In 2026, the year which so far has been defined by the return of analogue hobbies, the idea of downloading an app in the name of mindfulness might sound a little contradictory. Let’s face it, only recently, I was telling you about my experiment with friction-maxxing, where I deliberately made my life less convenient to stop technology from doing all the thinking for me.
Surely then, meditation, one of the oldest analogue practices in human history, should be the last place I suggest that you reach for your phone?
But hear me out. Because the truth is, like many of us, I’ve tried meditating the analogue way and have never managed to make it stick. And since we can’t realistically disengage from the digital world entirely – our phones double as offices, diaries and social calendars – I’d argue it makes sense to at least interrupt the scroll with a notification which reminds you to pause for a few minutes.
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Of course, mindfulness meditation apps aren’t a substitute for professional support, particularly during periods of acute mental health crisis, when your first port of call should always be your GP or another mental health service such as Samaritans. But if you’re managing everyday stress (who isn’t?), then studies suggest that as little as five minutes of daily practice may be able to take the edge off your anxieties, stress or frazzled nervous system.
So, with that in mind, I decided to put one of the world’s most popular free mindfulness apps, Insight Timer, to the test. For one week, I committed to meditating every day to see whether it could genuinely help someone with a busy brain build the habit.
For my honest review, keep reading. And if an app isn’t for you, there are plenty of other ways you can engage with mindfulness and nervous system regulation. Just check out our guides to silent walking, somatic Pilates and EFT tapping for inspiration. We’ve also got specific guides to gratitude meditation and the best five minute meditations for those after small mindfulness snacks.
I Used Insight Timer, a free Mindfulness App, to Practice Meditation Every Day for a Week – And My Mind Feels Clearer Than Ever
What actually counts as meditation?
Before I properly started engaging with meditation, I truly imagined it as sitting in a lotus position for hours on end. I convinced myself it was something that required a big block of dedicated time, and that meant I was always finding reasons not to try it. You probably know the excuses: I never had enough time, energy or space to make it happen.
As I’ve discovered, though, meditation can be far less structured. It might last five minutes or fifty, and you can do it from the comfort of your bed or sofa. It’s also, contrary to common misconceptions, not about switching off your thoughts entirely. “Meditation might have relaxing effects, but at its core it’s actually about training your attention and grounding you in the present moment,” says Ciara McGinley, meditation teacher and founder of Finding Quiet. “It teaches us to notice our thoughts, emotions and sensations, and encourages us to sit in awareness with them rather than reacting instantly.”
Of course, a quiet environment, awareness of your breath and a willingness to engage with the practice are key ingredients, but beyond that, meditation doesn’t look the same for everyone. “The best meditation routine is the one you can stick to,” says McGinley. “For some, that might be a seated morning practice, for others it could be a short breathing exercise on their commute, or body scan meditation before bed.”
Why do so many people find meditation difficult?
I won’t pretend that finding time for meditation is easy. Life is undeniably busy, especially if you have children or other dependents to care for around your own schedule. That said, in many cases, it’s our misconceptions about meditation that sabotage us from engaging with the practice.
“Many people believe they are failing when thoughts arise, but noticing the busy mind is actually the core of the practice,” says sound practitioner Nancy Trueman, founder of True North Sound Studio.
McGinley agrees. “It doesn’t matter how many times your mind wanders, as long as you start to notice it and draw your focus back to your anchor, then you are meditating. It’s all part of the practice.”
How can mindfulness apps help with meditation?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m generally trying to be less digitally connected and will avoid recommending anything that requires you to download yet another app. But when it comes to mindfulness, I’m willing to make an exception. That’s because, as Trueman explains, for those who struggle to bring attention to their thoughts, “guided meditations give the mind a structure to follow.”
It can be particularly helpful if you have a loud inner critic that insists you’re doing it wrong, or that the practice is a waste of time. “Having someone gently guide you through it can add a level of reassurance and support,” says McGinley.
There’s also the question of notifications. Unlike alerts from social media platforms, which are designed to pull you into another scroll, prompts from a mindfulness app are intended to do the opposite: remind you to pause, step away from the noise and make space for a habit that benefits your mental health.
They’re flexible, too, allowing you to experiment with different styles of meditation, which can be particularly useful when you’re starting out. “Apps usually have a range of techniques ranging from short sessions of just a few minutes to longer, more in-depth practices,” adds McGinley. “You can experiment and find what you connect with most.”
4 tips to improve your mindfulness practice, from to a top meditation teacher
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably tempted to give meditation a go. My first tip, naturally, is to download a free mindfulness app. But while you’re here, McGinley has a few tips to help you get the most out of the practice.
1. Start small
You don’t need to sit in stillness for hours each day to build a meditation habit. “Begin with just a few minutes and build up if you would like to. Consistency is what is most important,” says McGinley.
2. Try different practices
Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting still at all; if that feels uncomfortable, letting go of rigid ideas about what meditation should look like can make it easier to engage with the practice in the first place. Recent research with university students has even shown that integrating mindfulness into your daily walk can improve mood and sleep quality. “Try tuning into your senses as you walk, or experiment with gentle breathing practices such as box breathing or wave breathing,” says McGinley.
3. Expect resistance
Like any skill, meditation takes practice, and struggling at first doesn’t mean it isn’t working. “Expect that some days might feel challenging,” says McGinley, who encourages us to resist the urge to give in to a wandering mind. “Remember that it’s all about training your awareness – and just because your mind is wandering, it doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong,” she explains.
