Wellness
Heres the deal with the meditation app’s 7-day free trial.
Meditation app Headspacehasbeen around since 2010 and is used by over 30 million people worldwide.
Thats a lot of folks tuning in forguided meditations and exercisesdesigned to boost relaxation and mindfulness.
Its also one of the top-ranked Health & Fitness apps on iTunes and Google Play Store.
But is it really worth all the hype?
Im someone who likes theideaofmeditatingbut never makes the time.
Ive tried meditating in the past and found that I was easily distracted.
It isnt about getting rid of thoughts, a sleek graphic assures me.
Its about learning how to be at ease with them.
There areother apps available,but for me, Headspace is the easiest and most user-friendly.
It almost doesn’t feel like you are meditating at all.
The app aims tohelp you stress less, focus more, andeven sleep better.
If youre like me and feel like you cant meditate, aguided meditationmay be worth a try.
(I did a few courses per day, due to the 7-day time constraint).
I chose Andy, the OG.
My first Basics session was a breezy, four-minute intro to meditation.
Immediately my inner voice chimed in.
And so the 10-part series went.
The example Andy gave in Session 3 was particularly helpful.
He described thoughts as cars passing by on a highway.
Sometimes there are lots of cars, sometimes there arent as many.
Basically, meditation in a nutshell.
I clicked on Courses and singles and went with an 8-minute audio titled Managing Anxious Moments by Kessonga.
The meditations all start the same way.
After doing the Basics classes, I felt myself falling into this groove.
What Else Does Headspace Offer?
There are Sleepcasts, aka narrated stories meant to help you drift off to sleep.
And also Daily Mindfulness Moments, which you might set to pop up on your home screen.
When we do, we find all the things we wanted are already here.
On Sleep, youll find Sleepcast videos, wind-downs, sleep music, and an 8-hour sleep radio.
Move offers morning warm-ups, feel-good yoga, mindful cardio workout videos, and rest day meditations.
The one-minute breathing exercises that instruct you to take five deep breaths along with a cute animation.
As of this writing, Ive logged over 40 minutes and have completed 12 sessions.
And yes, I feel like Im actually getting the hang of it!
So much so that I plan on keeping my streak going.
So, Is Headspace Worth The Hype?
My short answer is yes.
Headspaces guided meditations make it easy for beginners to slip into the cool waters of mindfulness.
If you dont want to pay, you might check out their YouTube channel orlisten to Radio Headspace.
But Id say, if you really want to get into meditating, the subscription seems worth it.
Studies referenced:
Rusch, HL.
The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Ann N Y Acad Sci.
Turakitwanakan, W. 2013.
Effects of mindfulness meditation on serum cortisol of medical students.
J Med Assoc Thai.
Suppl 1:S90-5.
Wu, R. 2019.
Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing.Frontiers in neuroscience.https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01074.
Expert:
Dr. Suzanna Wong, a health expert and co-founder of Twin Waves Wellness Center
