Calm

Calm: Meditate, relax, breathe & enjoy simple guided mindfulness stress reduction utilizes a variety of mindfulness meditation techniques for young adults to older adult who are looking for a way to reduce stress and anxiety in their lives. This app may benefit users with ADD, autism, developmental disabilities, Down syndrome, older adults and veterans.

When you open the app you are presented with a list of different mediation programs. Each day there is a new meditation. The free app gives users the opportunity to participate in a seven-day ten minute meditation that teaches the basics of mindfulness meditation. Next, there is unguided mediation. This is a timed meditation anywhere from 1 to 20 minutes. The meditation uses calming sounds and ends with a Buddhist Bell. For those who need a guided meditation you can use Calm, which goes in 5 minute increments. Users are guided by a voice that gives simple directions to follow to help quiet your mind and increase a state of well-being. A body scan is another that also uses 5 minute increments. It uses the breath to help you guide your body. It goes over each part of your body to help you relax. These meditations are all free and the length can be increased or decreased based upon the individual.

Every morning before our reviewer and her class start the day, they begin with a two-minute unguided meditation. This allows each student to start their day at their own pace and leave any negativity outside the classroom. Depending upon the student she has used Calm and the Body Scan when a student is having a rough day or just needs a break. They have headphones in the classroom and a room with yoga mats for students to lie down and relax. Meditation has been a part of their daily routine for the past two years.

Calm: Meditate, relax, breathe & enjoy simple guided mindfulness stress reduction is a wonderful addition to classrooms because it has the flexibility for different students. Many students have downloaded this app at home to help them relax before going to bed. The language used in the app is simple enough for students with developmental delays to follow.

The app cues you to relax upon opening it up. Psychologist has also used the rain sound effect as white noise in a one on one therapy session to cancel noise and increase privacy. There is a choice of sound customizations, such as fire, rain, gentle waves and birds singing.

Using the Breathe button is a guided breathing exercise to help reduce stress or to help calm oneself down. Ideally, one would practice the exercises when not in a stressful situation in order to master the skills in order to be prepared to self-regulate during a more stressful time. The breathing times are adjustable, 4-8 breaths per minute, according to individuals. Interesting note, for a yoga instructor who uses it finds the breathing pace too fast, as she has greater breath capacity and control. This reviewer found 6 breaths per minute was a good pace.

With updated edition, a Sleep button has been added, which contains 4 free sleep stories. For example, Waterfall is a guided meditation designed for adults to relax at the end of the day. For those with problems initiating sleep, this feature can be helpful for occupy the mind and distract one from the negative thought processes that prevent falling asleep.

Anxiety, PTSD, Panic Attack, Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Disorder, general health and wellness. Calm also has a subscription for teachers to have the full app in their classroom.

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You can download Calm on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the Calm app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.