Are you looking for a quick stress reliever? Do you feel the
need to relax? One of the best ways to achieve this is by meditation -- with
the help of your none other than Amazon Echo! Through the Alexa app, you can
listen to guided meditations to help calm your body, mind, and spirit.
The Amazon Echo has some helpful skills that give you a certain
meditation based on the time of day or a specific need. Others will help you
unwind before bed, fall asleep easier, become happier, or just to relax from a
tiring weekday.
You can
browse for meditation skills and related items through two distinct categories.
Open the Alexa app on your phone or tablet (or on the web). Tap on the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) for the
mobile apps > Skills > Categories button. The categories for Health
& Fitness and Lifestyle both contain skills for meditation. Find more helpful
skills by searching for the word "meditation." Now let’s review some
individual skills.
Say:
"Alexa, open Headspace."
A soft, soothing voice named Andy explains the benefits of meditation and
guides you through the process. Pause (and then resume) at any time. Ask for
specific types of meditation. Say: "Alexa, ask Headspace for today's
meditation," and Andy serves up the meditation of the day. Say:
"Alexa, tell Headspace I want to wind down" or "Alexa, tell
Headspace I'm ready for sleep," and Andy offers you a meditation designed
to help you get ready for rest. Thanks, Andy.
Say:
"Alexa, open Meditation Studio."
Alexa welcomes you to the virtual studio and lists the types of meditations
available, such as sleep, stress, happiness, and performance. Tell Alexa which
topics interest you, and she suggests at least a couple of meditations. Choose
which you want, and a soft voice guides you through. You can pause and then
restart the meditation. Trigger a specific meditation by saying: "Alexa,
ask Meditation Studio to play a Happiness Meditation" or "Alexa, ask
Meditation Studio to play a Stress Meditation."
Say
"Alexa, open Guided Meditation."
A gentle voice guides you through meditation of between three and eight minutes
in length. The selected meditations are designed to help relieve anxiety,
stress, depression, sleep problems, and other issues. If the current meditation
doesn't do the trick for you, say: "Alexa, play next," and the next
guided meditation plays.
Say:
"Alexa, open Sweet Dreams."
Alexa asks if you want to hear a sound or mediation. Choose either one or
request one by name. If you don't know, say: "Alexa, ask Sweet Dreams to
list sounds" or "Alexa, ask Sweet Dreams to list meditations."
Sounds include rain, surf, stream, forest, canyon, desert, and brook. Guided
meditations include Falling Asleep, Soften and Relax, Breathing in Waves,
Review the Day, and Welcoming the Day. Once you know the sound or meditation
you want, request it by saying something like "Alexa, ask Sweet Dreams to
play Falling Asleep." A soothing voice then guides you through the
meditation.
Say:
"Alexa, open One Minute Meditation."
This skill offers you a one-minute guided meditation for times when you need a
quick relaxation break. A gentle voice guides you through some deep breathing
as a pause from your busy day.
