If you’re like me, first thing in the morning you'll reach for your phone shortly after opening your eyes. But instead of reading email, or the news.. checking Facebook or Instagram... instead, open the app called Insight Timer and start your day with meditation.
Insight Timer is a social app that connects you with a library of guided meditations, gongs and bells for a stillness meditation, and thousands of users around the world who are also using the app.
A common result from using Insight is getting pinged by users who have just meditated at the same time as you.
Don’t be surprised if within an hour of your meditation, your phone rings like a Tibetan singing bowl. Its just someone sending you a message of positive karma, “Thanks for meditating with me.”
Its become one of the sweetest parts of my day, making me smile no matter what morning traffic is like.
I use Insight to help myself fall asleep. For most of my life, sleep never came easily. But with a few drops of Lavender Oil on my eye mask, I will plug my headphones into Insight's array of binaural beats and sleep meditations. Usually within 20 minutes I have evaporated into another dimension, not to wake again until my alarm.
There is also the gentle gamification side of Insight which logs your sessions, provides statistics, and motivates you with milestone achievements. I make sure to log in and meditate so that I can receive that little yellow star signifying I’ve kept up a routine practice for 10 consecutive days.
I prefer Insight Timer over others, like Headspace, which my fiancé uses everyday. I prefer the wide variety of speakers, musical styles, and methods of meditation that Insight offers. The goal is to find something that works best for you.
Continue reading Podcasts & Guided Meditations ~ An Intro to Buddhism, for my recommendations of introductory tools and resources for establishing a stronger foundation for your practice.
other posts from
~An Intro to Buddhism~
These are my recommendations to begin-- or deepen-- your meditation practice and to understanding more about Buddhism: The apps, podcasts, websites and books that I turn to for seeking my True North.