Mindfulness is essentially the practice of becoming present in our body. We work to do this by intentionally focusing on our breath, our emotions, thoughts and sensations we have in our mind and in our body in the present moment. The practice of mindfulness, even in very short intervals (5-10 minutes a day!) has shown to significantly reduce stress and may even help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Free Meditation Apps
We encourage you to download the TimelyCare app and explore the free meditation videos designed with college students in mind. In addition to TimelyCare, there are so many other wonderful meditation resources that you can access for free online. We’ve highlighted 5 top recommendations below, thanks to this Real Simple article on the best free meditation apps.
- Insight Timer: offers a huge collection of more than 100,000 guided meditations with no required subscription or membership. This app also offers features like meditation music and a free meditation timer that allows you to practice unguided, complete with ambient noise and a soft ending bell.
- Mindfulness Coach: This completely free mindfulness app was created by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s National Center for PTSD, with the aim of teaching mindfulness to veterans, service members, and anyone who wants to give it a try. This app is a great resource for anyone looking to learn about and embrace mindfulness as a healthy coping strategy and lifelong skill.
- Smiling Mind: is an evidence-based, not-for-profit mindfulness app with over 300 totally free meditations and mindfulness programs for both adults and children. Its mission is simple: “To provide accessible, life-long tools to support healthy minds,” in schools, at home, and in the workplace.
- UCLA Mindful: This app was born from UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. UCLA Mindful makes mindfulness easy to try, with basic meditations for first-timers, helpful videos on how to meditate (think: learning the right posture and understanding the science behind it), a simple timer so you can practice on your own, and guided wellness meditations to help you through personal struggles, from chronic pain to stress management.
- Healthy Minds Program: This app is the brainchild of the science nonprofit Healthy Minds Innovations (HMI), (affiliated with the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) and became donations-based and freely available to all users in 2020. Through podcast-style lessons and guided meditations, this free app turns neuroscience into everyday tools that train your mind to unlock the four pillars of well-being, based on decades of research by HMI: awareness, insight, connection, and purpose.