed in the evening. All basic meditations are available for free, but those who want more will need to purchase a monthly or annual subscription.

Happify

Western culture, which is focused on being happy all the time, is itself often a cause of depression: being constantly on edge with happiness is a difficult and tiring task. However, don't let the "happy" in the name put you off: this app aims to teach the user to not distance themselves from their feelings and enjoy life. Happify helps you break the habit of negative thinking and teaches you to look at the world in a new, positive way. Simple exercises are disguised as simple games that the creators came up with, relying on the results of scientific research on the psychology of happiness. As usual, the app starts out free, but eventually offers a subscription - for a month or a year.

Headspace

“More than 80% of people with symptoms of depression do not receive proper treatment,” reads a banner on the How Are You website—and this is one of the main reasons all such apps exist. Honest and frank interaction with your phone, as well as visual statistics, help you understand whether a person really needs help, and also decide to go to a specialist. How Are You not only asks its owner how things are going, but also carefully monitors all the information that is given to him. With the help of regular tests, useful tips, and visual analysis (for example, which part of the day is the most joyful), the application helps you improve your mood every day, and, accordingly, your standard of living.

I Can Be Calm

Lantern

Many apps that help you take control of your mental state rely on so-called cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, which combines work with a person’s way of thinking and behavior. One popular service that works in this vein, San Francisco-based Lantern, helps its users develop skills in understanding and managing their emotions. Specific programs were created with the participation of American psychotherapists, and specially trained trainers help carry them out. The iOS app is more of an add-on to the course the user takes on the site, but it offers daily personalized training to help manage tension, stress and anxiety.

Moodnotes

A new application for controlling your mood, which has all the prerequisites to become an international sensation. The developers of one of the most beautiful mobile games “Monument Valley” and psychologists from Thriveport teamed up to make Moodnotes - an application that helps you analyze your emotions and fight depression. At first, the user simply describes everything he feels, but over time he begins to keep a whole journal. Many psychological and medical applications suffer from clipart from the 2000s or excesses in the interface, so a good electronic diary should not only be based on a scientific basis, but also be understandable and beautiful. Moodnotes checks all those boxes - and while there's no Android app yet, you can use it on Apple Watch to track how you're feeling today with one tap.

MoodTools

Another application that helps cope with depression and just a bad mood. MoodTools offers everything at once: record your emotions, all your daily activities and reactions to them, offers useful information for self-help and even a YouTube video on the topic. One of the important functions is the ability to provide a special plan in case of suicidal thoughts to prevent disaster. All together it represents, although a little scattered, but a useful way to collect a wide variety of information about yourself, which you can analyze on your own, or you can show to a specialist, which will never be superfluous. In addition, recording your own experiences is already a useful psychological practice in itself.

Pacifica

Having personally encountered the difficulties that constant anxiety imposes on performing even the simplest actions during the day, developers from San Francisco decided to make an application that, bypassing expensive trips to a psychotherapist, would at least make life a little easier for its users. Pacifica is like the older brother of the previous application, although it is aimed primarily at combating stress and anxiety. Pacifica also helps you remember your emotions and analyze them, but also offers two ways to use this information: set yourself goals or use meditation to breathe out and calm down. Completing small but daunting tasks has an extremely positive effect on the psyche and helps to build a new approach to completing them, even for those who have extreme anxiety. Another good app that goes in the same direction is Stress & Anxiety Companion.

Stop, Breathe & Think

A meditation app ideal for those who suffer not just from constant anxiety, but also from panic attacks or aggression. Stop, Breathe & Think teaches you not just to relax, but also to concentrate, become aware of your presence here and now, look for the causes of stress and simply be kinder. Five minutes a day is all it takes to start on the path to a mindful, calm life. Meditation, according to developers based on medical research, should help improve not only the mental, but also the physical state of the user, since incorrect attempts to resist stress can cause damage to the entire body. Stop, Breathe & Think was invented by the initiators of the Tools for Peace program, which promotes the idea of ​​the benefits of meditation to the masses.

With all the media activity around mindfulness and meditation, you've probably read a lot about its benefits: stress resistance, improved focus, increased creativity, and the list goes on.

But even with the understanding of all these many benefits of meditation and the intention to practice regularly, there are still obstacles that appear and prevent us from developing a sustainable habit and implementing the practice in our lives. For example, work or family obligations, our internal resistance to sitting still, or the feeling that we simply cannot find time to meditate.

Especially for you Anastasia Dmitrieva, technical teacher SIMPLY MEDITATION And OM-CHANTING I've compiled a list of the three best free meditation apps in hopes that you too will find them useful as your practice grows. It's nice to know that you can always turn to them when you need a meditative respite.

1. HeadSpace

Free app Headspace app "Take 10"- great stuff! The service provides 10-minute guided meditations that, ideally, should be practiced every day for 10 days. HeadSpace Developer Andy Puddicombe guides you through basic techniques, counting each inhalation and exhalation to ground your mind in the now moment. Andy's teachings are straightforward, gentle, and motivational—great for beginners or those looking for more consistency in their practice.

1. Stop, Breathe & Think

Application Stop, Breathe & Think app created by a non-profit organization Tools for Peace, and its interesting feature is that you can enter data on how you feel, mentally and physically (on a scale from “excellent” to “not good”) and select several emotions. For example: “Are you peaceful or excited?” “Conflicted, worried or pessimistic?”

The app will offer a selection of several guided meditations suitable for your condition. You can also skip registration and just choose from the full list of free meditations. Some of my personal favorites “Welcoming the Day”, “Falling Asleep”, “Body Scan”, and “Relax, Ground and Clear”.

1. The Easier Softer Way

Easier Softer Way offers free daily guided meditations delivered to your inbox each morning. With every new day comes a new meditation or technique. It's the perfect way to sample a virtual smorgasbord of meditation techniques, from concentration and mindfulness to body exploration and feeling the love and kindness within.

Try sticking with one app or technique for a week to try it out for yourself and see what you like best.

I would also like to note that all gadgets and applications serve as inspiration and reminder for us to meditate regularly - this is a good start, as well as help for an experienced meditator. But if you are a real seeker of effective and deep techniques of meditation and yoga, you should go to the Master; only with an off-line teacher can you find what you are looking for. The factor of personal presence, energy and transfer of practices has not yet been canceled.

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