Mindfulness – There’s an app for that

Original post by Unknown author on January 19, 2017

On a recent episode of Spark (a technology radio show on the CBC) they began discussing using apps to improve mindfulness. Spark interviewed the founder of Mindfulness Everywhere  who have created several mindfulness apps including a guided meditation, which actually integrate your mobile device into your meditation for example; look at your phone, notice the colours on the screen, the weight in your hand etc.

This is the exact opposite concept from the Slow Tech movement that emphasized the need to turn-off, or slow down a users dependency on tech. Instead, apps created by Mindfulness Everywhere ask the user to become more immersed in their technology as a way to relieve stress and anxiety.


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4 responses to “Mindfulness – There’s an app for that”

  1. Katlyn Paslawski

    Original comment from rtelford on January 19
    Thanks for your post apattern. I recently participated in a 30 day mindfulness challenge through my employer (SD72). We didn’t use an app on our phones, but rather a website that guided us through a daily lesson, with little videos and questionnaires. I did often access this on my phone. I too found it ironic that we were being guided to be mindful and ‘take 5’ (a shorthand reference to a breathing/meditative exercise) while remaining ‘connected’ to the lesson through a digital medium! If mindfulness is about disconnecting from the distractions in our lives and connecting to our bodies and minds in the present, it does seem to strain good sense that we do all of this while holding in our hands the ultimate distraction! That said, the benefits for me were tangible. Yes I was interacting with meditation with a distracting piece of tech, but the lessons and challenges extended beyond the 6-8 minute mini-lessons on my phone. It had me establish new mindful habits whenever I take a bite of food, or when listening to another person. These new habits do not rely on my phone. They’re new habits that I continue to practice. I don’t think my experience of success with this program means I don’t need to unplug from time to time. I think it was a positive use of mobile technology.


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  2. Katlyn Paslawski

    Although this post is originally from 2017 I find it interesting the mobile mindfulness is still extremely relevant and I would say, on the rise. Perez (2020) says the 10 top meditation apps brought in 52% more revenue in 2019 and include some of the top apps like Calm, Headspace and Breath. I myself have not tried a Mindfulness app however millions of new users do each year. As mindfulness and meditation become more popular in today’s culture this mobile technology is becoming embedded with it. It is ironic that technology has been developed to help people can use a tool to support mindfulness that also can be a distraction. I can see the benefits of having an app on your phone that reminds you to take a few minutes to practice mindfulness, and an app that can guide you though the process. Without an app, some people may not practice mindfulness at all, even if the phone becomes a distractions after or while mindfulness practice is occurring.

    I would love to her from people who have tried using a mindfulness app on the mobile device to hear about their perspective.

    Reference:
    Perez, S. (2020) Top 10 meditation apps pulled in $195M in 2019, up 52% from 2018. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/30/top-10-meditation-apps-pulled-in-195m-in-2019-up-52-from-2018/


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    1. Meipsy Shackleford

      Hi Katlyn,
      Your shared post on Mindfulness is interesting. Mindfulness has become a bigger trend as people realize that they need to try and find a balance between their home and work life. I know at school, I will often use GoNoodle to allow the kids a break. GoNoodle has a variety of channels that you can choose from which includes dance activity but also a calm channel that will guide you through breathing and other mindfulness activities. I also have a Chrome extension that reminds myself and my class to get up and move every thirty minutes. Of course, these are also accessible on my mobile device but I only really use them when using my computer.

      I do have a number of mindfulness apps (one of which is the Calm app you mentioned) on my mobile device that are ready and waiting for me to use, although I often forget that they are there. I have recently been playing around with the StandUp app from Apple and so far it has been working well. However, with apps, we tend to be interested in the beginning and then you end up shutting off notifications, reminders to use the app and eventually remove it. As I have only had this one a short time, so far so good. Maybe ask in a month.


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      1. Katlyn Paslawski

        Hi Meipsy,
        You point reminds me of the breath app on my Apple watch. I am guilt of only taking the time to breath when it is convenient for me which of course defeats the purpose. Like you mentioned, I also tend to get interested initially when it is interesting and loose interest overtime.


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