Ease Anxiety with these Free Yoga and Meditation Apps

During these stressful, uncertain times, it’s important to continue practicing self care. Don’t read the news all day. Try to limit it to once in the morning and once at night. Maybe thirty minutes at the most.

Stay away from social media or else limit it to 30 minutes a day as well.

And most importantly, take the time to be kind to yourself. Maybe that’s going for a walk where you can. If there are no parks or hiking trails open to you, just walk outside your house and around your block. Sitting in sunshine for 30 minutes can do wonders.

YOGA

If you have a consistent yoga practice, don’t let your inability to go to your favorite yoga studio stop you. Here are some free apps to try:

Down Dog App

Normally this app has a fee, but it’s available for free through May 1st. I’m using it for the first time and am a big fan. You can choose what level you want, how long you want your session to be, how long to remain in each pose, and if you want to focus on anything in particular like glutes or low back. There’s even choices on what voice you want to listen to and the background music.

CorePower Yoga

CorePower Yoga offers classes on demand. You can watch the videos from your phone or computer. You can also download the app from your TV. They offer several free classes. These are more like joining in with a class from the comfort of your own home. There aren’t very many choices when it comes to the free classes and I found them a little more advanced than I was used to. But if you like fast-paced and more cardio, then I suggest CorePower Yoga.

MEDITATION

It’s so important to maintain your meditation practice as well. Sit outside if you can, preferably a quiet spot. And if you normally don’t meditate, now is a great time to start! There are some free apps and resources to get you started:

Insight Timer

I love this meditation app. It has the largest free library of meditations out there. You can subscribe to get access to classes and playlists but the free version is perfect for my own needs. You can choose what type of meditation you want, such as for anxiety, pain, or relaxation. You can sort by length. I haven’t come across any meditation that wasn’t helpful. There are also helpful reviews and ratings with each meditation.

UCLA Mindful

Every Thursday, at 12:30pm, the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center holds free 30-minute guided meditations through Zoom. So far, I’ve done one and it helped immensely. They have different themes each week. If you go to their website, there are also free podcasts you can listen to. You can also download the UCLA Mindful app which has free guided meditations. And no, you don’t need to be a UCLA student to access these resources.

There are so many other resources out there for self care like Meetup groups that are doing free Zoom sessions now for Reiki, yoga, and meditation. Or try your local community health organizations or yoga studios. They might be offering some free sessions through Zoom or Facebook Live.