On July 7, Apple released iOS 10 Public Beta. This post is part of a series of comments, tips, and suggestions related to iOS 10. To get your copy of iOS 10, enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program.

In iOS 10, Apple has refined the interface of many of the apps, and today I noticed an interesting feature in the Health app. Either a new data point or at least featured data point is called Mindful Minutes.

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

Obviously, Apple is encouraging daily meditation. I think it is interesting that Apple Health takes into consideration not just physical factors like exercise and heart rate, but also looks at mental and spiritual health.

I encourage you to use this new feature to take at least 10 minutes a day to meditate. If you are a believer like me, you can use this time studying the Bible and praying. While notifications are not yet part of the iPhone Health App, you can at least log time spent and remind yourself to do this each day.

While some research indicates meditation relieves stress and can be good for your mental health, there is a spiritual component as well. Even with reminders, do not turn meditation into a chore or something to be checked off a list, or it loses it value. Also, while you may have competitions to see who can walk the most steps each day, I recommend against making this a competitive statistic.