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Article in App of the Week category.
Oak’s a Dream-Like Meditation Companion
There are three branches to Oak’s offerings — one that focuses on meditation, one that focuses on breathing, and the last that focuses on sleep.…
There are three branches to Oak’s offerings — one that focuses on meditation, one that focuses on breathing, and the last that focuses on sleep.
Meditation paints with a wide brush and is broken into courses and sessions to appeal to both beginners as well seasoned experts. Each course has multiple days worth of sessions to complete with different goals. It tracks your progress to easily pick back up the next day and there’s an offline toggle to keep tracks local for when you’re off the grid but still want to meditate.
Breathing is similar with a guided session that walks you through various exercises. They tell you when to inhale, as well as exhale. For the sleep tracks, Oak allows you to choose what sounds like you’d like to listen to — or the guided track you’d prefer — as well as the duration before it ceases.
This app is absolutely gorgeous, with lovely pastel imagery throughout. Looking at the categories of sleep, breathe, and meditate, the app has these lovely tinted images that are spread amongst multiple thumbnails. The app feels soothing to use and as though a lot of care went into crafting its look, as well as the content.
Of all the features though, what I really liked, was the progress tracking. It’s kind of rudimentary but this little bit of gameification kept me coming back for me and I wanted to continue unlocking new badges. The badges are awarded to you as you complete sessions and they are these lovely pins that look like serene water paintings. Awards aside, you can see how many hours you’ve meditated, how may breaths you’ve tracked, and how many sessions you’ve logged.
Historically I haven’t been one to partake in meditation. Let alone yoga or deep breathing. There’s something about Oak that has me on board and trying it out. For those that are skeptical or those who are just looking to broaden their meditation selections, give Oak a try.
But enough about other people's apps.
