Electronic meditation: How apps help you to disconnect

According to Fast Company, there are over 18 million Americans that have joined the meditation movement. With clear benefits such as lowering blood pressure and boosting immune systems under its bonnet, cognitive behavioral therapy treatments like meditation are seemingly more important now than ever.

Because of this massive following, many developers have dived into the app space to attempt to provide an app-powered meditative experience. Lifehacker looked at meditation apps and pointed out that although apps are by no means a requirement for reaching a meditative state, they do help people:

* Build a habit – Most people have heard that it can take 21 days to build a habit and this makes things difficult for someone looking to start something new. With an app, there is a built-in reminder to take the time for meditation. They can even track stats like a longest streak and hand out rewards for checking in.

* Set a time for meditation – Clocks or timers are often recommended for meditation to help keep things on track. With a dedicated app, there will be a timer built in as well as serving as a place to store your progress and observations.

* Meditate more deeply – When starting out with meditation, it is common for most people to be a bit lost. Guided sessions can help a person stay on track or focus on specific goals like relaxation or creativity.

The best part of these apps might be the access to guided sessions because they allow novices to get started without having to wonder what it is they should be doing. They also enable people to see how meditation could work for them without the time or financial commitment that signing up for an actual class might entail.

Ironically, it could be apps that help the always-connected society find success in disconnecting.