App of the day: Stop, Breathe & Think for meditation on-the-go

Yep that’s right, we’re writing up daily ‘App of the Day’ columns again here at shinyshiny, exploring our favourite iOS, Windows and Android apps. From those that track our fitness, help us to be more productive or are just a lot of fun. Keep checking back to our Gadgets & Apps page to see the latest picks and get in touch on Twitter to us @shinyshiny if you have any recommendations! 

I’ve written about my favourite meditation apps a few times on shinyshiny before, but it looks like there’s a new contender for the ‘best meditation app’ throne: Stop, Breathe & Think.

SBT is an app built for teens and adults who are keen to learn the basics of meditation and apply these handy, mindful practices to their day-to-day lives. Once you’ve downloaded the app you can access a long list of different meditations. I’m a big fan of the ones designed for welcoming the day, walking around mindfully and winding down at night, but there are loads to choose from – I’d recommend ‘body scan’ for those who are new to meditating.

However, for those who aren’t sure what they’re into just yet or what kind of meditation they should be listening to, SBT also has a really useful tool to allow you to ‘check in with yourself’. You’re then prompted to dim your screen, take a deep breath and think for ten seconds about how you feel. Once you’ve calmed down you then answer a number of questions about what’s going on in your body and your mind and the app serves up a recommendation about which meditation you ought to try out: ideal for beginners.

The meditations themselves are short and sweet (you can pay extra to unlock longer ones) and you’re eased into a peaceful meditative state by a soothing American female voice. For those keen on tracking their progress, SBT provides you with data about how you’re doing throughout the week, your total meditation time so far and interestingly your top 5 emotions when you’re filling out the ‘check in with yourself’ quiz.

I personally don’t think Headspace can be beaten for providing its users with an ongoing meditation programme that’s dedicated to making us all more mindful, but Stop, Breathe & Think is a great alternative when Headspace’s shorter, on-the-go meditations (called ‘singles’) just don’t cut it.

Want to read more? If you’re looking to buy a wearable or activity tracker, we’ve found the best wearables to keep you safe, but, if they’re too expensive, here are the best budget wearables and activity trackers for under £70.

If you’re not bothered by wearables at all, but still want help with keeping fit, check out our feature on 10 kitchen gadgets, tools and utensils for healthy living.