If you’ve tried to meditate but struggled to succeed, you are not alone. Meditation is an art as well as a practice. For many people, meditation doesn’t come naturally. But it is a skill you can get better at with practice. Try these free or low-cost apps to get you started.
Ten Percent Happier
After experiencing the benefits of meditation for himself, journalist Dan Harris brought together a broad group of meditation experts to create an app with something for everyone. This app offers hundreds of different types of meditation as well as full courses and podcasts. At less than $10 per month, it’s a good value.
Insight Timer
In addition to an extensive library of guided meditations, this app also allows you to listen to calming music, hear an inspiring talk, or even meditate with your kids. Insight Timer does offer a paid option to access more content and support their work. But their free version is a great place to start.
Headspace
This popular meditation app has been around for a while and is beloved by many. It has an extensive library of different types of meditations. You are sure to find something that connects with you. Headspace is not a free app but only costs about $5 per month.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a free app designed by psychologists to make meditation accessible to anyone. With meditations for every demographic, this app can work for the whole family. It has guided meditations for kids, athletes, better sleep, improved concentration, and much more. Plus, it’s free!
Calm
Developed to improve your health and happiness, calm offers many free resources for mindfulness. In addition to guided meditations, it offers daily challenges, gratitude practices, mental fitness training, and journalling prompts. While there is a wealth of free offerings, their full library requires a paid subscription.
Healthy Minds Program
Developed by a nonprofit associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this free app is funded entirely by donations. Their goal is to make science-based mindfulness practices available to everyone. It offers easy and accessible guided meditations. You can choose seated or active meditations ranging from 5-30 minutes.
