Inner peace. A concept most individuals tend to simply joke about or brush off as unattainable mumbo jumbo. No, this is not a how-to-achieve-inner-peace entry. It is about the paradoxical nature of meditation apps like Headspace and Insight Timer to name a few.
My sister, who is a substitute Absolute Hot Yoga instructor but a management engineer by profession, has recently been raving about Calm. She shares that although the use of technology has recently been perceived as destructive (causing us to form bad habits), these apps have managed to help users get back to the original purpose of technology i.e. to be more productive.
Often we think that technology and mindfulness are opposites. We think they are at odds. When we think about practicing mindfulness or meditation, we think about putting away our phones. We think about turning off the television. We think about shutting down all our devices. We think about digital detoxes. Now it seems technology and mindfulness are not actually so incompatible. In this day and age, we can use technology to help us practice mindfulness— particularly through apps like the ones I linked above.
The purpose of these apps is to make meditation easier for us and even to help build a daily mindfulness practice. Some offer tutorials and techniques, whereas others create a meditative ambiance through music or binaural beats. Using apps that create sounds or give instructions helps us focus our attention and remove distractions from our consciousness in an effective manner.
The countless benefits of meditation and mindfulness have recently come to light in the scientific world. Do not even get me started on the soccer team of twelve young boys and their coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, who were trapped in a cave in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. It has been said that meditation played a part in helping them survive— mentally, emotionally and even physically. You can read all about that here.
My TA partner at work, who is a certified kids yoga teacher, uses recordings on Spotify during her kids yoga sessions. I have a few favorites and have incorporated them into my dance classes for kindergarteners. It helps center the children and calm them down. It is usually the first thing I play to get their attention.
Kira Willey is the name of the songwriter I follow on Spotify. She is also a children’s music performer and kids’ yoga and mindfulness expert. Her TEDx talk is something I find all educators (and parents) can benefit from. So I leave you with this:
ℙumpkin ℙatch 
Really awesome post, Gabriela! What you wrote really resonated with me- when I think of mindfulness and meditation, I immediately think of digital detoxing. Even if I’m doing a quick meditation before bed, the first thing I do is turn my phone on Do Not Disturb- yet the funny contradiction is that I’m using my phone to guide my meditation! A new one for you to try: Waking Up with Sam Harris. https://wakingup.com/ 🙂 Let me know what you think!
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Hi Gabs!
Super interesting post. I am looking forward to checking out the apps that you mentioned in it. I had heard of a few of them and also enjoyed the new recommendations.
Technology is such a double-edged sword, isn’t it? It can be a great tool for efficiency or a great toy for distraction. Like most things, I think people do whatever is easiest. For example, “I know I should eat the food in my fridge at home and make dinner to save money and be healthier, but this burger joint is right here and it is SO tasty…Burger it is!” I think technology has the same allure as the burger. Sure, I have exercise and education apps on my phone, but I also have ESPN and Facebook. It is much easier to read a few sports articles or scroll through posts than to do something productive (writing blog posts for example). Ultimately, I think it comes down to discipline and self-control. And if meditation and mindfulness can help with that then I will certainly use the apps that you have mentioned…as long as ESPN doesn’t call my name ;D
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