"BREATHE IN, breathe out," a calm voice from your phone guides you. "Clear your mind, be present," continues the soothing voice as you practice your daily meditation. Many have turned to meditation apps to soothe their anxiety during the pandemic, but the genre itself has been steadily gaining a following since the mid-2010s. The popularity of these apps is centered around the concept of mindfulness, a state of mind that makes us in tune with our present mind, body, and surroundings. In April 2020, the ten highest-ranked meditation apps accumulated over 10 million new downloads[1]. The success of these apps is not surprising. During the 1990s, interest in mindfulness and meditation bloomed. With the acceleration of modernity, the digitalization of mindfulness was a natural next step and has now become a new norm. Welcome to the era of digital therapy. 

Digital therapy: the irony of meditation apps

   With the massive rise in users, it is easy to think that using meditation apps is the logical route to combat stress. Yet, it feels paradoxical. How can the digital be therapeutic?

   After all, spending more time in front of screens is linked to the deterioration of our overall health, from disrupting sleep patterns to creating addictions[2]. Using our phones to reduce stress seems counterproductive. Meditation apps try to market themselves as tools to liberate yourself from stress, but they utilize constant notifications, daily meditation playlists, and even scoreboards to keep you hooked.

   Meditation apps are a compromise for the modern man, who can rarely find time and effort to meditate. As a pragmatic solution, apps offer mindfulness with guided meditations and interfaces designed to be accessible for the casual user. "For most of us, the phone is the most stressful thing in our lives," said Andy Puddicombe, the co-founder of Headspace at a TV appearance "[but] I love the idea that the phone can actually serve up something…that is good for our health”[4]. If notifications can successfully encourage users to develop mindful habits, what's the harm? As Alex Tew, the co-founder of the Calm meditation app, puts it, “the idea is to make the best of the current situation by bringing meditation to where people already are: their phones”[5]. A few different options exist, but these are among some of the more popular meditation apps today. 

Headspace

   After working the whole day, you might just want to rest, but you cannot seem to take your mind off work. Headspace can help the user wind down through guided meditations. The app focuses on educating its users, giving foundational skills and tips on incorporating meditation into your daily routine. When you first start, it leads you through a ten-day meditation playlist, with each day focusing on a single meditation technique. For instance, on day one, the app teaches you how to be more focused, and then a few days later you can learn to sync your body and mind. Headspace keeps users committed by setting goals and noting achievements to increase the sense of accomplishment. 

   Headspace tries to have an energetic approach to meditation. With its gamified platform, I had the most fun using this app. Its interface feels vibrant and engaging. Additional features such as the animations and the cardio workouts provided a more interactive experience too.

   But while I find Headspace to have the best approach to meditation, it was expensive. Headspace is free to download, but its premium services vary in price per subscription period. Apart from the introductory playlist, only a few three-minute meditation guides are available for free. I was left wondering if other options would be more profitable. Like Calm, other apps offer similar services but with more variety for a lower price. 

Calm

   As you click on the Calm app, the screen turns blue. A simple phrase shows: "Take a deep breath." The app takes its time as it waits for you to follow. Calm has been designed to offer the user a more immersive experience with its ambient music and UI. While the interface's cold colors are not as engaging as Headspace’s, the slow pace and the app’s focus on the user’s surroundings make for a more relaxing experience. Furthermore, Calm utilizes daily mood-check-ins and masterclasses to expand the user’s mindful experience beyond the borders of meditation. Masterclasses by world-renowned instructors teach users how to break bad habits or improve sleep.

   Calm has a more relaxed approach to meditation, but the ambiance can be overwhelming. More often than not, I turned down the volume to avoid blasting sounds of rain. The wide range of services was sometimes confusing, and I found myself scrolling through the catalogue longer than the meditation itself. 

The app is free to download and offers paid premium subscriptions for full access. Like Headspace, Calm gives little material outside their paid services but offers more diversity at a lower price. 

Simple Habit

   It is difficult to find the time and motivation to make meditation a daily habit. Simple Habit lives up to its name: it makes meditation simple enough to become a part of your daily routine. The app aims to make meditation as practical as possible. While Headspace and Calm require you to go through a playlist to build the basics, Simple Habit allows you to skip the pesky introductions. It gives you direct access to all its free content, and you can customize your experience within the app. Rather than dedicating a large chunk of time for a singular meditative experience, Simple Habit lets the users choose when and how to conduct their meditation sessions. The app's most attractive feature is called "On-the-Go": a wheel that lets you choose why you want to meditate and how long you wish to meditate for. Unlike the other apps that offer comprehensive meditation guides, Simple Habit customizes its meditation guides and library for specific concerns or situations. You have five minutes to focus before a test? There is a course for that. Are you tired after work? Just choose a time, kick back, and relax. 

   As a busy student, its “On-the-Go” feature felt the most convenient. However, while this app feels ideal for those who are always on the go, it lacks the strong foundation in the practice of meditation. Simple Habit’s interface is less intuitive than most apps and has less variety for its services, but it does give autonomy to the users who can implement meditations into any part of their day. 

   Simple Habit provides the most amount of free content compared to the other apps. Most playlists and the On-the-Go features are free. Simple Habit is quick, accessible, and easy to use, a brief but delightful taste of the world of meditation.

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   While it seems counterintuitive to use our phones to relax, meditation apps are an easy way for the general public to learn and practice meditation. Using meditation apps integrates more mindfulness into our busy lives. Meditation apps can be your one-way ticket to more effortlessly attain a more thoughtful life.

[1]Techcrunch

[2]Rallyhealth

[3]Time

[4]WIRED

[5]WIRED