The concept of meditation is simple. However, I found these 7 meditation tools below to make meditating easier and quite beginner-friendly.
Meditating is not an easy task for everyone. That is why meditation tools were created! For years, people have been sharing the best meditation tools they use to help them cultivate their skills. At least one tool will help you achieve your higher self.
Come take a look at the list I have put together as the best and easiest tools you can use. Under each section is an explanation of the device and how it can help you. All of them are highly helpful.
Who knows, maybe you will find something you like! Some will find that they enjoy using multiple tools. Personally, I want to use all of them. They can even be used while doing your 5-minute meditations.
This article is about the best meditation tools I found to be beginner and user-friendly!
- Apps
Applications are great meditation tools and sources of guided meditations. There are some really lovely paid memberships as well as free applications. When sleep is mentioned below, the app includes either white noise to help you sleep and/or sleep meditation. Below are some of the applications I have tried that are worth mentioning.
A few paid apps include:
- Calm:
- Includes meditation, sleep meditation, music, stretch breaks, and other materials
- Offers a 7-day free trial, then an annual fee of $69.99 for membership
- Provides a lot of options but can be overwhelming for beginners
- Headspace
- Focuses primarily on meditation and sleep
- Offers a 14-day free trial, then an annual fee of $69.99 for membership
- Beginner friendly
- Balance:
- Concentrates mainly on meditation and sleep
- Right now, they are offering a 1-year membership for free, then an annual fee of $69.99
- Beginner friendly
- My personal favorite out of all the paid applications I sampled
All 3 of these apps ask you questions to personalize your guidance and the material the application will focus upon. They will ask you about your goal, how you have been feeling lately, your biggest triggers for stress, and how stress manifests in you. Based on the answers given, they will recommend specific daily meditations.
A few free apps include:
- Insight Timer
- No questionnaire and no roadmap
- This is an excellent source for finding random guided meditations.
- Tracks progress by doing daily mood check-ins. With continued growth in meditation, you will be able to observe an increase in positive feelings and emotions.
- Allows you to connect with others in the community right in the app
- Smiling mind
- A simple questionnaire that leads to recommended courses
- No roadmap, but it allows you to set up daily reminders.
- Variety of guided meditations to choose from based on what you are looking to impact
- Healthy Minds Program
- Combines the scientist’s point of view of our behaviors and how meditation can impact us
- The beginning questionnaire was extensive, and the breakdown of the results was detailed.
- Gives you a detailed roadmap with a lot of content based on your answers to the questions
- This is my favorite meditation application to use
If you sign up using any mobile app, you can opt for daily reminders simultaneously each day. Remember, repetition is essential!
- Guided Meditation Tools
While the apps offer guided meditation materials, there are other sources for which you can find guided meditations, such as YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast. With these forms of media, you may be able to find a specific person or group that speaks to you. These are easy meditation tools that you can use that are free!
Here are some honorable mentions and their guided meditations playlists:
- YouTube
- Spotify
- Apple
All of these sources of guided meditation have been handpicked to be highly useful. I encourage you to try them out!
Regardless of which type of guided meditation you choose, keeping up with a new practice when you are being guided in your activity is more manageable. Meditating is not an easy task, especially alone.
- Crystals
The use of crystals while meditating is a match made in heaven. Crystals are excellent energy sources that you could use to help further your experiences, thus making them a fabulous choice for meditation tools. Different crystals contain varying energies. It is crucial to consider the energy the crystal gives to impact a particular area in your life.
Here are 11 crystals that make great meditation tools:
- Clear Quartz
- Aids concentration and unlocks memory
- Raises energy to the highest possible level
- Rose Quartz
- Purifies and opens the heart at all levels to promote love, self-love, friendship, deep inner healing, and feelings of peace
- Calming and reassuring, it helps to comfort in times of grief.
- Encourages self-forgiveness and acceptance, invoking self-trust and self-worth
- Citrine
- Energizes every level of life
- Imparts joy, wonder, delight, and enthusiasm
- Emotionally balancing
- Amethyst
- Potent and protective stone with a high spiritual vibration
- Intense healing and cleansing powers and enhances spiritual awareness
- Overcomes addictions and blockages of all kinds
- Tiger’s Eye
- Enhances creativity, integrity, willpower, self-confidence, practicality, and correct use of power.
- Stimulates taking action and helps you make decisions with discernment, understanding, and unclouded by your emotions.
- Labradorite
- Raises consciousness and connects with universal energies
- Practical companion through change, imparting change, imparting strength and perseverance
- Forms a barrier against negative energies
- Lapis Lazuli
- Encourages self-awareness and taking charge of your own life
- Promotes serenity and peace
- Obsidian
- Increases self-control
- Shields against negativity
- Aquamarine
- Calming energies reduce stress and quiet the mind.
- Clarifying perception sharpens the intellect and clears confusion.
- Moonstone
- Promotes intuition and empathy
- Soothes emotional instability and stress while it stabilizes your emotions
- Carnelian
- Cleanses away the day and re-invigorate your strength with the promise of something new
- Stimulates love and passion
Crystal Shapes Matter
Another aspect to keep in mind when choosing your crystal meditation tool is the shape. The shapes of crystals dictate the flow of energy. Some popular crystal shapes are towers and spheres.
Towers consist of one side having a point and the other a flat side so it may stand. The energy is generally expelled from the point, thus emitting focused and directional energy to the surrounding area. These are essential tools when making crystal grids.
