Photo by Conscious Design
Namaste, B*tches!
What is Insight Timer?
Insight timer is a free meditation app available for both iOS and Android users. It’s one of the best free meditation apps on the market because of its expansive free library, and zero-catch marketing.
What do I mean?
Many other meditation apps like Calm and Headspace hide most of their most attractive features behind a pay-wall. I’m of the mind that in this crazy, unpredictable world, that access to mental health tools should be available to as many people who want to use them as possible.
Think about it: if more people meditated or practiced mindfullness, would we have so many ”today in Florida” headlines that break our brains and defy all logic? Probs not.
What can you do on Insight Timer?
I’ve written about my favorite meditations on Insight Timer for anxiety, so please check that out when you get a second. That said, here are a few of the most notable stats:
- Over 3 million registered users
- 100,000 free guided meditations
- 11,000 teachers
- A massive library of guided meditations, talks, music and courses
In summary, you can use their free meditation timer, take a course*, participate in a free live event like a yoga class, listen to music, and basically get your life.
“Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but recognizing that we are more than our thoughts and our feelings.”
The Best (hidden) Features of Insight Timer
These are my favorite, perhaps, not-so-well-known features of Insight Timer.
Insight Timer for Parents
It’s never too early to teach the kiddos, especially about something as useful and transformative as meditation! Insight offers stories, bedtime stories, meditations, and sleep-aids for kids and adolescents.
Free Live Events
Since I’m in Spain, most of these events are at ungodly hours, but the thought of having access to a group yoga class or a talk with like-minded strangers across the globe just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. There’s a live chat button where people share thoughts and feelings in real time, and the overall feeling is one of electric connectivity.
Completely Customizable Timer
Not all free meditation timers are created equal. With Insight’s timer, you can choose what type of bell you’d like to hear, how many intervals you’d like, whether you’d like background music or not, and the final bell. Then you can also save your presets! It’s really small details like these that set Insight Timer apart from the rest.
The music is LIT!
I’ve actually discovered some artists via Insight Timer such as Beautiful Chorus, that I’ve added to Spotify because that’s how amazing this group is. I would never have heard of them if not for this free meditation app.
The amount of variety and diversity is its strongest feature
There are so many Black and Brown faces on this app. And let’s be real, meditation…well, that didn’t start in Europe, so I’m happy to see others getting the chance to share their cultural legacy on such a huge platform.
There’s a “night time” feature!
Since I often use Insight Timer to help me sleep better, being able to have my screen blacked out AND the automatic turning off of the meditation or song is a really thoughtful feature that I adore.
Stats on Stats
I try not to gameify meditation, but being able to see how many days in a row I’ve meditated, what times of day, and for how long is weirdly satisfying for this self-proclaimed “streak queen”!
Circle Group Meditation
I’ve yet to try this feature, but from what I can see, it’s group meditation! You can mediate with your colleagues, create a public group or a private group. Talk about being aware of social distancing! Great way to read the room Insight!
How do I use Insight Timer the most?
It helps me sleep.
I can find Tibetan Sound Baths, or Binaural Beats, traditional music with lyrics, beautiful instrumentals; you name it!
I’m really happy I found this app. I had tried Calm and Headspace before, but they always seemed to be missing something. I can say 100% that Insight Timer is the most complete, user-friendly, and accessible meditation app out today!
Bonus:
My favorite musical group I discovered on Insight Timer
*some courses are for Member Plus