In this Smiling Mind app review, we’ll be going over all of the app’s key features and why I think it’s such an awesome app to own. If you’ve been looking for an easy way to practise mindfulness, the Smiling Mind app might be the answer.
What is the Smiling Mind app?
The Smiling Mind app is a free mindfulness app on both the Google Play Store and IOS. The Smiling Mind app is an Australian app that’s gaining more and more popularity. It’s a non-profit app used by more than 6m people and it was specifically designed by psychologists and educators to bring mindfulness to the masses with free, easy-to-follow mindfulness programs for kids, teenagers, adults and teachers.
Key features;
- FREE
- For individuals, classrooms, workplaces and more
- 100% evidence-based meditations
- Available in both Google Play Store & IOS store
- Sleep meditations
- Sports meditations
- Focus meditations
- Meditations for young people & adults
- Guided & unguided meditations
- An easy introduction to mindfulness
- Bite-size mindfulness
- Tons and tons of digestible programs!
- Multiple languages
- Extended meditations
My 10 second personal take on the app;
The Smiling Mind app is one of the best mindfulness apps I’ve ever used. I love the fact it’s free and yet there are so many different mindfulness programs to complete. This app will help you to make mindfulness a daily habit. The look and feel of this app is also great. The colour scheme is calming and the app is easy to navigate!
How does the Smiling Mind app work?
As soon as you boot up the Smiling Mind app you’ll need to enter your email address and create a new password.
You’ll then need to navigate through some introduction screens that will ask you what describes you best, how you’ve been feeling lately, how much experience you have with meditation and what you’re most interested in so the app can tailor your experience.
Your Smiling Mind account
After you’ve given the app some basic information about yourself you’ll then flow through to your homepage. On your homepage, you’ll be instructed to complete 10 easy meditations as an introduction to the programs on the app. You’ll also be able to see different programs to explore whilst being reminded to start the next session in your current program. Along with this, the homepage will show you how many total programs you have completed and your current daily streak.
Every time you go to start a new program you’ll have to enter what your current mood is like in the form of smiling emojis. Over the days and weeks, you can then track your mood on a nifty graph.
The Smiling Mind app will also send you push notifications based on what time you want to perform your mindful meditation each day.
Explore the Smiling Mind app programs
The Smiling Mind app has four tabs across the bottom navigation. Once you click on the Explore tab you’ll see different options for different purposes. I love the fact the app is so diverse and offers different mindfulness meditations for different situations and needs. Once you click on the button that relates to you, you see a range of programs to explore.
- Adults
- Kids
- Youth
- Families
- Classroom
- At work
- Other languages
- Research projects
The below Adults and Kids tab overviews will give you an idea of what each program contains.
Smiling Mind app review for adults
The Adults tab contains eighteen different programs for you to get stuck into. All of the meditations are different lengths, even as short as one minute long.
- An introduction to Mindfulness – 2 modules/9 sessions
- Bite-Size – 5 modules/9 sessions
- Thrive Inside – 1 module/10 sessions
- Sleep 21 Night Program – 12 modules/33 sessions
- Sleep – 1 module/6 sessions
- NAIDOC Week Meditation – 1 module/2 sessions
- Mindfulness Foundations – 9 modules/35 sessions
- Mindfully Back to School – 6 modules/11 sessions
- Sport – 6 modules/12 sessions
- Unguided Meditations – 2 modules/4 sessions
- Calm Everyday Mindfulness – 2 modules/5 sessions
- Study – 1 module/5 sessions
- Stress Management – 4 modules/10 sessions
- Daily commute – 1 module/4 sessions
- Find 10 Minutes For Your Mind – 2 modules/10 sessions
- Digital Detox – 2 modules/8 sessions
- Relationships – 7 modules/13 sessions
- Extended Meditations – 1 module/4 sessions
Smiling Mind app review for Kids
The Kids tab has thirteen programs for kids to try out. There are plenty of mindfulness exercises for different age groups.
- Sleep for Kids – 1 module/4 sessions
- 03-06 Year Olds – 1 module/10 sessions
- Year 4 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Year 3 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Year 5 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Year 2 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Year 6 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Sport – 6 modules/12 sessions
- Year 1 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- 07-09 Year Olds – 17 modules/56 sessions
- Year 1 Student Home Practise – 1 module/20 sessions
- Bite-Size for Kids – 1 module/8 sessions
- 10 – 12 Year Olds – 17 modules/56 sessions
Learn the basics of mindfulness
Learning the basics of mindfulness is easy with the Smily Mind app. The Mindfulness Foundations program contains lots of different mindfulness exercises that are all narrated. These mindfulness exercises are guided meditations that include Body & Breath, Sounds & Taste, Thoughts, Emotions, Curiosity, Stress, Sleep & Gratitude, Relationships and Mindful Listening.
You can work your way through these sessions at your own pace and the Smiling Mind app will guide you through them as you go. Once you’ve completed a session you’ll be able to track your progress. Your percentage bar for each program will go up so you’ll see what else you have to complete.
Completing each session inside each program is quite addictive. Seeing your progress bar fill up with green is very satisfying to watch and makes you want to keep going.
Practise mindfulness on the go
The Daily Commute program focuses on mindfulness on the go. Whilst all the programs on the Smiling Mind app can be used on the go, these sessions centre around taking Public Transport meditations, Walking Mindfully, cultivating a Mindful Mindset and taking a Mindful Flight.
10 minute meditations
The 10 Minutes for Your Mind program contains ten of the app’s favourite 10 minute modules. These meditations include sleep meditations, breathing, eating and listening. meditations.
Get better sleep with the Smiling Mind app
Another key feature of the Smiling Mind app whether in the adult or kids sections is sleep. Adult meditations are meant to be done at bedtime and include visualisation meditations like Oceans, Starry Nights, Sensing, Connecting and Accepting to calm your mind. All you need to do is make sure you have set your alarm before you press the play button.
The kids sleeping sessions are similar too. As you’d imagine they are child friendly and include meditations like the Thought Catcher, Bedtime Butterfly, Golden Glow and Floating on a Cloud.
All of these bedtime meditations are between 5 and 17 minutes long.
Have a digital detox
The Smiling Mind app covers many aspects of our lives and even has several meditations to help you have a digital detox. These are 5 to 10 minute meditations to help you be at ease with stepping away from social media and instead creating a mindful routine to spend your time doing instead of mindlessly scrolling.
Mindful meditations for the classroom
The Smiling Mind app also brings mindfulness exercises to teachers for use in classrooms. The programs themselves are designed by psychologists and educators so you know they are evidence-based and focused on current curriculums.
Smiling Mind app review summary
The fact that most mindfulness apps lock most of their main features behind paywalls makes the Smiling Mind app review unique. In my opinion, it’s the best free mindfulness app going right now. I love the look and feel of this app. It’s so easy to navigate, unlike many other tracker apps.
It’s a very clean app meaning there’s no clutter at all, no ads and no pushy messages asking you to upgrade. Whatever you’re looking for, the Smiling Mind app will have something for you.
The fact it’s a non-profit app tells me that the people behind it really just care about getting mindful meditations out to as many people as they can.
Download now on Android and IOS.
Sean C
Sean C is a writer, passionate about improving one’s self by maintaining healthy habits and doing the things that make life more meaningful.