As technology makes its way into what seems like every corner of life, it can feel rather challenging to strike that careful balance of knowing when it’s helpful and when it’s not.
And frankly, the last place you might expect an electronic gadget to come in handy is front and center during your mindfulness practice.
But last fall, after hearing about some of the great mindfulness apps that have been released for smartphones, I was so impressed that I shared them with you. Twice, actually.
Of course, technology is constantly changing. And so after hearing about more cool new apps that are out. . .
. . . I thought now would be a good time for an update that could help you (or your clients) either begin or simply re-energize a fruitful mindfulness practice.
So here’s what we found (and, full disclosure, I’m not getting any kind of a commission for sharing these with you):
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- Headspace (on – the – go) – this app is pretty cool because it gives you the ability to schedule your mindfulness sessions ahead of time and download them. That way, if you’re on vacation without phone service, you can still get your guided meditation. There are also 365 days’ worth of unique 10-minute sessions (270 hours).
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- ReWire – using a combination of sounds and vibrations to keep you focused, this app allows you to set a timer (between 5 and 120 minutes) and choose from three different soundtracks targeted at engendering joy, focus, or calm. You can also use the music you’ve already got on your device.
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- buddhify – with this nifty little app, a guided mindfulness session is as simple as making a couple of quick choices. First you’re asked about your location (traveling, walking, at work, or at the gym), and then it asks you to choose a “flavor” (clarity, connection, stability, or embodiment).
iTunes has lots of different options available – The Mindfulness App is still a really popular choice that’s gotten positive reviews.
And you might want to be on the lookout for a new app that Marsha Linehan, PhD is helping to create. It’s called the DBT Skills App, and it’s based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, the treatment Marsha developed for a wide variety of emotional problems.
If this interests you, check out our mindfulness courses here.
So what are some ways that you’ve made mindfulness part of your daily schedule? And what sort of suggestions have you given to clients? I’d love to hear your thoughts – please share a comment below.
Life is short, and this article saved vaullbae time on this Earth.
I just get a tip from a friend about an app that should be a good one.
Google ronitherzfeld.com and click on “awareness” app.
Ronit Herzfeld is NY Psychotherapist and she developed the app to practice emotional awareness.
Youtube:Ronit herzfeld appears on cnn & cbs
Insight Timer is another great app!
Sometimes a simple word or gesture can make all the difference. I was seeing a Jungian trained Buddhist therapist, an elderly Indian gentleman. I had a particularly harried day and went on and on about all my concerns. He sat patiently listening, and when I finally ran out of steam he looked at me and gently uttered, “so?” It was as if he had pulled the plug on my flood of stress and anxiety. I have used that technique with good effect on my clients over the years.
Croft et al (Swinburne U of Technology, Australia) showed that having a switched-on cell phone attached to your head before sleep increases alpha brain waves, apparently the same ones seen in mindfulness mediatation. So these apps could possibly make learning mindfulness meditation easier, but I wonder how this would carry over to mediatating mindfully without the app.
The above study also showed that it took those exposed to the cell phone twice as long to fall asleep as they did when the phone was switched off or in standby. The investigators concluded that this reflects the time it takes the brain to relax after being agitated by the cell phone’s field. I’m not sure what the sugnificance of this is re the brain and mindfulness, other than not to mediatate mindfully with the app just before bed.
thanks Ruth for these updates !!! It is always good to have options.
Have you considered what the energyfields do to the brain?
App from calm.com is good too. I’m not on commission either, just used it for a few months.