The world is moving at a rapid pace, and people are running behind, trying to keep up.
In this hustle and bustle, it can be hard to wind down and ground yourself. That’s when meditation can help, with one of its main benefits being stabilizing the mind. To make meditation more accessible, several meditation apps have been introduced in virtual reality that enables users to fully experience a calm and relaxing environment.
Let’s take a look at the five best VR medication apps, along with ones made for Quest 2 and ones that are free.
5 Best Meditation Apps
1. Relax VR
Relax VR is a VR meditation app where you can choose locations from The Philippines, Northern Lights, Wineglass Bay Beach, etc., to meditate. Virtual reality meditation allows users to gain the same experience as they would meditating in the real world, minus the distractions.
You would not need to travel to great lengths to meditate in a quiet spot, and you can simulate the sensation at home. Relax VR offers realistic location options as well as others that are more on the fantasy side.
The sound quality of the app is impressive, with various sound options from which the user can choose. Relax VR is one of the most affordable options when it comes to paid VR meditation apps and offers a unique experience. It can be hard to fully ignore the VR headset that’s on your face. However, with Relax VR, you can get a fully immersive experience that makes you forget it’s a virtual world.
Relax VR lets you pick locations to meditate in that would otherwise be impossible in the real world. Places situated on the clouds are one of the most popular picks among the VR users of the app. With well-polished graphics and High Definition rendering, Relax VR lets you look at VR meditation in a new dimension.
2. Guided Meditation VR
Guided meditation is an easy-to-use app that enhances the virtual reality meditation experience for its users. You can fully immerse in a whole new world with a plethora of location options. Since the controls within the app are easy to use, changing from one location to another is effortless.
What makes Guided Meditation VR different from the others is the questions it asks before you start a meditation session. Initially, the questions may seem pointless, but as you progress, they will begin to make sense. Questions such as which type of meditation you would prefer and what meditation techniques best suit your mood will guarantee that you have a fulfilling session.
To guide you along the meditation process, pre-recorded audio of a therapist is added so that you can meditate the right way. The number of background soundtracks available for Guided Meditation VR is also quite impressive, and the customization options heighten the overall experience.
You can also set a timer for the session, so a quick meditation while at work can be done easily. A text-to-speech feature is also included so that you can meditate peacefully without having to open your eyes while changing locations or music.
3. Zen Zone VR
Zen Zone is a virtual reality relaxation app with three different relaxation options. The initial two focus mainly on breath and body visualizations, and the third one focuses on a personal zen garden. This zen garden allows you to rake the sand, move the rocks and pile them up until you decide to sit down and relax.
The homepage begins with a calming atmosphere with relaxing music playing in the background. Its cursor, which looks like tiny sparkles flying around, is a fun touch the developers have added. You get to choose from three options: the zen garden, muscle relaxation, or deep breathing. The app provides impressive visuals of the body for both muscle relaxation and deep breathing exercises.
Though the exercises are quite basic, they provide great relaxation for your body and mind. The Japanese zen garden follows the principles of an actual zen garden, where you rearrange the garden to find solace within yourself in the process. It may take some practice to move the rocks and rake the sand till you are satisfied, but the practice is the main point of a relaxing meditation session.
4. Perfect Beach VR
If you enjoy being near water, specifically tropical beaches, Perfect Beach is your ideal virtual reality meditation app. With realistic animation, Perfect Beach accurately encapsulates the feeling of relaxing by the beachside.
It is by far the easiest app to use, with straightforward mechanics. You get to choose the time of the day, from sunrise to sunset, and even the place you want to relax in. On the pier or on the sand, you get to decide where you would like to be seated to begin your regular meditation session.
The app also features details that make it similar to an actual beach. Elements such as birds flying in the sky and the sound of the ocean waves do an impressive job of simulating the beachside.
A fun way to use this app would be when you go to a tanning salon. You can efficiently mimic the feel of being by the beach and get back home with a tan. Certain elements, such as the clouds, don’t move, but they don’t pose a problem when you take the whole picture into consideration.
5. Particulate VR
Particulate is a physics sandbox that can also be used as a creative relaxation tool. The app simulates several tiny particles that you can move around and interact with. It also offers an option of viewing featured scenes if you wish to sit back and loosen up instead of indulging.
You can even save your favorite scenes and come back whenever you need to reduce stress and wind down. You can interact with the particles using several tools, such as an orbiter, collision sphere, stirrer, and dragger. These make interacting with the particles a fun experience.
Another impressive feature of the app is the Audio Reactivity. Sometimes, the music that these meditation apps offer might not work well for everybody. In that case, you can play the music you like on any platform and link it to the app. The app interface is easy to use, with a guided tutorial that helps you navigate through easily.
