A new mental health platform hopes to make looking after mental health "as normal as going to the gym".

MindLabs uses live and on-demand content to help people overcome stress, anxiety and low mood and to help improve their sleep patterns.

The "video-first mental wellness platform" is backed by neuroscience and utilises expert knowledge from mindfulness practitioners, ranging from breathwork expert Richie Bostock, clinical psychologist Dr Erica McInnis and neuroscientist Anne-Sophie Fluri.

Classes are specifically designed to help users rewire their brains to sleep better, stress less, be more energised and feel happier.

Co-founder and CEO of MindLabs, Adnan Ebrahim, said: “For far too long, we’ve neglected taking care of our minds in the same way we take care of our physical selves.

"We’ve been ashamed to speak openly about this mislabelling mental vulnerability as weakness and approaching practices such as mindfulness with caution, worried about its scientific vigour.

”We’re excited to be the new face of change. Our team of neuroscience and mindfulness experts lead classes based on research, making techniques that previously felt out of reach, practicable and understandable.

"It’s time for us to reclaim mental wellness and bring tools such as meditation and breathwork into the mainstream with a science-first approach.

“We want to empower everyone with the tools to take better care of their minds.

"Fundamentally, we want to create a world where looking after your mind is as normal as going to the gym.”

MindLabs claims to be the only platform in the mental wellness industry to prioritise live and on-demand video-led content over other forms of media, giving users access to hundreds of engaging classes on their mobile phones.

MindLabs’s Head of Mindfulness, Anne-Sophie Fluri, added:: “We believe that the relationship you build with your instructor is fundamental to the experience of a mindfulness class and the subsequent result it has on changing your brain through neuroplasticity.

"Video content gives us the opportunity to truly connect with users, even when we’re not in the same physical environment, and that’s something the industry should truly be prioritising, especially as the pandemic has increased isolation and feelings of loneliness.

“Just as you might lift weights in the gym or have a specific physical exercise regime, MindLabs is a daily tool to strengthen neural pathways that lead to better concentration, improved presence and self-awareness and more positive thinking patterns.”

The MindLabs app is available on iOS from £7.99 per month and can be downloaded via the App Store.