Health & Fitness

6 podcasts to ease your mind

woman listening to a podcast

Lou Sanz

Posted September 28, 2021

There's a lot of noise in the world right now, and it can be hard to find the time to block it out. So that's why it's important to find the time to disconnect from the maddening crowd once in a while and declutter our heads, if only for a few minutes. 

Podcasts are a great way to clear, focus or engage your mind when you're pressed for time and can be a great addition to your mindfulness toolkit.

We've put together a list of go-to listens from short meditations to musings on the world to podcasts that promise to quiet the mind before bed, to help you take a little time out and ease the mind.

Here’s a list of great podcasts if you’re looking for nothing more than to sit down and take a moment.

6 mindfulness podcasts

 

Radio Headspace

Building on the popularity of their app, the Radio Headspace podcast credits itself as a daily reflection that examines the shared experiences that bring us together. There’s also Sunday Scaries hosted by Dora Kamau – a podcast dedicated to tackling common anxieties and apprehensions when it comes to starting a new work week. Radio Headspace has also partnered with their friends down on Sesame Street with Goodnight, World! – a podcast that encourages the use of imagination to calm the mind and bring on a peaceful sleep, great for parents and kids alike.

Why is my life so hard?

There’s a reason the Freakanomics podcast episode Why is my life so hard? released in 2018 still finds itself included on mindful must-listen lists time and time again. Don’t let the title put you off – this episode isn’t about people talking about how tough their lives are. Instead, it chooses to focus on how when life is tough, we build resentments and how these resentments can have a costly impact on our health and wellbeing. It’s an engaging listen, ideal for people wrestling with negative thoughts and looking for a way to work through them.

Soul music 

This podcast proves that you can be entertained and look after your mental well-being simultaneously. A BBC 4 production, Soul Music is a weekly podcast that explores the emotional impact of music that has shaped our world, one song at a time. From Talking Heads' hit ‘Once in a Lifetime’ to Gloria Gaynor's ‘I Will Survive’, discover the profound impact one song can have on those it touches.  

headphones and a book audiobook

Podcasts are the perfect way to take a little time out and ease the mind. Image: Getty. 

 

Untangle

Hosted by Patricia Karpas and Ariel Garten, Untangle aims to focus the mind by interviewing guests from the fields of mindfulness, psychology, neuroscience, storytellers, sleep experts – and even religious leaders. By sharing their experiences, both personal and professional, listeners can expect to be inspired to untangle and unpack their own lives by listening to some truly inspiring thought-leaders. 

Meditation Minis

Doing exactly what is says on the label – this podcast is a collection of episodes all about taking mini-moments to meditate. Topic specific and 5-12 minutes long, these mini-meditations cover everything from overcoming anxiety and letting go of fear to easy-to-follow breathwork meditations. 

Sleep with me

Billed as ''the podcast that puts you to sleep'', Sleep With Me is designed with adults in mind who struggle to fall asleep. Host, Drew Ackerman's trick? Telling impossibly boring bedtime stories that somehow clear the mind and bring on slumber, whether you like it or not. With roughly 1.3 million downloads a month, it's got insomniacs around the globe snoring its praises.