These days, pretty much everything has an app. From the basics of learning to read to detailed plans for creating a solar-powered vehicle, you can learn quite a bit just sitting on your couch, iPad in hand.

But what about meditation? Yes, there’s an app for that, too. In fact, there are many.

No matter where you look, the concept of meditation is pretty much the same. And it’s a fairly simple one—to free yourself from the thoughts worries, fears, and aggravations that bog down your mind.

According to Dan Harris, ABC News’ correspondent and author of 10% Happier, “meditation is a bicep curl for your brain.” He continues, “The brain studies show (meditation) can rewire parts of the brain that have to do with self-awareness and compassion.”

In just five minutes per day, this daily ritual can help free you from “the inner narrator that can…get in the way of living the life we want to lead,” Harris continues.

However, using meditation to create a positive change in your life doesn’t need to be a well-thought out process. In fact, it’s just the opposite. You don’t need to join a class or seek out a master. And you don’t even need an app. If you can carve out five minutes—ahem, five peaceful minutes—in your daily routine, you can meditate.

There are many forms of meditation. The more traditional forms call for sitting down, palms facing up, while you focus on your breathing—in and out. Some others call for repeating a mantra—over and over—in order to reach deeper levels of focus and awareness. Still others involve movement, as in freeform dancing or “Qi dancing”. But if you consider meditation a way to clear the mind from the buildup of worry and stress, it can take on many forms.

One of our most popular Qigong postures is a standing meditation. In The Dragon Stands Between Heaven and Earth, you stand, elbows bent, with your hands in a loose fist, thumbs pointing toward each other at chest height. The goal is to clear out those nagging thoughts, to-do lists, daily worries, and struggles, and to “just be” in the moment. You can play relaxing music, listen to Nature, or just meditate through this pose with no distractions. The goal is to understand the idea of connectedness—with yourself, with Nature, and with all living beings—and to be in the knowledge that you are an integral part of this big, cosmic Universe and all of the truth it holds.

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