Insight Timer App, Your Meditation Pal

Jan 25

Some might call it escape from reality, but sometimes you need that space to breathe and just... be. I don’t know about you, but I can get lost for hours on end, following the winding trails and exploring all the treasures to behold... within the realm of my mind. I mean, I could do the same on nature trails getting caught up in the beauty of the scenery and trying to capture it in photos, but I try very hard not to get lost in real life. Wait, what am I saying? The portals of my mind are real life. Really, though, there are times I look up from whatever sand dune I’ve planted myself and realize an entire afternoon has elapsed and I have literally gone nowhere in any sense of the word. Here I go getting off on a tangent again.

You know, there’s an app for that… and thank goodness!

Whether you prefer the ease of a peaceful meander across the landscape with a mind open to the joys of the stroll rather than heading on jaunts focused on the destination, or yours is a personality that appreciates the guidance of map and compass to take you where you’re headed, Insight Timer is the perfect pal for your meditation journey.

It’s much like walking into a cartographer’s library with a vague idea of where you want your next expedition to lead, but stopping here first because you need an official map to get you started. You meander down the hall and curiously step through the first open entrance. However, you quickly come face-to-face with overwhelm, as the walls are solidly lined with atlases, and you have zero idea which one contains the map that is most beneficial to your journey. Le sigh. All the information you need is at hand, but where to look for it? Hello? Is anybody home?

***How it works***
With your profile being tailored specifically to you based on the selections you make and questions you answer, Insight Timer is highly intuitive. By all means, casually scroll through if you like, but the settings enable you to **streamline your open content**, even down to the available niches within subheadings of interest to you.

***What it is***
Beyond simply being an app, Insight Timer is **a whole community of people from various walks of life** who collaborate to establish and attain various milestones. From general health goals to meditations to the nuanced complexities of life, Insight Timer is your guide to holistic wellbeing in the palm of your hand.

***Who it benefits***
Welcome to Insight Timer. Population: 19 million
Insight Timer is **for the scientist, the secular, the spiritual, the new ager, and the religious, for kids and adults alike**. No matter who you are, guru or amateur explorer, there is a place for you in this community. Content is also offered in over 50 different languages with a level of cultural diversity that benefits a far greater span than many contemporaries.

***Why it’s so helpful***
Because there’s such **a vast array of information to access with teachings from so many experts**, Insight Timer is practically a one-stop shop that allows you to experience the grandeur of every department rather than having to run between twenty-five different sources for what you need. What’s more is that it keeps you focused on your intended purpose while enabling you to input tasks that you’ve completed independently. No more rabbit trails!

***When to use it***
**Wherever you are, whether you have an hour to spend or 12 minutes to spare…** Use it when you’re at home or on-the-go, whether that means at work, at the park, or during your commute. The interface is one that lends itself to ease of use, so you don’t have to worry about wasting precious time fumbling through unfamiliar territory. You’ll maximize time by doing your daily check-in so that the suggested meditations align with your current mood and mindset.

***Where to get it***
Anywhere maps – ahem, *apps* – are sold! You can also go to the Insight Timer website to learn more about the available programs and access what you need directly there.

Now for staying on track!

Who says you can’t have fun while sticking to the charted course? Since you cover more ground with a plan than otherwise, there is more that unfolds than you’ll even realize until you look back and discover how far you’ve come. Wait, I remember the fork in the road, but when did I cross that ravine?

Insight Timer will help you build meditation routines and allows you to grow consistency with each session, even if you are brand new to the practice.

Between the prompts that provide ideas on where to turn next and the friends you’ll make among other meditators, you won’t be steered wrong here, and you will progress on your journey.

What’s more, not only will the app keep you on track, it will also help you chronicle said progress in a comprehensive log. To make things even more convenient, if you use other health tracking apps such as Apple Health, Alexa, or FitBit, you can simply connect Insight Timer so they’re synchronized.

Exploring the legendary features

Music

With the music options available, there’s no need to pull up external sites to search for appropriate meditation sounds. You can search and filter the sounds by instrument or category and create playlists of your favorite meditation music within the app itself. From binaural beats for sound wave therapy to classical music to nature soundscapes that you can even use as background study or sleep music, the collection contains a plethora of options for you to create your desired ambiance.

Timer

What would Insight Timer be without a timer or two? Whereas you could either inadvertently become so lost in your meditative state that you find yourself late for your next task or rather remain so time-conscious that you never completely release your thoughts because you keep tracking the time, with Insight Timer, the meditations can be sorted by duration so you can choose one that works best for your schedule. Once underway, the onscreen timer begins a countdown. You will know when your allotted time has elapsed either way, since the meditation track fades into silence as it reaches the end. If you prefer to meditate in silence, the simple intonation of a bell at outset and close can also alert you when the time you set for yourself is completed.

Discovery

Discovery begins the moment you open the app and receive the inspirational words that fade in. Rich with meaning and yes, insight, these quotes will provoke your thoughts to discover truths you might not have considered about yourself and the world around you. Thus armed, you will then be ready to choose a Guided Meditation that aligns with your personal goals. Whether you want to focus on stress relief or gratitude, enjoy visualizations, or pair with your favorite crystals, there are over 118,000 free Guided Meditations ready to help you attain your milestones.

Courses

There are so many offerings within the learning unit. One-on-one mentoring is one example, and there’s also a schedule of live events. The search filters make it easy to sort through the thousands of offerings and streamline to the type of practice you want, be it breathwork, visualization, movement, and the like, or topics of interest or situational suitability, like love or self-esteem, mornings or winding down. For more in-depth training in any of the featured modalities, there are even full-length courses available as part of the membership program so you can dive deeper into your favorite healing and mindfulness topics!

Connections

Great minds think alike... even when they’re all different. Another notable thing about joining a community such as Insight Timer is the ability to connect with smaller inner circles of like-minded individuals. You can always begin by looking for or inviting friends you know “in real life,” but as you delve more into various aspects of the app, other users’ names will become familiar to you as you cross paths, chat, or even meditate together. Many organizations are also recognizing the connection between mental health, spiritual ascension, and improved workplace performance, and are implementing Insight Timer as part of employee wellbeing development programs. You can connect further with colleagues and friends, old and new, in Groups that revolve around a central theme. You may see some of these groups labeled “Circles,” but they are one and the same and in the process of being officially merged. Be sure to connect with our own circle on Insight Timer.

Ready to get started?

Let’s do it! One thing that makes people hesitate a little when they hear all the wonderful things about Insight Timer is concern about potential costs.

The fabulous news, though, is that almost everything within the Insight Timer library and community is absolutely free of charge!

Aside from the premium courses and a couple of extra features that are only unlocked to those with the MemberPlus subscription, you can get a lot out of the app without paying anything.

As for the subscription, that comes down to $5 a month. So 17 cents and 12 minutes a day... not bad for such an all-encompassing guide to meditative holistic wellbeing and transformational odysseys.