9 Best Tips to Use Mindfulness App in watchOS 8 on Apple Watch

Dec. 2, 2021

WithwatchOS 8and iOS 15, Apple has put mental health at the forefront. Features likeFocusand the ability to use background sounds to minimize distractions (Settings app on iOS -> Accessibility -> Audio/Visual) are worth taking note of. Moreover, the tech giant has revamped Breathe app with an all-new Reflect activity and the much-improved Breathe experience. Whether you wish toachieve complete peace of mindor bust stress by indulging in some guided breathing exercise regularly, the renamed Mindfulness app has got you fully covered. If you are all set to get started with it, check out these 8 tips to use Mindfulness app in watchOS 8 on Apple Watch like a pro.

Tips to Get the Most Out of Mindfulness App on Apple Watch

As of now, the Mindfulness app features just Reflect and Breathe. However, the Cupertino giant is expected to add more mental health-related features including audio meditations. While Reflect is designed to help you recall a great moment of your life and make you feel glad, the Breathe is aimed at boosting your health through guided breathing sessions. You can keep a track of the recorded Mindful minutes and also customize the reminders for a personalized experience. With that in mind, let’s get started!

If you want to get the most out of Reflect, make sure to customize the duration before kickstarting a session. While a minute of reflection is fine, a 5-minute session can be more helpful. Especially when you wish to get rid of the compounding stress.

2. Now, tap on thethree-dot iconat the top right corner of the screen.

3. Next, change session length as per your needs. Simply, tap onDurationand then select the preferred session length. Once you have selected the desired duration length, tap on theback button.

4. Next up, tap onReflect.

5. Up next, tap onBeginto kickstart aReflectsession on your Apple Watch.

During the reflection session, you will see an abstract wallpaper flowing between various colors. Now, open and close your eyes and mouth. After that, take a deep breath and remember something amazing or worthwhile that happened in your life.

If you want to end the session, simplyswipe from left to rightand tap on theEndbutton. Alternately, you can also press the Digital Crown to end it. Once your reflection session has ended, a summary of your Mindful Minutes for the day and your heart rate during the session will appear.

You can also adjust the Breathe session duration on your Apple Watch. Though the one-minute session is a sort of go-to option for me during a hectic schedule, I prefer to go a long 4-minute session during my free time.

2. Now, tapDuration.

3. Next, choose the preferred duration for your breathe session. Once you have adjusted the length, tap on theback button.

4. Next up, tap onBreathe.

5.Now, tapContinue.

Next, go ahead with the guided breathing session. Inhale as the glowing animation grows and your Apple Watch gently taps your wrist. Then, exhale when the animation shrinks and the taps stop.

At the end of the session, you will see your heart rate. Bear in mind that Mindfulness app will mute some notifications so that you can focus. If you answer a call or move too much during a session, watchOS will automatically end the session and won’t give you any credit.

Interestingly, Mindfulness also lets you customize the breathe rate. So, depending on your goal, you can increase or decrease the breathe rate

2. Now, ensure that theMy Watchtab is selected. Then, chooseMindfulness.

3. Now, tap onBreathe Rate.

4. Next, you have multiple options to choose from such as4 breaths per minute (minimum), 5 breaths per minute, 6 breaths per minute, and more. By default, 7 breaths per second has been selected. But you can choose to reduce it or increase it up to 10 breaths per minute.

If you ever want to keep the Mindfulness alerts away, you can mute them with ease.

2. Now, turn on the toggle right next toMute for Today.

Note:Just in case, you no longer want to receive Mindfulness alerts, turn off the toggles forStart of Day and End of Day.

watchOS 8 also lets you choose your preferred haptics style for Mindfulness. So, you can go for minimal or prominent depending on your preference.

2. Now, scroll down to the bottom and tap onHaptics.

3. Next, you have three options such asNone, Minimal, and Prominent.

By default, the Mindfulness app sends you reminders at the start or end of the day. However, you can choose to get the reminder at the scheduled time.

2. Now, customize the Mindfulness reminders as per your needs. For instance, you can choose to receive the reminders only in the morning on selected days.

The Health app isn’t only useful for things like theHealth Sharing feature in iOS 15. In fact, with the Health app, you can keep a tab on your Mindfulness minutes and track progress. The detailed data will offer you better insight into how well you are performing.

What’s more, you can also manage the Mindfulness data. You can choose to delete specific data or wipe out the entire recorded Mindfulness data to start afresh.

2. Now, tap on theBrowse tabat the bottom right corner of the screen.

3. Next, findMindfulnessand tap on it.

4. Next up, tap onMindful Minutes.

5. Now, you can tap on theday, week, month, 6 months, and yeartab to view the data.

Note:Alternately, you can also navigate to Health app -> Summary tab -> Mindful Minutes to view your recorded data.

6. If you want to dive a little deeper, scroll down and chooseShow All Data.

7. Next, you should see a long list of recorded Mindfulness data. You can tap on theEdit buttonat the top right corner of the screen to edit the data. If you wish to delete a specific Mindfulness data, tap on thered buttonto the left of it and then hit Delete. In the end, make sure to tapDoneat the top right to finish.

And if you want to delete all the recorded Mindfulness data, tap on theDelete Allat the top left and confirm.

Though the Health app is highly accurate in terms of recording data, it’s not perfect. So, if you ever notice any discrepancies, you can manually add the data.

2. Now, tap onMindful Minutes.

3. Next, tap onAdd Dataat the top right corner of the screen.

4. Up next,manually enter the start and end time. After you have added the data, make sure to tapAddat the top right to finish.

You can keep a track of all the apps with which you are sharing mindfulness minutes data and manage their access. Besides, there is also a way to monitor the data sources that are allowed to update the data.

2. Now, scroll down to the bottom and tap onData Sources and Access.

3. Under theApps Allowed to Read Datasection, you should see the apps that can read the Mindfulness data. And under the Data Sources Section, you can check the list of all the sources that are allowed to update your Mindful minutes data.

Do note that if multiple sources are available, one data source is selected depending on the priority order. Check out theEditbutton at the top right, which can let you manage data sources and access.

So, that’s how you can take full advantage of the Mindfulness app to keep stress away and also achieve the needed peace of mind at your desired pace. With handy customizations like the ability to personalize breathe rate, haptics, duration, and reminders, you can fine-tune the app in line with your preference. While I have found the Mindfulness app pretty good, I think the inclusion of audio meditations will make it even better. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts about redesigned Mindfulness app.

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.