3 Best Meditation Apps For Oculus Quest 2
1. Tripp VR
Tripp is an immersive VR meditation application for Oculus Quest 2 that allows the user to explore different aspects of meditation. It has several meditation types you can choose from, with the main ones being Focus, Calm, and Compose. With Focus and Calm, the visual landscape keeps changing on a daily basis, so you will never get bored looking at the same images on the screen.
A mood tracker asks about your mood every day, which you can record on a scale of 1 to 10. Besides, you can add adjectives that best describe your mood. The scenery of Tripp VR is quite true to its name – trippy! With bright colors and immersive visuals, Tripp manages to provide the user with a unique meditation experience.
The app progresses in levels allowing you to wind down in a gradual manner. It starts with a breathing exercise to regulate blood pressure and heart rate. Once the breathing exercises are completed, you move on to playing a game that helps you build focus.
While all this happens, a calm narration takes place in the background, motivating you to move forward. Finally, the experience concludes with a scenery of birds flying and pictures of puppies and kittens floating by.
2. Maloka VR
Going through the same meditation process every day can become quite boring. Maloka solves this issue by introducing different meditation experiences each day. This Oculus Quest 2 app is more than just a meditation and relaxation application. On opening the app, you are greeted by your own island that is filled with rewards you earn from completing sessions. The island also comprises a spirit, an anthropomorphic being you choose when you initially sign up.
The gamification of meditation is not a concept that is talked about or explored often. However, with Maloka, the reward system motivates the user to keep meditating daily. With the rewards you collect, you can build a personalized zen garden. There you can start meditating and unwind at any time of the day.
Unlike other applications that require you to close your eyes, Maloka suggests you keep them open and focus on the psychedelic patterns moving around the screen. When you make enough progress, the app prompts you to align your breathing with the movement of the patterns. As such, Maloka is one of the most popular meditation apps used with Oculus Quest 2.
3. Nature Treks VR
If you are someone who appreciates meditating surrounded by nature, then Nature Treks is one of the best VR meditation apps. Of course, it is impossible to travel and explore various parts of the world just to meditate among nature. But Nature Treks VR makes this possible thanks to its stunning visuals and realistic environment.
Though it can be mistaken for a game, Nature Treks VR is more of an app that lets you be. You get to travel to several places and relax in any corner of the world, all without stepping out of your home.
The game begins in a wide room with a display of all the location and experience options available in the game. On Oculus Quest 2, the options of Red Savana, Orange Sunset, White Winter, Blue Moon, Green Meadows, etc., are available.
Each of these maps will have a unique set of features, including birds, animals, sounds, and other objects. You can select a map based on your mood and begin your exploration journey. Green Meadows is by far the most popular option due to all the elements included, like deer, flowers, and bunnies.
As you move around in the world, other creatures move with you. The sound design is quite accurate, making it a truly relaxing experience.
Best Free Meditation Apps
1. Flow Meditation VR
Flow is by far one of the best free VR meditation apps on the market. What makes Flow unique is the location options the app offers. Unlike other apps that offer places like meadows and beaches, Flow offers locations like Geldingadalur volcano, waterfall, etc. Additionally, the number of locations in the app only seems to grow, with new places being introduced often.
The sound design of Flow VR is impressive, with realistic nature sounds. Sounds of birds chirping and waves crashing into the shore are all taken from natural environments. This allows the user to transport themselves fully into the virtual world effortlessly. The app offers six modes of meditation, including Breathe, Calm, Let go, Restore, and Focus. A guiding tutorial is included to make the app easier for beginners.
2. Liminal VR
Liminal is a free-to-download VR meditation app that was carefully developed after extensive research by neuroscientists and psychologists. This app focuses on bringing out your cognitive and emotional state.
With an impressive choice of over sixty experiences to choose from, Liminal leaves the user calm and focused. The app includes features such as guided meditation, hypnotic exercises, rainswept vistas, and beautiful breathing visualizations. The main idea of this app is to offer the user a dream-like experience while simultaneously allowing them to meditate.
Although it sounds chaotic, the app is truly calming and relaxing. The visuals are stunning, with bright colors and high-definition graphics enhancing the meditation experience. For a free meditation app, Liminal offers an extensive range of features that allow the user to have a fulfilling meditation session.
The app adds fun elements such as fighting robots, destroying asteroids, and launching yourself into space to make the experience more enjoyable.
Final Words
Medication is crucial for a calm and steady mind, and what better place to meditate than nature? But it can be hard to step out of your home every day and meditate. Thanks to these VR apps, that will never be a reason why you stay away from meditation.
The apps mentioned above are a great way to start your meditation journey without having to compromise on your comfort.
