5 free apps for a more zen back to school

Already the start of the school year and its share of stress that goes with it… The return to a life at a thousand miles an hour, to tense work meetings, to the increased mental load with the start of the school year, to orders to resume sport… all this n not help for a smooth recovery. And, despite what people say, the pressure doesn’t go away on its own. To prevent it from making us sick in the long term, it is important to know how to manage it and to compensate for this anxiety with more zen phases, even if only for a few minutes during the day. This is where meditation (and possibly yoga) comes in. And with an app to guide us, it’s always easier.

A good way to calm down and take the pressure off is to take short breaks from your daily routine, if possible every day. Only 10 minutes a day is enough to feel the benefits on his health (mental as physical). And it’s free, especially with the help of ad hoc applications. Here are the best free meditation apps that work wonders for stress, guide you through meditation practice and breathing to further align body and mind. And develop a better version of yourself.

1. Insight Timer – Meditation

With over 100,000 titles, it is the largest free library of guided meditations in the world. Insight Timer can teach you to meditate and offers a wide variety of sessions: sleep meditation, mindfulness meditation, morning meditation. The application also includes relaxing music as well as modules to fight against anxiety and anxiety. Thanks to its very active international community, the content is very rich (and available in French). It is no coincidence that 20 million people regularly use this app to meditate, better manage their breathing and take care of their health. After a short quiz to find out more about your expectations, your meditation experience and your areas of interest, the app offers guided meditation sessions, positive psychology classes, yoga and even live events. . A real gold mine of varied content and programs available for free.

>> Download Insight Timer (Android store and Apple / iOS store)

2. Namatata

Little known, this application is nevertheless worth a detour. Namatata is a great app for learning meditation. It promises to improve falling asleep, gain relaxation, letting go and confidence. Using various tools and courses, Antoine Gerlier – helped by Doctor Bourgognon, psychiatrist and specialist in meditation -, guides you by voice and helps you progress in the practice of meditation through modules of 10 or 20 minutes. It is undoubtedly the most “human-sized” application of our selection. However, it has a beautiful catalog: more than 400 sessions. Namatata offers a free program that features seven meditation sessions. If you want to go further and benefit from all the content, you will have to subscribe by choosing a meditation program in relation to your goal (1 year: 79 €). Each session can then be downloaded to remain available offline.

>> Download Namatata (Android store and Apple / iOS store)

3. Headspace

This American guided meditation application now exists in French for our greatest happiness. She offers very successful programs to meditate, take care of the quality of your nights and concentrate. Depending on your profile and your habits, she suggests new modules and experiences every day, from the discovery of mindfulness meditation to more specific modules such as “going through a difficult moment”, “sleeping in peace”, “saying goodbye to stress “or” go back to sleep “. Some 70 million users have already downloaded the app and the reviews are very positive. Small downside, however: to take full advantage of all the content of the app, its various tools and personalized monitoring, after a free trial period, you will need to subscribe to a subscription (12.99 euros / month or 57 , 99 euros / year, or 4.99 euros / month). Finally, it should be noted that seven episodes of discovery of mediation are available on Netflix, a good introduction to test yourself on a session and see if it suits us. Or even introduce your children gently.

>> Download Headspace (Android store and Apple / iOS store)

4. Petit BamBou

It is without a doubt the most famous meditation app. French, it has more than 8 million users and a very large majority of positive opinions on the app. And it is not without reason. Petit BamBou offers many exercises and sessions of meditation and relaxation, to help fight against anxiety, pressure, restless sleep and feel more Zen on a daily basis. The application is available on many media and offers sessions of less than a quarter of an hour in general. During these programs, a voice will guide you through the meditation. In total, Petit BamBou contains more than 1040 sessions including the 8 free sessions of the discovery program. By subscribing to the subscription (€ 41.99 / semester), it is also possible to download the meditation modules and to benefit from a cardiac coherence tool, very useful for reducing the pressure and ensuring that the body and the spirit are aligned. Note also that the new version of Petit BamBou offers guided meditation for children (Youth) and to help with sports (Sport). Useful for helping a child to better manage her emotions, like an adult before a competition or a major challenge.

>> Download Petit BamBou (Android and Apple / iOS)

Meditopia

Here again is a heavyweight among meditation apps. With more than 20 million users, Meditopia is a benchmark. This app explores the different possible mediations via a very large library of content. The goal ? Live a more fulfilling life with less stress. Mediopia allows you to try new meditation techniques thanks to new content every day. The app also emphasizes sleep with quick sleep programs, relaxation stories and zen music. In just a few minutes, you are transported to a space of peace and relaxation. We also like Meditopia for its content intended for children: “Le Ballon des Concerns”, “La Plage des Inquietudes”, “The Tree or the Flower of Concerns”, “Les Bulles” and “La Marche Positive” are as many modules adapted to the youngest. Some of the content is available for free, but you will then have to switch to a subscription. At 29.99 euros per year, this is one of the cheapest formulas to meditate without breaking the bank.

>> Download Meditopia (Android and Apple / iOS)

Breathing exercises help fight tension

In the event of a peak in tension and pressure, you often breathe quickly and inefficiently. However, it is precisely this frequency of inspiration-expiration that increases the effect of the tension. You can solve this problem very easily by getting used to taking different breaths. One of the best relaxation activities for stressful situations is deep abdominal breathing.

Here is how it works:
Sit up straight (possibly with your back against a wall). It is best to place the palm of your hand on your stomach for optimal control. Close your eyes, then breathe slowly through your nose. Hold your breath for a moment, then breathe out slowly through your mouth. Repeat this breath until you feel more relaxed. If it helps, you can count the number of breaths per minute (aim for five if possible). This method, used in particular by the American Navy Seals to remain calm in the event of acute stress, has been proven around the world. It allows you to better control your emotions in a very simple and free way.

Have you thought about mindfulness?

This variation of meditation is particularly suitable for people (including children) who have difficulty concentrating. You should know that mindfulness can be trained. It is not innate. Here the focus is on your body: try to focus on individual regions of what makes up your being. Just to be aware of it, not to take away any emotion or pass judgment.

Here is how it works:
Start at the bottom of the right foot. Feel in presence in your body envelope, feel every toe, sole and heel. Is the foot cold, maybe itchy, how do you feel in that sock? Is it soft or, on the contrary, does it itch? Then switch to the left foot and then gradually go up (calf, knee, thigh, etc.)

Slowly work all areas without omitting any, and pay close attention to individual sensations – but without evaluating them. The foot is cold: it doesn’t matter anymore. You save it, but don’t immediately think you need a thicker pair of socks. Among the different meditations, this one is called mindfulness and it helps you a lot to deal with anxiety better and to perceive your surroundings differently and more relaxed.