Tamara Levitt - No thanks If she is the true author of many of these meditations & stories, she is brilliant. BUT I really wish there would be more options for readers to read her work instead of her reading it herself because unfortunately many of the people I know, myself included, cannot stand listening to the way she reads. It’s her voice, it’s the way she forces every word to have vocal fry. It’s the way she adds so much inappropriate emotion…she tries so hard to force a heavilyyyy a sxxual tone to every single word…where it obviously doesn’t belong. It’s strong enough to where you cannot focus and relax. She is not relaxing at all. It seems more like she’s intentionally trying to evoke reactions and is way out of place for meditation and sleep stories. Literally cannot stand it and so we’re missing out on so many of the options. For premium you’d think they could offer the option to swap readers for a lot more of them than you can. Edit- just to add more about how incredibly annoying Tamara Levitts voice is. I literally cannot stand to listen to her and when I accidentally click on something she does or since you have to open some of them up to figure out who’s reading one you have to actually start them and then have to listen for a second...and every time it’s her I actually cringe. She makes so many people uncomfortable the way she speaks I don’t know how they haven’t pulled her from being a reader. It really makes a huge portion of this app unusable. It’s unfortunate. Pleaseeeeeeeee Tamara, use your skills in another way for the app than being the voice behind any of it. Pleaseeee Calm, encourage her to think about having someone else read her material! Edit some time later - seems like the app is always adding a more varied group of readers which is great 👍 A suggestion would be to have the one male reader that’s behind much of the core material to also be used for at least some body scans. As of now all the body scans are Tamara...would be nice to have that option from a different reader too as this is some of the more used material and as you read above for many she is not an actual option to listen to. Another suggestion...would be really nice for info to be shown on the outside of a tab so you don’t have go open it up and then go into each entry to see A) if it is just one or maybe several readings B) what readers are available C) the length of the entries. Also just want to say that my intentions aren’t to be offensive regarding Tamara’s voice. I know I’ve gone on and on about it, but it really is a big deal. Meditation is supposed to allow you to relax and it’s bothersome that huge chunks of this expensive app are actually unusable. I would be able to swallow it a bit better if I thought it was just my own personal thing I had about it, but knowing that so many feel the same way it’s frustrating they don’t work harder to make it better for everyone. They have to know. So that leaves me wondering if it comes down to a bruised ego or not wanting someone else to take/share her projects - whether it’s better for the listeners or not - because I believe she’s the/one of the founders and must have plenty of say in these matters.
This was one of the most frustrating apps I’ve attempted to use. The backend engineers should be incredibly disappointed in this bug ridden app that ironically causes even more stress. I attempted to link my organization subscription several times to no avail. First, the app wouldn’t recognize my password so I reset it. I received the confirmation that my password was reset and went to log back in only to discover that the app didn’t recognize the new password - but it did recognize the old one! This happened several times until I gave up and realized that “resetting” my password really only allowed the stupid app to recognize the old password. Next, I signed in to my Kaiser account, followed the instructions (all the while popups from the Calm app attempting to get me to pay for premium kept appearing on screen) and once I got to the end to link my account, I got two spinning black dots on my screen that continued for over ten minutes before I called it quits. I deleted the app and redid the whole process twice more before giving up entirely. Save your time and sanity and watch calming videos on YouTube for free.
I was not even prompted to write this review. I simply love the Calm app. I’ve been using it for several years now for different mindfulness activities. I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon it, but I have been able to see it evolve and become better over the years. I started using this app as a teacher (I would offer my students micro lessons on meditation/mindfulness), and I am now a therapist who still uses the app. I tell people that meditation and mindfulness is the equivalent of going for a jog or lifting weights for your mental health. There is no other app that offers the extensive tools that the Calm app offers. I love starting my day with a daily meditation, playing the beautiful, serene scenes on the background throughout my day, and concluding the day with a soundscape (such as the engine room inside of a spaceship) or a sleep story. The collaborations they have with companies like Disney and celebrities like Camila Cabello are awesome. I truly love the role that the Calm app has played in my life and the role it is playing in normalizing this aspect of mental health.
