With the release of watchOS 8, Apple's Breathe app became the Mindfulness app. The differences can be subtle, but you may want to give the function another chance if you have discarded it in the past.
Choose Breathe or Reflect
Apple no longer includes the Breathe app on the Apple Watch with the launch of watchOS 8. Fortunately, the Breathe watch faces are still intact with their rhythmic animations that you can use to help focus your breathing.
Breathing is now Mindfulness, but it works almost identically. One big difference is that there are now two types of sessions: Breathe (according to watchOS 7 and earlier versions) and Reflect.
Each of these options works in a similar way to the Workout application. You can tap the ellipsis icon “…” next to each one to adjust the length of the session., where one minute is the default value and five minutes is the maximum. Touch a session to start it and follow the instructions.
The Breathe experience remains largely unchanged. You will see an animation of what could be interpreted as a growing and shrinking flower, with haptic feedback on your wrist to match. Take a deep breath when the flower grows, later exhale when shrinking. Repeat until the end of the session and, hopefully, lower your heart rate.
The Mirror option is a bit different. Each Reflect session introduces you to what Apple calls a “unique and reflective notion to consider that invites a positive mood”. The goal here is to focus your mind on a single train of thought (ideally positive) for a short period of time.
These indications can be related to past experiences, people in your life or physical sensations. While the session unfolds, you will see an animation on your Apple Watch but no respiratory rate indicator.
Despite this, no real need to look at your watch, since you will receive a haptic notification to inform you that your session has ended, along with a summary with your heart rate.
Receive reminders (or not)
One of the most divisive aspects of the Breathe app was the frequent notifications to complete a session at seemingly random times.. The good news is that if you previously disabled these notifications, they will also be disabled for the Mindfulness application.
If you go to the Watch app on your iPhone and scroll down to Mindfulness, you can turn these notifications on or off. There are toggles for reminders at the beginning and end of your day, which will differ based on your daily habits as analyzed by Siri.
You can also use the “Add reminder …” to add your own reminders at a specific time. This is probably the most useful setting, since you can schedule your sessions for a time when you are probably free. In addition there is a notification of “Weekly summary”, that allows you to know how the week has gone.
If you find the Breathe app a bit fast or slow for your liking, you can also adjust the respiratory rate in this menu.
The science of mindfulness
Apple's Mindfulness app is unlikely to convince you if you still don't practice mindfulness in some way. For those of you who already use “Breathe” or notifications of positive affirmations, Mindfulness is a useful tool that can have a positive impact on your stress levels..
Don't see the Mindfulness app on your Apple Watch? Make sure to update to the latest version of watchOS first. Do you want to take your mindfulness habit to the next level?? Check the best apps specially designed for guided meditation.
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