we tested the mobile application insight timer

Today I present you a mobile application a little different from the others and which could have effects how to say… beneficial on your being. This is the Insight Timer application, a platform for exchanging and sharing around meditation.
Never heard of it or want to learn more? I recommend you to read the rest of this test!

In this article I do not cover how to become a teacher or how to upload a resource, for more information follow this link.

1.

What is the insight timer application?

For those of you who don’t know it yet, here is a brief introduction to the Insight Timer application. This mobile app is available on iOs and Android and has over 5 million meditators (people practicing meditation) worldwide. Insight Timer became a free app in April 2015 after being bought by two Australian brothers, Christopher and Nicholas Plowman, from its creator and allows over 2,500 meditation teachers to publish their guided meditations, music or even speeches to be shared to a huge community. Insight Timer is a real bottomless pit, a great platform for exchange and sharing for meditation lovers and curious people looking for a breath of fresh air! The application aims to bring teachers and students together around meditation. Whether you are just starting to meditate, or have a consistent practice, you are sure to find something that will meet your needs.

Well, enough of blabbering, let’s get to the test!

Now that you know what the Insight Timer app is, let’s review the different people who might use it. As mentioned in the first point, there are two types of users, students and teachers.

• The meditating apprentices: one of the strengths of this application is its accessibility. Indeed, it is very easy for an uninitiated person to try meditation with a rather short audio (some are less than 10 min). Also, the application is free to download and the meditations are also accessible for free. A “Search” function makes it easy to find a meditation on the desired theme.
• Advanced meditators: if you already practice meditation and want to continue your experience anywhere, anytime by yourself through your phone then Insight Timer is for you. Some meditations require a minimum of practice and an obvious skill.
• The stressed, the anxious, those who have trouble falling asleep: meditation has proven effects on stress and anxiety. By meditating, we learn to “settle down”. For a few minutes, we take the time to relax and focus on who we are. Reconnecting with yourself allows you to really relax by taking a real distance with the outside world, which removes the anxiety-provoking factors. On the other hand, some people are unable to silence their minds and struggle to sleep. Meditation offers techniques to fall asleep quickly and deeply.
• The curious who want to learn more about themselves: thanks to meditation it is possible to touch the subconscious, to free oneself from certain past traumas and to concentrate on what one really is. So, if you are looking to find inner peace and learn more about yourself, don’t hesitate!
• Student meditators: here I want to separate the apprentices (uninitiated) and the students (studying). Indeed, the Insight Timer application offers courses and discussions to deepen concepts and topics that are closely or distantly related to meditation.
• Meditation teachers: there are apprentices, initiates and students, and of course there must be teachers! The application is full of resources put online by teachers and meditation professionals. Its resources are free (the meditations) but also paying (we will see in the next point) as the courses for example. Teachers can earn money by uploading courses but also through user donations and subscriptions ( Premium version of the application). There is something for everyone!

3.

insight timer, what for?

In this part I will present you the different functionalities of the application so that you have an idea of what is proposed to you.

• Meditations: spearheading the application, meditations are the most used feature. More than 200 themes are listed for meditations and you can search by popularity, benefits, exercises or origins. From a few minutes to more than an hour and in different languages, you will surely find what you are looking for.
• The courses: the courses allow you to learn something new in 10 minutes a day. They offer interactive (teacher/student) classes and are very convenient to follow on a mobile phone. It’s a perfect way to get a foot in the community. The only drawback is that these courses are not free. Single-use 10-day courses cost around CHF 5 and single-use 30-day courses cost around CHF 13. It is possible to buy the course in unlimited version by paying more, you will find the details here.
• The Timer: the Timer is simply a bell sound, which you can change and customize, that allows you to keep track of your meditation or yoga session for example.
• Groups (community): Insight Timer allows you to create or join discussion groups. This is very useful to exchange with people close to you or who share the same interest. You can also simply become a “friend with another user and exchange privately with him via messages.
• Subscription: in-app, it is possible to buy a subscription (not to be confused with the purchase of courses). This subscription offers you 3 features: offline listening, HD audio quality and an advanced audio player. Four new features are said to be under development…

conclusion

Insight Timer is the essential application for meditation enthusiasts but also for those who are curious about this increasingly developed practice. With a bewildering number of free meditations, paid courses and a community that listens, this application will satisfy whatever you are looking for. I started using it recently and I can’t get enough of it. This application is very practical and allows me to meditate daily, easily and adapts to the duration of my free time. Ideal for clearing your mind at the office or for finding serenity at the end of the day.
I recommend ???

The –

• Paid courses (although not very expensive)
• Translation not always up to scratch
• A rather chaotic offline