In his insightful New York Times best-selling book From Strength to Strength, Harvard professor Arthur Brooks discusses how, as we age, our focus naturally shifts from pursuing external achievements to seeking inner peace, fulfillment, and happiness. He highlights the transition into the later stages of life when cultivating spiritual and emotional well-being becomes paramount.
Brooks delves into the challenges of this transition through the concept of the ‘striver’s curse,’ which captures the struggle faced by high achievers as their traditional forms of accomplishment begin to wane. This pivotal shift underscores the necessity of embracing new forms of success that prioritize wisdom, giving, and mentorship over conventional markers of achievement.
Meditation is a key tool in this process, offering a pathway to develop mindfulness and presence. This inward journey not only calms the mind and nervous system but also has tangible benefits for heart health, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing heart rate variability (HRV), and improving sleep quality. For a deeper dive into the relationship between mindfulness and heart health, consider exploring our previous discussion on WellTree.
Insight Timer, a leading meditation app, offers tools that align perfectly with Brooks’ framework, providing resources to support this inward journey. With thousands of guided meditations, Insight Timer can be a valuable companion as we navigate the complexities of our evolving lives with the added benefit of supporting heart health.
My Introduction to Insight Timer
2022 was an incredibly stressful year. I had open heart surgery in March of that year to repair my aortic aneurysm. Open heart surgery is stressful on its own. Couple that with extreme work stress and other life stressors (collapsing economy at the time, etc.). This all took a toll on my sleep, my mood, and my overall sense of well-being. Needless to say, my stress and anxiety were on overdrive.
One of my primary outlets for managing stress is exercise. A good run will do a lot to help me manage stress. But I needed more, and in 2022 I explored various approaches to help me manage the stress and anxiety that I was under. During that journey, someone asked if I had used Insight Timer. Insight Timer? I had never heard of it.
What is Insight Timer?
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Insight Timer is a meditation app. It’s not the most downloaded app—that distinction goes to Calm, as you can see here—but it accounts for a disproportionate amount of time spent among meditation apps in the US—63 %.
Insight Timer is unique in that it is similar to an open marketplace where any meditation teacher can be on the app. Think of Insight Timer as akin to YouTube, where anyone can upload video content. Calm and Headspace, the two leaders in the mediation app space, are more similar to Netflix to continue the comparison to video streaming services.
That means there are more teachers to choose from – Insight Timer claims 3,000 teachers – and, in turn, a seemingly endless supply of content as teachers upload new content daily.
As you engage with the app, you can find and follow your favorite teachers. There are big names – big in the meditation/mindfulness space, mind you – like Sarah Blondin (679k followers), Tara Brach (371k followers), DavidJi (366k followers), and Jack Kornfield (154k followers). In addition, there are thousands of mindfulness coaches to engage with and see who resonates with you. Mindfulness is a spiritual practice… notoriety or credentials are less important than one’s ability to touch your soul and awaken your spirit based on their unique perspective and lived experience.
What Type of Content Will I Find on Insight Timer?
One of my favorite things about the Insight Timer is the range of content. When you open the app, you are greeted by a mindful quote that updates daily. The home page greets you with a navigation panel where you can choose specific types of guided meditation content organized into categories such as “Mornings” for morning meditation, “Breathe” for breathwork, or “Sleep” for sleep meditations, music, and more.
You can even find meditations and sleep tracks for kids for those of you who are working to teach mindfulness to your kids. There is even a “Mindful Parenting” section with related meditations and courses.
If you like to meditate in silence, you can customize a timer to set a duration for which you would like to meditate and various instruments that you can choose to mark the beginning, end, and specific intervals throughout your meditation. There are dozens of instruments to choose from. Find what resonates with you and settle into your meditation.
My favorite aspect of Insight Timer is the courses. Courses can run from as few as 3 days to as long as 83 days, as is the case with Charles Freleigh’s Tao Te Ching Mastery: 83 Days Of Ancient Wisdom For Spiritual Enlightenment, which covers the 81 verses or chapters of the Tao Te Ching with an intro and conclusion. Courses cover a range of topics with titles such as:
- Develop Unshakable Confidence (21 day course) – Lou Redmond
- Moving From Your Head Into Your Heart (14 day course) – Fleur Chambers
- Create a Conscious Morning Ritual (10 day course) – Json McGrice
Fostering Community
Insight Timer is not merely a content catalog; it also fosters community by allowing users to like/follow teachers or other members. You can also join one of the many groups where members organize around specific topic areas. The “Be Here Now” group is the largest group, with 228k members, followed by the Rumi group, with 158k members.
Groups are organized by topic: Writing, Quotes, Books & Movies, LGBTQIA+, Women Only, Relationships, Weight Loss, Traveling, Psychology, and Nutrition & Wellness, so you can find the group that aligns with your interests. Though the classification is somewhat dubious…the largest group in the “Books & Movies” category is “Buddhism and 12-step Recovery,” an important-sounding group, but it doesn’t align with the category name.
Wrapping Up
Mindfulness and meditation are more than just techniques for calming the mind—they are transformative tools that foster happiness, emotional resilience, and physical health. These practices play a crucial role in heart health by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and enhancing overall emotional well-being.
Insight Timer stands out as a premier resource in this wellness journey. With its vast array of teachers and diverse content, the app offers unique opportunities for both beginners and seasoned practitioners to explore meditation in ways that resonate personally with them. Whether you’re looking to improve your morning routine, manage stress better, or gain deeper sleep, Insight Timer provides tailored meditations to suit every need.
Moreover, Insight Timer’s community features enhance its value, allowing users to connect with like-minded individuals who are also on their paths to greater mindfulness. This sense of community can be incredibly supportive, especially when starting or seeking motivation to maintain a consistent practice.
As you continue or begin your meditation journey, consider Insight Timer not just a tool but a companion in your quest for a healthier, more fulfilled life. Embrace the variety of teachings and insights it offers and take proactive steps towards nurturing your mind and heart. Ready to take the next step in your wellness journey? Download Insight Timer today and explore how it can enhance your daily life and well-being. Join millions in discovering the profound benefits of regular meditation.