By Thomas Di Cosola, RA/ILS Instructor, CLE Denver

The practices of mindfulness and meditation have been becoming more common in classrooms, workplaces, and homes in recent years. Mindfulness and meditation have to do with quieting the mind and paying attention to the present moment. This can help individuals to understand their own emotions and handle stressful situations. Luckily, there are now dozens of apps for devices that are based on mindfulness and meditation.

I interviewed a Denver CLE student, Noah McPeak, about his use of a mediation app called Calm. He said he uses the app for around 20 minutes in the morning a few times a week. Noah said that using the app for meditation helps improve his mood and focus. He said the app is great to help people who may have depression or issues with concentration.

The Calm app has several different functions: Music, Meditate, Masterclass, and Sleep. The Music function plays ambient music to help with relaxation and focus. The Meditate function gives guided meditation which helps the user with attention and breathing. The Masterclass function discusses topics related to meditation and mindfulness. The Sleep function provides music to help improve sleep, which Noah said makes him wake up feeling well rested.

Noah has been using Calm for a few months and said it is great for both beginners and people who are more experienced with meditation. He said a drawback is that he has to pay a subscription for it. Noah said the app has helped him make an improvement by feeling better about how he lives his life and focusing on what he can be doing in the moment.

In talking with CLE staff and researching online, I found a number of apps for meditation and mindfulness, some of which that are free to download for Android and Apple devices. Mindshift is a free app that acts as a portable coach in helping with anxiety, sleep, emotions, conflict and more. Smiling Mind (a free app) was developed by psychologists and educators to make mindfulness and meditation accessible to everyone in the workplace and classroom. Relax Melodies (free app) provides ambient music to help with relaxation and sleep. Headspace requires a subscription but provides you with guided meditations, animations, articles, and videos.

Angela, Denver’s Clinical Director recommended a free app called Insight Timer. She prefers this app because you can put in guidelines for the duration of your meditation, preferred music and sounds and more. Amelie, Denver’s Program Administrator, recommended an app called White Noise. She likes this app because it provides ambient music and sounds to be used for meditation, relaxation, and sleep.

Meditation and mindfulness are great practices that can help people of all ages, particularly college students with stressful schedules. By engaging in these practices through the convenience of an app, one can reduce anxiety and stress and improve concentration and focus in any setting. If you are someone who would benefit from meditation and mindfulness, try out some of the apps mentioned in this article and let us know about your experience.