4. Try meditation snacking
If carving out time for one long meditation session each day simply isn’t realistic, McGinley recommends ‘meditation snacking’, which means weaving small mindful moments into your daily routine. “This could be while you wait for the kettle to boil, before you open your emails, or when on your commute home,” she says. “Each time, choose a different anchor to focus your attention for a few minutes – such as your breath, a body sensation, or simply noticing your thoughts and letting them come and go.”
This is where mindfulness apps can be particularly useful, as they take the pressure out of deciding where to focus your attention, freeing up mental space for you to engage with the practice.
I Used A Free Mindfulness App Every Day For A Week – and Noticed Huge Shifts in My Mood, Energy and Focus
Days one to three
For a long time, I didn’t see how a meditation app could offer anything I couldn’t find on Spotify or YouTube. But after downloading Insight Timer for the first time, I quickly realised there is a difference.
For one, there are no adverts – something I find really disruptive in YouTube sessions. More than that, though, a dedicated app removes much of the cognitive load required to find a practice in the first place.
Instead of scrolling through endless channels and episodes, Insight Timer groups the sessions into various libraries dedicated to meditation, breathwork, sleep and morning practices, along with more tailored categories designed specifically for parents or women. You can also follow teachers you connect with and join their live sessions directly through the app.
The curation of Insight Timer made it easy and efficient to choose a meditation practice, which encouraged Ash to keep coming back
(Image credit: Ashleigh Spiliopoulou)
This level of curation was one of my favourite parts of Insight Timer – it made me feel more like I was part of a meditation community. After each session, the app tracks your streak (like Snapchat, but healthier) and prompts you to reflect on how the practice made you feel, asking whether you’d like to repeat something similar or try a different session the next day.
Within a couple of days, I noticed myself becoming more curious about all the practices on offer within the app. Whenever I’ve used Spotify in the past, I’d search for a specific meditation, listen, and move on with my day. Now, I was finding myself browsing other libraries after the meditation ended, and finding inspiration for other practices I’d like to try.
I’d originally downloaded the app for sleep sessions. Bedtime is when my brain tends to run through ideas and worries, so introducing a wind-down practice felt like the obvious place to start. But before long, I was doing short morning sessions too, inspired by the affirmation-focused practices shown to me on the app.
As expected, my mind wandered a lot, but thanks to McGinley and Trueman, I knew this was normal and didn’t let it put me off. I actually managed to start embracing it, and found it quite interesting to notice just how many places my thoughts could take me in the space of ten minutes.
Days four to seven
Before I knew it, I wasn’t doing the one daily session I promised myself, but had reached for Insight Timer three times in one day.
The sessions were always short. I love the concept of meditation snacking because it feels manageable amidst my schedule, rather than a chore to add to the to-do list.
I also stopped being so precious about where I meditated. On day five, I even tried a walking practice, swapping it in for my usual podcast. I found it to be a welcome change: I love podcasts, but they tend to fill my head with more information, whilst meditation gives me mental breathing room to process the thoughts which are already there.
Squeezing in short meditation snacks while on the move helped Ash be more consistent with her practice
(Image credit: Ashleigh Spiliopoulou)
When I’m home, sometimes I’ll meditate lying down in bed, sometimes I sit curled up on the sofa, and occasionally I’ll listen while cooking dinner. The lack of rules is such a refreshing change to the way I approach meditation and makes it so much easier to keep returning to it.
What I realise by the end of the week is that meditation is predominantly about momentum. Once you get into a habit, and start to see the benefits, keeping going stops feeling hard.
For me, the app helped because it got me over the initial hurdle of habit formation. If you already want to build a meditation habit but struggle to make it stick, a mindfulness app could be the helping hand you need. There’s nothing revolutionary in there, and you still have to choose to show up. What the app gives you is the structure that could be the difference between you giving up and following through.
Shop MC-UK approved meditation tools now:
Beats Powerbeats Pro Wireless Headphones
If you’re planning to meditate out of the house, investing in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones is a good idea, especially if you’re practising in noisy surroundings. This pair from Beats also double as a great pair of workout headphones as they’re wireless, with snug anchoring hooks to keep them in place.
Vuori Halo Essential Wideleg Pant
I keep harping on about these sweatpants, but they truly are my favourite item in my wardrobe right now. In my mind, they’re the perfect thing to wear for meditation, since uncomfortable clothing can be the ultimate distraction.
Pro 11 Wellbeing Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set
Depending on how you like to meditate, lying on an acupressure mat could add a deeper layer of relaxation to your practice. I find it especially useful for sleep-focused practices as the pressure of the needles helps to release muscle tension and bring you into a state of rest and digest.
Is there a best time of day to practice meditation?
The best time to meditate is simply the time of day that feels most accessible to you, and trying to force yourself into someone else’s routine is unlikely to be sustainable. That said, if you can carve out a few minutes in the morning, sound practitioner Nancy Trueman says this can be a particularly effective moment to practice, as the mind may be more receptive before the noise of the day starts.
“Even five to ten minutes before the day’s stimulation begins can regulate the nervous system and create consistency,” says Trueman, who emphasises that meditation is less about duration and more about building a regular rhythm. “A short, daily practice can be transformative,” she says.