
How to Pick a Meditation App - delambo
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/how-to-pick-a-meditation-app/?_r=0
======
hacker_9
I've been meditating for over 2 years now and can tell you you definitely do
not need to pay for an app to do it.

 _" One of the more challenging problems in learning to meditate is
remembering to do it."_

I do it every night before going to sleep. That's not hard to remember, plus
it clears your mind for a deeper sleep. You can go to bed at your normal time
as well, as the meditation can be considered as part of your sleep schedule.
It definitely won't (and hasn't for me) detract from your sleep.

Just start by focusing on the tip of your nose and controlling your breathing.
Then when you are ready, allow your body to take over the breathing while you
watch. Then also allow it to take over the monologue in your head and you
listen. Eventually you become an observer of all your thoughts and senses, and
so become free of them.

~~~
king_magic
> Just start by focusing on the tip of your nose and controlling your
> breathing. Then when you are ready, allow your body to take over the
> breathing while you watch. Then also allow it to take over the monologue in
> your head and you listen. Eventually you become an observer of all your
> thoughts and senses, and so become free of them.

Except it's a lot easier said than done. I've personally enjoyed my Headspace
subscription. I have no qualms with paying for it, and feel it has been more
effective than all of the material I've ever read on meditation that I've
looked at. But YMMV.

~~~
foobarqux
Each session of the trial seemed to contain essentially the same instructions.
Is there anything more to it?

~~~
wordbank
2 years on subscription (though I meditate without Headspace more). There're
many techniques and ideas in different Headspace courses that were quite
useful for me and I added them into my meditation practice.

------
tinyhappysteps
Quick plug - made a free app with no ads or IAP -

[https://itunes.apple.com/app/tiny-
calm/id1039698577?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/app/tiny-
calm/id1039698577?mt=8)

Has simple reminders, quick access widget, tracking and encouragement -
basically all the features I wanted in a meditation app but I couldn't find
for free on the appstore.

~~~
will_pseudonym
Could you elaborate a little on how you built the app? There have been lots of
small apps like this that I could build quickly in my preferred environment,
but I have no idea how to get started on iOS. Any resources you can recommend?

~~~
tinyhappysteps
Sure - it's a fun project.

It was my first app and released it after 2 months of learning to code. Mostly
learned from reading Apple's swift book, taking a $10 udemy course (there are
a bunch out there) and lots of stackoverflow when I got stuck.

I blogged about the process from hello world here -
[http://tinyhappysteps.com/](http://tinyhappysteps.com/)

~~~
rosege
Any plans for an Android version?

~~~
tinyhappysteps
I've started learning Android so hopefully cant get something out in a couple
months, maybe sooner if it's less painful

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tathastu
The Insight Meditation Center has a ton of introductory talks and guided
meditations available for free:
[http://audiodharma.org/series/1/talk/1762/](http://audiodharma.org/series/1/talk/1762/)
for example.

All you need is a timer which is already built in to most phones; if you want
a slightly better timer that has a soothing chime, use
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.xipa.medigo...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.xipa.medigong&hl=en)
which is also free (and has no ads, social networking features or other
annoying stuff).

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rtl49
This kind of content seems more appropriate for WebMD or WikiHow than the NYT
website.

There's no discussion of any substance here, it's pure filler. Differences in
meditation technique and course format between apps find no mention, and
there's no evidence provided showing that any of these apps is an effective
aid to meditation. Most considerations on the list are applicable to an app
focused on just about any positive habit people might want to incorporate into
their daily lives.

~~~
lispit

      How to Pick a Meditation App (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
      13 points by delambo 1 hour ago
      user: delambo
      about: My real-name HN handle. Web developer at The New York Times. @delambro
    

I think I get it.

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rl3
The whole concept of a meditation app strikes me as kind of contradictory.

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swayvil
Speaking as a guy who has been meditating for a couple decades, the whole
concept of meditation apps seems stupid.

~~~
wordbank
It's strange that after a couple decades of meditation you call obviously
helpful things "stupid".

Please be mindful, everybody has their own ways.

------
ilurk
Youtubbing for "mindfulness meditation" yields multiple results.

I haven't looked into any of those yet but was wondering if HN would recommend
them.

What I've been doing on and off is to play a calming "meditation tune", sit
down on a pillow, try to get into lotus (eventually shifting to a simple
sitting when it becomes uncomfortable), and flush thoughts out. So far I
haven't reached the stage of focusing on breathing, so many things rushing
through my mind lately.

------
omarchowdhury
The undistracted state of the mind is the meditation. (Gampopa)

------
tdkl
I've used the Calm app for the introduction course to learn about how to
meditate and start with guidance, then I continued on my own. Paying 10$
monthly for sitting still is hilarious. IMHO the quantity of these kind of
apps, guides and whatnot simply offer a paradox of choice, which is ironic,
since the user wants to relax, not obsess if he bought the right app,
subscription and/or meditation technique.

I now use Enso app [1] just to alert the 15 min duration, it's free on the App
Store (optional purchases for different alert bells).

[1] [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/enso-meditation-timer-
bell/i...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/enso-meditation-timer-
bell/id840637879?mt=8)

~~~
hacker_9
Personally I just used to use the built in timer with my phone and do 30min
sessions. But these days I have far more success with just sitting without a
timer. I recommend doing it at night where you can do this unbounded by
anything.

