Not everyone wants chakras, mantras, or cosmic energy in their meditation practice.
Some people just want to calm their mind, reduce stress, and improve focus—without the spiritual overlay. If that’s you, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common requests in meditation app forums.
Here’s what to look for and which apps actually deliver secular content.
What “Secular Meditation” Means
Secular meditation focuses on the practical, psychological benefits of mindfulness without religious or spiritual frameworks. It typically:
- Uses evidence-based techniques (mindfulness, CBT concepts, breath work)
- Avoids language about energy, spirituality, or metaphysical concepts
- Focuses on attention training and emotional regulation
- Treats meditation as a mental exercise, not a spiritual practice
This approach is rooted in how mindfulness was adapted for clinical settings in the West—programs like MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) strip away religious elements to focus on measurable wellbeing outcomes.
The Most Secular Apps
Waking Up (Sam Harris)
Created by neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, Waking Up is explicitly secular and philosophical. Harris is known for critiquing religious thinking while still valuing contemplative practice.
What makes it secular:
- No spiritual language or concepts
- Explores consciousness from a scientific perspective
- Includes philosophical discussions alongside practice
- Draws from Buddhist techniques without the Buddhism
Best for: People who want intellectual depth with their meditation. Harris doesn’t just teach techniques—he explains why they work and what’s happening in your mind.
Note: The app is premium (~£100/year), but they offer free access to anyone who requests it for financial reasons.
UCLA Mindful
Developed by UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center, this app is designed around research-based mindfulness.
What makes it secular:
- Created by researchers, not spiritual teachers
- Based on clinical mindfulness protocols
- No religious or spiritual references
- Simple, practical approach
Best for: Beginners who want evidence-based content without any metaphysical language. Completely free.
Medito
A non-profit app that focuses on accessibility. While it includes some content from various traditions, the core courses are practical and non-spiritual.
What makes it secular:
- Focus on practical techniques
- Courses designed for stress, sleep, and daily calm
- No pushy spiritual concepts
- Completely free
Best for: People who want a free, straightforward meditation app without upsells or spiritual content.
Headspace
Headspace walks a middle line—it uses animations and metaphors that some find helpful and others find slightly “woo-woo.” Overall, it’s fairly secular.
What makes it secular:
- Focus on mental fitness and wellbeing
- Avoids explicitly religious content
- Uses accessible, modern language
- Courses designed around specific goals (stress, sleep, focus)
Where it gets fuzzy: Some visualisation exercises and metaphors might feel spiritual to strict secularists. But it’s not religious.
Best for: Beginners who want polished, professionally produced content with a generally secular approach.
InTheMoment
Disclosure: This is our app.
InTheMoment is designed to be flexible—you get the kind of content you need based on what you share in the check-in. That means you can get purely secular, practical sessions or explore visualisation and imagery if that’s what helps.
What makes it secular (when you want it to be):
- AI adapts to your preferences
- No forced spiritual language
- Focus on established meditation and hypnosis techniques
- Content is practical and goal-oriented
Best for: People who want personalised content without being pushed into any particular spiritual framework. The AI meets you where you are.
What to Avoid (If You Want Secular)
Some apps lean heavily into spiritual content:
- Insight Timer has a massive library, but it includes everything from secular meditations to astrology to energy healing. You can find secular content, but you’ll need to filter carefully.
- Calm is mostly secular, but some language about “inner peace” and visualisation exercises might feel slightly spiritual to some users.
- Apps from specific spiritual traditions (Buddhist, Hindu, etc.) will naturally include that perspective.
Why Some People Prefer Secular
There’s no right or wrong approach—but here’s why secular meditation appeals to many:
1. Comfort. Some people feel uncomfortable with spiritual language, especially if it reminds them of religious experiences they’ve moved away from.
2. Credibility. For skeptics, secular language feels more honest. They want to know the practice has evidence behind it, not claims about metaphysical benefits.
3. Workplace and clinical settings. Secular mindfulness is more appropriate in professional contexts where religious content might be inappropriate.
4. Focus. Stripping away spiritual concepts can help you focus on the basics—attention, breath, body awareness—without getting distracted by beliefs.
Secular Doesn’t Mean Cold
A common misconception is that secular meditation is somehow less “deep” or more clinical. That’s not true.
Secular meditation can still be:
- Emotionally meaningful
- Profoundly relaxing
- Transformative for your mental health
- A genuine practice you look forward to
The difference is just the framing—you’re training your mind, not connecting with something supernatural.
Looking for meditation without the spirituality? Try InTheMoment—AI-generated sessions adapted to what you actually need, no mantras required.
Last updated: November 2025