Spheres are a universal symbol that represents infinity, unity, and completeness. Sphere stones radiate special energies that are created from the Earth. Unlike other crystal shapes, spheres do not have focused energy. Instead, they emit their energy in all directions, cleansing the surrounding auric field and encasing it with its energy.
Due to the nature of the sphere, I tend to make jewelry pieces using this shape that you can find in my shop.
- Herbs & Essential Oils As Meditation Tools
Herbs used to advance our meditation sessions tend to be used in the form of tea or essential oil. Essential oils come from pressed herbs. The few herbs that are listed below are known to help our bodies relieve stress and anxieties. They will aid your endeavors.
Other ways that herbs can be used are ingested are capsules, tea, or oil droplets. However, some are better used in specific ways. The herbs that have better results using a certain method are indicated below.
- Chamomile
- Mild sedative and relaxant, it helps to ease anxiety and nervous stress response.
- Best to be used as a tea
- Adult Dosage: 5-15g a day or a max of 100g (3.5 oz) per week
- Gotu Kola
- The research proposes that this herb protects the brain and strengthens memory.
- Supports cognition and balanced mental activity
- Adult Dosage: 3-7.5g a day or a max of 50g (2 oz) per week
- Rosemary
- Brings quick relief to headaches caused by overwork and nervous tension
- Traditionally used to strengthen memory and recall.
- Wards off mental exhaustion
- Adult Dosage: 2-4g a day or max of 30g (1 oz) per week
- Holy Basil (also known as Tulsi)
- It can ease the body’s response to stress.
- Do not recommend it for pregnant women or trying to become pregnant due to its anti-fertility ability while taking. This effect is only temporary.
- Adult Dosage: 2-4g a day or max of 30g (1 oz) per week
- Candles
The use of candles as meditation tools is quite simple. It is used with mindful and focus-based meditations. Simply stare at the candle’s flame for the duration of your meditation. Focus on the various forms the flame takes during your exercise. You could even choose a scented candle that can aid in your relaxation. For instance, fragrances like the herbs listed above or even a scent that personally brings you comfort.
The flame’s shape, size, and movement can be said to mean various things. Those seeking enlightenment and answers may use sure-colored candles or look to the flame to receive their responses.
While those meditating for the purpose of spirituality will want to use a white, blue, or purple candle. Red or pink candles are used for love, passion, and power. Green candles are used for fertility and wealth manifestation.
Perhaps if interest is shown in this technique, I will take the time to formulate an article that delves deeper into these theories and the methods for using candles. I have used them plenty of times, and I am blown away each time! Using candles is pretty exciting and unique.
- Zen garden
Zen Gardens are great tools for mindful and focused meditations. The Zen Garden is supposed to be your sole focus throughout your meditation. Every thought you have should be about your garden. Even regular gardening or replanting plants can be used as a meditative opportunity.
Gardening is entirely relaxing. Whether you use a Zen Garden with regular rocks or crystals is hugely satisfying. Thus, making the act of meditating relatively easy to focus your mind.
Zen gardens are easily accessible for those who live in apartments or simply want to perform a garden-based action any time of the day and year. Currently, Five Below offers a Zen Garden called Tabletop Cosmic Moon Zen Garden that costs $5. There are all sorts of beautiful Zen gardens you can buy. If you love doing DIY projects, check out my Zen Garden DIY!
- Meditation Balls
Meditation balls are also known as Baoding balls. They consist of two small balls, usually between the sizes of 30 to 35 mm. The 2 balls are held in one hand and rolled within the palm of your hand. They can be used with mindful and focused meditations.
While meditating you can focus on the ball’s movement, sounds, or muscle movement. For sound to become the main focus, I recommend looking into Chime Baoding balls. The movement causes a beautiful chime sound that can be used if you would like to focus on sounds during meditation.
Baoding balls are usually made of some type of metal. However, another type of ball that can be used is crystal spheres. While focusing on your muscle or ball movement, you will be in the presence of the energy those crystals exude. This allows you to maximize the benefits of incorporating crystals into your meditation.
Those who use meditation balls have experienced benefits:
- Decreased levels of stress and anxiety
- Improved memory
- Increased relaxation
- Improved sleep
- Relaxed muscles and joints
When choosing the size of your meditation balls, consider the size of your hands. This is very important! Someone with smaller hands might want to purchase 30mm height, while larger hands will want to look at purchasing 35mm size balls.
Meditation Tools Makes Meditating Easier
Learning a new practice is hard. Thus the use of tools is essential. Meditation tools were created to assist you with meditation. All the tools listed above are tools that I have used and found to be beginner friendly.
As your practice progresses, you can find other tools that use more skill. For instance, Tibetan Singing Bowls. They make lovely sounds and are soothing. However, it takes time and practice to learn how to use them. Therefore, I did not include them in my article today.
You are just learning about meditation. I intend to help you by making the process as simple as possible. I want you to enjoy the process and grow within yourself. Meditating is such a great practice and does not take much from you.
My favorite tools are the meditation app Healthy Mind Program, crystals, Zen Garden, and crystal meditation balls. As I mentioned above, I am in the process of making a DIY Zen Garden for you to be able to follow. Not only am I working on that, but I will be coming to you on YouTube, showcasing my techniques and leading discussions!
If you have not already, create your intentions for meditation. Intentions are a great way to ground yourself in the present too. Check out my articles Holistic Living: The Mind-blowing Purpose and Intention Examples: Setting Intentions Made Easy. In these articles, I explain the importance of intention and how to write your own intentions through examples.
Remember, take your time and enjoy the process!
