I will honestly make the following admission: developing a meditation practice can be difficult. Over the past ten years, I’ve had periods of dedication interspersed with times that were anything but that. I’ve focused on mantra and on my breath. I’ve read a number of books, and I’ve experimented with different phone and computer applications. When it comes to the latter, I am here to tell you that, for the money, they can be incredibly useful.
My personal experience has been limited to Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer, with the latter being my personal choice for paid content. Bear in mind that this is not a comprehensive review; there are many apps out there. Of the three I tried, all offer both free and paid content. Should you wish to spend the money, the cost doesn’t differ all that much from one app to the next. Should I decide to investigate further, I’m sure that other apps also have their good and bad points.
In my research, I’ve also found articles that characterize app use as ‘McMeditation’ rather than the real thing. It’s not going to do you that much good, some people feel, unless you pony up the money to work with a live meditation teacher. I completely disagree, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, of course, has been my personal experience with isolation over the last two years. As a result of the pandemic, both of my in-person yoga studios closed. Thus, I’ve been taking and teaching yoga over Zoom. I’ve participated in teacher training using this technology, and have found the experience to be remarkably positive. It’s good to remind myself that when I meditate, I become part of a worldwide effort to improve the quality of life on this earth.
I’m going to be completely honest: in 2020 alone, I spent close to five thousand dollars on online training and classes. I don’t regret the expense; I learned a great deal in the process. However, I admittedly live a privileged life, one that enables me to spend this kind of money on something other than food, clothing, and shelter. Money should never be a gatekeeper for these lifesaving practices. If someone can only learn by using the free content on an app, then that’s the way to go.
Should those that don’t have the money look for scholarships? Of course. Is this always possible? No. Are there people who can spend some money but not a lot? Yes. Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer all have free content; if one chooses to investigate their paid offerings as well, it costs roughly between fifteen and eighty dollars for the year. Again, if this is one’s financial limit, these apps are wonderful tools.
One of my yoga teachers originally recommended Insight Timer to me. For a long time, I used the program only for free content, specifically background music and the ability to time the length of my meditation. This worked well for me for many years. One month ago, on a whim, I decided to check out the paid content as well.
In the past four weeks, I’ve taken one class, which I completed this morning. I’m signed up for a second, which I’ll begin tomorrow. I have the option of offering more money to the teachers, which I well may do; it’s hard to make a living in this way, and I want to make sure that I’m not taking advantage of others in my spiritual community. But again, I can make this choice. Again: one’s spiritual growth is not determined by the among of money one spends in the process.
How did my IT class compare to those I took on Zoom? Admittedly, the sessions were much shorter – ten twenty-minute classes versus five thirty-hour versions. While I of course learned much more in a longer class, I found the shorter sessions helpful in re-establishing a daily practice. In addition, the IT class allowed me to experiment with techniques outside of my current lineages. Given this, I think the price of a yearly membership has been worth it, even if I don’t learn anything else – and I think I’m going to learn a great deal more.
In conclusion, I recommend investigating every pathway that works for your life. Let’s not quibble over what constitutes ‘real’ meditation; improvement in the quality of life means that a particular tool has worked. In whatever way, ‘butt-on-cushion’ time is the most important marker – get out there are meditate, no matter what.
Yoga Cielo Stellato 