I have been making meditation a habit. Every night I do about 20 minutes, at least, of meditation. It has been helping me sleep and I’ve yet to incorporate it into my daily life without the set aside time, but I hope to.
One metaphor I really loved the other day was: meditation is like watching cars pass you by. You see thoughts pass, but you let them pass you by, you don’t try to stop it or hold on to them, or chase them.
That metaphor has really helped me. Another one I’ve done is started to count my inhales and exhales, but only up to 10. There is a nice rhythm and then you begin again.
Also being mindful of the feeling of breathing is good too.
I’ve made it a steady habit and I want to continue. I was on some trial memberships, but I’m considering subscribing for a month. I don’t like to subscribe for things, because it’s hard to use them every month. But this has been really good for me and helping my anxiety, so I feel like it’s worth it. Also the whole month I’ve been testing out different apps to see which I like better.
I have Headspace and Wildflowers as well as Buddhist Meditation Trainer.
Of my least favorite is the meditation trainer, but it’s free. It’s just a quote and some bell sounds for 3 min of meditation. I will keep it because that’s what I’ve been ending my meditation practice with.
I am debating between Headspace and Wildflowers. Both are guided, which I need.
Headspace has cute animations and encourages mindfullness in everyday activities. They also have a wealth of sessions on emotional states and what not.
Wildflowers has ambient music but it is also, or can be, tailored to your mood. You can fill out some feelings you have and they suggest meditations to you. I listened to one last night on the birth of stars. They also vary in length from 3-20 minutes or more.
Headspace you can lock your phone, but Wildflowers disables this, so the phone must be lit up the whole time. So there are a few technical things about each.
Ultimately, I still don’t know which I want best, but I’m hoping at the end of my trial subscription to Headspace I’ll know more about which I like, or will use more.
Have you tried either? Do you know of another?