Devastated to lose original breath circle I had an older version on my phone for a long time and was using the free breath circle with 6-3-7 breath and a beautiful scene behind the circle. I made the mistake of updating my app in order to upgrade to a paid subscription, only to find the part of the app I was using was no longer there. The updated version offers breathing circles, but none have the same timing (even with using the limited controls offered) and there is no scene behind the circle. I can understand the app choosing to start charging for a popular item, but to take it away completely and then charge for something inferior is maddening. Paid subscribers should have better controls to fine tune the timing, a choice of music, and a choice of calming backgrounds behind the circle. Maddening to upgrade to a paid only to find the paid version is inferior to what was offered for free previously.
This app is so helpful. Really am glad to have found it! I am only on day 4 of this, but greatly appreciate the effect this is having on my inner-self. There's been just so much noise, incessant inputs from our noisy and screen-driven culture. Taking time to find, and cultivate a quiet serene inner space is priceless. 4 months later-I am still enjoying this wonderful collection of meditations, and practitioners. I would more than recommend this app, I would say it is essential equipment for life. 6 months later. Do yourself a favor and get this wonderful app, invest some time into the miracle that your life really is. Connect with the source of your power and be refreshed. Namaste. 🙏
September 2024 update: Still enjoying this app. It has powerful tools to help manage the inner space and the exterior world’s barrage of challenges. May God bless you, namaste.
A few words of gratitude from an OG member. I’ve been a member off and on from the very beginning. I’ve seen calm take this massive transformation from humble beginnings to a complex yet simple and incredibly thought-out app. I’ve always advocated for this app because I love all the changes it has made to itself over the years. I’m grateful for the people who made this app be the best meditation app ever. I’m very grateful this app exists, for it has been a massive addition to the betterment of my life, it not only has taught me to meditate, but it has taught me so many life lessons and skills. It is not only a learning tool to life but also an entertaining one as well, from meditations, to life classes, to stories and music this app is perfectly done and worth it value ten fold. If y’all download it, I hope explore it like I have.
Massive special thanks to you Tamara!
Thank you for allowing custom playlists!!Dodging Raindropson2024-09-07 I asked if you all could update the software for making custom playlists and you did!!! The sleep stories are pretty helpful at night for me. By making my own playlist, I can put on my all favorite sleep stories for the whole time in bed on nights when I’m having trouble sleeping. I keep it on low volume- just enough to hear if I’m awake/ paying attention. If I wake up after dosing off, I can refocus on whatever story is playing which puts me right back to sleep. This is a really helpful feature. And Bhavnisha Parmar has the voice of an angle. Also, I’m a long time meditator. The Jeff Warren 10 min daily mediations are so helpful, especially on the days where I feel my mediation practice is lacking. I’ll listen to those at the start of my 45 min sitting meditation.
I find this app to be extremely beneficial ; it truly excels in helping individuals like myself who have difficulty maintaining a consistent meditation practice. However, I believe that access to its numerous advantages should not come with a price tag. Mental health resources ought to be freely available to everyone, without the intention of profiting. I sincerely hope to see a shift in this perspective in the near future, as well as for the organization to adopt a more considerate and nonprofit-oriented mindset.
Just startedMendelini Satyriconon2024-09-08 I felt this first 10 minute session helped a little reduce my tension ; I am going to try it before I sleep again tonight- so meditate twice on Sunday . My most anxious day. I usually go to sleep to a playlist of quiet, soft-folk music or jazz or classical instrumentals. I never stay awake past the third song! Tonight, after meditating, I’m going to try to fall asleep without any music. I’d like to see if Calm’s meditative programming has a lasting effect throughout the day and week or is it just temporary .
I didn’t think it would work I’m AuDHD and going through peri-menopause, old enough to be close to actual menopause. Which means sleep is nearly impossible these days unless I’m taking a sleeping drug of some kind, which I hate, so I don’t. My brain doesn’t shut down no matter how tired my body is, so it seemed impossible that this could work. But it DOES. Three nights in a row now I’ve listened to a bedtime story and three nights in a row I was passed out within who knows how long of listening to a bedtime story. I’m so grateful.