App Review: Calm

Name: Calm
Guide: Meditations led by Tamara Levitt who uses her background in Vipassana/Insight, Shambhala, Zen, and Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist teachings
Price: $14.99/month, $69.99/year and $399.99 for a lifetime subscription, with a free 7-day trial
Features: Daily Calm meditations, Calm masterclass (life-coaching-like lessons), mindfulness programs for beginners or advanced, Calm Body for stretching, breathing exercises, Sleep stories, Soundscapes, Mood check-in
User-friendliness: Home page changes based on your goals, keeping track of progress through Daily Streaks and Mindful Minutes, can be synced to Apple Health if on iPhone, can customise nature sounds and scenery of the home page, can save or put favourites
Mindfulness topics: A wide variety of topics from concentration, happiness, gratitude, body scan but also Calm Kids and mindful walking
Narration quality: Different narrators have different styles. Certain narrated by celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey and Eva Green

This app is one of the most popular meditation apps out there, and for reason! It has a wide variety of practices for beginners, advanced and everything in between. The free version unlocks a few sessions, such as the beginner mindfulness 7-day program, but you can try the 7-day trial to explore the full breadth it has to offer. Different narrators have different styles, and you’ll be sure to find your favourite! One of its strengths is its ability to track your progress, as it can even track your sleeping schedule, does a mood check-in, can send you notifications as reminders, and more. Calm Kids could also be an interesting feature for your little ones to try! It is one of the more expensive options, so I recommend trialing it out first. One thing is for sure, you will never run out of new sessions to try given how diverse they are! – Salima