Living in a world increasingly dominated by technology and fast-paced schedules, many people find it nearly impossible to find fleeting moments of peace, quiet and tranquillity.
While technology certainly has contributed to our lives becoming significantly busier, it also offers opportunities for escapism, and over the last few years, virtual meditation has emerged as a leader in the world of digital mindfulness.
The industry, spurred on by mindfulness as an ever-growing buzzword, trend and now an entire industry, has seen the development of thousands of virtual meditation apps that allow users to escape the pressures of daily life.
These apps are revolutionising the ways in which ordinary people view and practice mindfulness, making it more accessible and easy to engage with.
They’re helping people all over the world achieve mental and emotional balance amidst the chaos of modern life, many of whom may otherwise never have given meditation a chance.
Dive into the world of virtual meditation, and join us as we trace the rise and growth of the industry and explore some of the virtual meditation apps that have allowed the industry to boom.
The Rise of Virtual Meditation
The rise of the virtual meditation industry is being fueled by a few key factors, including the proliferation of smartphones, an explosion of wellness culture and an increased awareness of the potential for burnout.
Wellness culture has experienced a significant boost in popularity due to an acknowledgement of the risks associated with poor mental health, often linked to societal pressure to constantly pursue productivity. This realisation has led to the widespread adoption of mindfulness practices, including virtual meditation, in order to combat poor mental health and avoid burnout.
The combination of innovations in technology along with the fact that most people have smartphones these days opened the door for the mindfulness industry to shift into the digital realm, culminating in what we know today as virtual meditation apps that can be used anywhere, at any time.
How Do Virtual Meditation Apps Work?
There are plenty of virtual meditation apps these days, and they operate in different ways. Generally speaking, however, they follow a similar model, and the process of using one of these apps will go a little something like this:
Onboarding
Sign up to the platform, provide some relevant personal details and read an introduction to the app and how it works.
Fill in a questionnaire, answering questions pertaining to your current mental health, previous experience with meditation and more.
Library of Content
View the app’s library of content. Normally, this consists of guided meditations led by experienced instructors – they may be audio files or videos.
The guides tend to vary in length and type – they’ll range from being a few minutes long to up to an hour in length, and you’ll probably find a combination of daily practices as well as multi-day programmes
Progress Tracking and Reminders
Virtual meditation apps offer users tracking and reminder services – that is, which programmes users have tried and completed, as well as providing reminders to complete daily practices and more.
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Social Features of Virtual Meditation Apps
Some virtual meditation apps offer users access to discussion forums, encouraging users to chat, share experiences and support each other.
Live sessions are becoming increasingly popular in the virtual meditation industry, as users are given the opportunity to join group meditations and real-time classes.
Integration with IoT
As the industry continues to progress alongside innovations in technology, more possibilities for integrations between virtual meditation apps and IoT devices are emerging. This includes things like smart watches and heart-rate monitors that can be linked to wellness applications, improving the overall experiences of users and providing increasingly accurate data on physical wellbeing.
Top Recommended Virtual Meditation Apps
Selecting a virtual meditation app has a lot to do with each user’s particular needs and preferences – many apps function differently and provide users with varying offerings and services.
Here are five top rated virtual meditation apps:
1. The Way
The Way provides users with a single, structured path through the meditation process, eliminating the need for users to have to make decisions about which programmes to follow.
The app provides users with the experience of studying with a zen master every day for a year from absolutely anywhere in the world.
2. Ten Percent Happier
Ten Percent Happier is a virtual meditation app aimed at beginners, providing easy-to-follow guided meditations starting with short sessions and increasing in length as users progress. Ideal for dealing with both stress and sleep management, the app offers users hundreds of different meditations as well as the opportunity to join live group classes.
3. Calm
Calm is an app that aims to help users to embrace a state of relaxation, leading to improved quality of sleep. It provides a combination of sleep sounds and sleep stories in such a way that users can select whatever they want to listen to without having to stick to a structured programme.
4. Buddhify
Buddhify is one of the industry’s leading virtual meditation apps, providing guided meditation programmes that allow users to ease stress and anxiety by means of a step-by-step process. The app is known for being easy to use, including a tool that helps recommend practices to try in future.
5. Headspace
Regarded as one of the most comprehensive virtual meditation apps, Headspace gives users access to hundreds of different guided meditations that focus on everything from reducing stress and anxiety to improving sleep quality. The app is user friendly and is suitable for both beginners and those who are more experienced.
The Future of Virtual Meditation
The virtual meditation industry holds a lot of potential, including possibilities for the integration of new and more advanced technology such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality and augmented reality), enhanced integration of wearables, the expansion of content libraries, use in corporate and educational environments and more.
