Common Mindfulness Apps

Headspace is an application that has helped over 10 million people globally to incorporate mindfulness into their everyday routines.

Its goal is to teach you the foundational aspects of meditation, and expects that you have never meditated before or even understand the point of meditation as a practise.

Right now you are probably having visions of yourself sitting with crossed arms and legs humming rhythmically to yourself. This is absolutely not the case. Headspace takes you on a journey to better understand how your mind works, so in time you can gain a healthy sense of perspective and get on top of the negative thoughts and emotions that maybe holding you back.

Headspace views meditation as exercise for the brain. Through meditation you can build up areas of the brain and actually rewire it to enhance positive traits like focus and decision making, and diminish the less positive ones like fear and stress.

There are now thousands of studies that have shown how mindfulness meditation can positively impact mental and physical health. Some of the benefits include reducing stress, improving sleep, increasing focus, even improving relationships.

For more information on the benefits of Mindfulness training click here.

Apps like Headspace and Calm introduce you to the concept of training your mind for a healthier and happier life. They are entirely free (for the basic package), backed by science, and can be accessed anytime and anywhere using Apps or their websites. They aim to simplify the concept of mindfulness meditation into a palatable format for everyone. Another alternative is Insight Timer.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Sign up to a mindfulness app such as Headspace or Calm (or any other app that allows you to track mindfulness minutes) either online, or by downloading the App. It is entirely free and will not ask you for any payment details.
2. You will then be guided through a simple tutorial explaining the benefits of using the application. You can watch a quick video to help you learn the basics.
3. From here you can join a number of introductory modules that help you complete guided meditation sessions.
4. At the end of each session you will receive a notification that gives you your ‘total minutes meditated’ for that day.

It is important to try and integrate time to train your mind into your everyday routine, ideally at the same time each day.

Taking time each day to pause and get a little headspace is just as important as working on your physical fitness. For many of you we know this is going to be a new experience, but that is what the Kaido programme is all about: Bringing you new experiences in your pursuit of improved health and wellbeing