When it comes to meditation, no matter how much you might second-guess your methods, there’s really no wrong way to do it. Whether it’s cooking, hiking or sitting in silent prayer, the experts say that just about any activity can qualify, so long as it’s performed with intentionality and awareness. That said, the use of a meditation app is also a great way to gain a greater sense of calm, balance and focus in our lives.
Whether you are looking to ease burnout, improve your memory or get better sleep, these technology-based guides provide low or no-cost access to the latest meditation skills and resources you might not be familiar with. They also offer comprehensive, hands-on lessons and tips that support how to make meditation a healthy habit.
With so many mobile platforms available, choosing the best one for your needs might be overwhelming. So, if you need a little reinforcement, the following Black-owned meditation apps are wonderful places to start. Not only are they effective in how to make more space for daily mindfulness and clarity, but they also provide a feeling of belonging and fellowship.
Alkeme
Founded in 2020 at the height of the pandemic by former NFL Chicago Bears safety Ryan Mundy, the Alkeme app is a healthcare and wellness system dedicated to the unique needs of the Black community. Inspired by his own experiences (after spending eight years in the league, he was overcome with depression, anxiety and low self-esteem), he tried to find a therapist who aligned with his needs but found it extremely difficult. “I just looked out into the marketplace, and I said, ‘Who’s principally focused on the health and wellness and the trajectory of Black health?’, he shared in an interview with CBS News. “Quite frankly, not many people, and that’s why I got started.”
Alkeme features meaningful meditation sessions and articles housed in an accessible catalog of live-stream and on-demand content. All sessions are led by qualified, trained mental health practitioners.
The Safe Place
In 2018, after her own healing and recovery (she survived two suicide attempts), mental health activist Jasmine Pierre created The Safe Space, a minority-focused, community-based mental health app designed to support the Black community in eradicating the stigmas surrounding mental health. In addition to its wide selection of meditation albums, the app shares up-to-the-minute statistics on Black mental health, self-assessment tools and articles and tips on self-care.
Exhale
Emotional wellness coach and public speaker Katara McCarty launched the Exhale app in 2020 to help women of color cope with the emotional strain brought on by the pandemic. With over 7,000 users in 55 countries, it provides tailored strategies on how to let go of what is no longer useful and replace it with what their community calls “soul medicine”: positive energy, healing, and love. Through meditations, breathwork techniques, coaching talks and guided visualizations, the app serves as a sanctuary for refuge and restoration.
