How to Pick a Meditation App

I&#x27;ve been meditating for over 2 years now and can tell you you definitely do not need to pay for an app to do it.<p><i>&quot;One of the more challenging problems in learning to meditate is remembering to do it.&quot;</i><p>I do it every night before going to sleep. That&#x27;s not hard to remember, plus it clears your mind for a deeper sleep. You can go to bed at your normal time as well, as the meditation can be considered as part of your sleep schedule. It definitely won&#x27;t (and hasn&#x27;t for me) detract from your sleep.<p>Just start by focusing on the tip of your nose and controlling your breathing. Then when you are ready, allow your body to take over the breathing while you watch. Then also allow it to take over the monologue in your head and you listen. Eventually you become an observer of all your thoughts and senses, and so become free of them.

Quick plug - made a free app with no ads or IAP -<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;app&#x2F;tiny-calm&#x2F;id1039698577?mt=8" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;app&#x2F;tiny-calm&#x2F;id1039698577?mt=8</a><p>Has simple reminders, quick access widget, tracking and encouragement - basically all the features I wanted in a meditation app but I couldn&#x27;t find for free on the appstore.

The Insight Meditation Center has a ton of introductory talks and guided meditations available for free: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;audiodharma.org&#x2F;series&#x2F;1&#x2F;talk&#x2F;1762&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;audiodharma.org&#x2F;series&#x2F;1&#x2F;talk&#x2F;1762&#x2F;</a> for example.<p>All you need is a timer which is already built in to most phones; if you want a slightly better timer that has a soothing chime, use <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;play.google.com&#x2F;store&#x2F;apps&#x2F;details?id=de.xipa.medigong&amp;hl=en" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;play.google.com&#x2F;store&#x2F;apps&#x2F;details?id=de.xipa.medigo...</a> which is also free (and has no ads, social networking features or other annoying stuff).

This kind of content seems more appropriate for WebMD or WikiHow than the NYT website.<p>There&#x27;s no discussion of any substance here, it&#x27;s pure filler. Differences in meditation technique and course format between apps find no mention, and there&#x27;s no evidence provided showing that any of these apps is an effective aid to meditation. Most considerations on the list are applicable to an app focused on just about any positive habit people might want to incorporate into their daily lives.

The whole concept of a meditation app strikes me as kind of contradictory.

Speaking as a guy who has been meditating for a couple decades, the whole concept of meditation apps seems stupid.

Youtubbing for &quot;mindfulness meditation&quot; yields multiple results.<p>I haven&#x27;t looked into any of those yet but was wondering if HN would recommend them.<p>What I&#x27;ve been doing on and off is to play a calming &quot;meditation tune&quot;, sit down on a pillow, try to get into lotus (eventually shifting to a simple sitting when it becomes uncomfortable), and flush thoughts out. So far I haven&#x27;t reached the stage of focusing on breathing, so many things rushing through my mind lately.

The undistracted state of the mind is the meditation. (Gampopa)

I&#x27;ve used the Calm app for the introduction course to learn about how to meditate and start with guidance, then I continued on my own. Paying 10$ monthly for sitting still is hilarious. IMHO the quantity of these kind of apps, guides and whatnot simply offer a paradox of choice, which is ironic, since the user wants to relax, not obsess if he bought the right app, subscription and&#x2F;or meditation technique.<p>I now use Enso app [1] just to alert the 15 min duration, it&#x27;s free on the App Store (optional purchases for different alert bells).<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;us&#x2F;app&#x2F;enso-meditation-timer-bell&#x2F;id840637879?mt=8" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;itunes.apple.com&#x2F;us&#x2F;app&#x2F;enso-meditation-timer-bell&#x2F;i...</a>