My Favorite Mindfulness Apps
I’m a tech junkie. So over the years I have searched for ways to merge my love of new technology with my journey to becoming more positive and mindful. Below are a few apps that I really enjoy using. I have no business connections to any of the apps or to the people that created them. There are a ton of great apps out there, however these are a few that I can’t live without.
MindWave
I have listened to this app every single night for the past 7 years. I plug my iPhone into some external speakers and play this all night long. It helps me fall asleep and/or slip back into sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night. If I can’t get myself back to sleep after waking, my mind will take over and I will analyze and overthink the next day. It’s exhausting. The Alpha tones in the “Relax – AirTunes” setting helps me slip back into dreamy land without letting random thoughts take over my mind and keep me up for hours. This one is $1.99 in the app store.
Brain FM
This app has revolutionized how I concentrate on the task at hand. If I need to write a post for the site or focus on some data analysis for work, I cannot do it without this web app. The pulsating tones and relaxing or intense (your choice) sounds help you focus, relax, or sleep. Use earbuds with this one. This is a web-based app that has a $3.99 a month subscription.
Brain Wave
I use this app when I meditate. I set it for 10 minutes and then I close my eyes and follow where the brain waves take me. There are a lot of options 
to choose from like, Morning Coffee, Critical Thinking, Creativity Boost, Euphoria, Yoga Meditation, Calm Reflection and Power Nap to name a few. My fave is Morning Meditation with the following settings:
Time: 10 minutes
Background: Rain and Thunder
Ambience: I turn it up about 45%
Brainwaves: I turn that up about 60% of the way
This mixture is awesome because the brainwave sounds are just a tad louder than the rain. This app has been around for a while, so the interface is a little dated, but that doesn’t bother me. I get my best meditation sessions while listening to it. This app is $3.99 in the app store.
Pause
Ok, this one is a little odd. You put your finger on the screen of your device and slowly follow around a little dot. It’s a very strange, hypnotizing feeling because the screen looks very liquidy, like a lava lamp. I find that it forces me to stop thinking about whatever is on my mind and focus on tracing this dot. It does relax you, but you are also staring at your phone while you do it. This is a different experience because I typically look at anything BUT my phone when I try to relax or concentrate. Sometimes when I use this app I am taking a quick break from my lunchtime walk and I sit on a park bench and look at my screen while tracing around a dot for a couple minutes. I’m sure it looks strange, so I prefer doing it when I am alone and need a mini-mental vacation. This is a very unique app, but worth a shot if you want to try something different. This app is $1.99 in the app store.
What are your favorites?
Thanks for these! I love to listen to meditation for deep sleep, positive thinking, and for love. Normally I find them on YouTube, but this is great! I’m listening to brain wave now~ healing..I listened to one to enhance creativity, while I finished writing a story. Then an extremely wonderful idea Came to mind, I was hungry and craving a snack so I thought I should eat peanuts in my bed and let the shells & all fall to my bedspread, I proceeded to imagine I was at a Cardinals game. My daughter came in to give me a double verification that yes I’m very weird and definitely crazy sometimes! But it’s totally ok! So I’m here to say these apps must work, Bc I would never had thought to do something creative to signify that I just don’t give a fudge right now! Everything is coming to Us exactly as it should & that’s a wonderful feeling & relief! I’m Looking forward to trying some of the other apps too! Thank you so much for this site. It’s awesome!!
Thank you for sharing, Michelle. What an interesting story of a mini-mental vacation. I love those experiences. Whenever I find it hard to escape for a few by myself, the assistance of apps like these are great. Thank you for the comments. I REALLY appreciate your enthusiasm!
Thank you for these suggestions. I have been looking for something other than music to relax and clear my head. I will definitely try the BrainWave app. I have been listening to different types of music (without lyrics) and it has been a decent experience but this app might take it to the next level.
I totally understand. Sometimes the lyrics distract me when I am trying to relax or focus, so finding something soothing w/o words has been a game changer. Let me know how the app works out. Thanks, Chris!