Learn to Eat, Pray, Love like the modern girl
Here at Skintelligence, we are dedicated to skincare and sharing our knowledge with you ladies. But while healthy skin is crucial to us, it’s important to focus on our inner wellbeing too—especially when many of us lead incredibly stressful lives. Between getting up early for your family, rushing out tasks at work, and catching up with house chores in the evening, you might find yourself burning out faster than you think.
Enter mindfulness. While its roots stem from deep within Buddhism, the art of practicing mindfulness has become mainstream in recent years. But what exactly is it? Mindfulness is best described as the art of being present only in the conscious moment, putting aside feelings of worry and all other tasks to focus on an overall sense of calm. And it doesn’t take a lot to get started. Here are 5 of our favourite apps to help you start feeling your inner Zen.
Stop, Think, Breathe
This adorable illustration-driven app is easy on the eyes and inviting to use. It’s great for people looking for guided meditation as the app is packed with interesting sessions like learning to ‘Breathe’ or being more open minded through ‘Gain Resilience’. If you want to just keep things simple and easy without much browsing, simply key in how you feel both physically and mentally and receive a list of recommended activities.
Available for iOS and Android.
Headspace
There are many reasons we are drawn to Headspace, but the main one is how incredibly intuitive it is. And yes, the quirky graphics help too. With one of the founders having trained as a Buddhist monk, you know you’re in good hands. To start, go for the 10-day starter pack (free!) that takes you through the basics of guided meditation. When it’s over and you feel inclined to try out more meditation packs, you can sign up for a subscription and opt for other interesting ones like ‘Sleep’ and ‘Relationships’. If you prefer less dialogue, you can also choose to use the Pro version, which allows you free rein to really hone your own meditative zone.
Available for iOS and Android.
Relax Meditation: Mindfulness, Sleep Sounds, Noise
Like other meditation apps, this features everything from 10-minute basic breathing meditation to a 5-day programme to get you truly acquainted. However, our favourite part has got to be how Relax Meditation focuses on sounds. In fact, it has a dedicated ‘Sounds’ section where you can curate your own soothing soundtrack from the tranquil sounds of water to the distant chirping of birds—perfect for listening to at night or when you just want a sense of calm in the middle of a hectic day. You can also download ‘Community Melodies’ to hear other ambient masterpieces that people from all around the world have contributed.
Available on iOS. Search ‘Relax Melodies: Sleep Sounds’ on the Play Store for a similar app.
Calm
Like its namesake, this app keeps things simple from the get-go with its minimalistic interface. Take your pick from different relaxing landscapes for your home screen—from a slow-moving stream to the gentle crackling of a fireplace. Besides carefully segregated meditation categories, we love how Calm also recently introduced ‘Sleep Stories’: grown-up audio books to lull you into a restful state for sleep.
Available on iOS and Android.
Aura
Aura understands it’s not easy to just put aside your work and life to practice longer meditation sessions. To combat that, the app offers you daily micro-meditations that clock in at just 3 minutes. If you want something even more condensed, get a quick recharge with 30-second mindful breathers throughout the day. It’s simple, relaxing, and allows you to form a meditation habit in no time. Literally.
Available on iOS and Android.
We hope this list inspires you to pick up your phone and download an app or two. We’ll be back next week to continue dishing out skincare tips for you. Till then, stay mindful!
About us: We are Skintelligence, a team focused on a 'skin-first' approach to beauty through artificial intelligence. We match products to you based on your unique skin type and needs. Results are highly accurate and personalized with AI and machine learning. It's fun, convenient, and it works. Try it here.
As featured in Her World, CLEO, FEMALE, Shape, Nuyou, Singapore Women’s Weekly, Daily Vanity, Layers of Skins.
