Health and Wellness

If you are a Kaiser member, take note that they’ve renewed the Calm App for members for another year. If you haven’t yet taken time to explore the app, there are some great features that may spark your interest.

My personal favorite is the Sleep category. Here you will find sleep stories, some narrated by celebrities, such as Rege-Jean Page, Harry Styles, LeBron James, Idris Elba, and Kate Winslet. The stories evoke such vivid imagery, it’s easy to visualize being on the Queen Mary, in a rainforest, on an Arctic cruise, on a visit to the pyramids in Egypt, or in a small island town in Mexico celebrating Dia de Muertos. The tone of the storyteller is perfect for lulling you to sleep, usually before you hear how the story ends. There are many old classics to choose from as well, including Dr. Doolittle, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, and stories perfect for young children, featuring favorite characters like Thomas the Tank Engine, Trolls, and Peppa Pig. The Sleep music section has songs from popular artists - Kacey Musgraves, Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes - extended, remixed, and specially curated for Calm. Songs such as ‘Golden Hour’ by Kacey Musgraves, or ‘Circles’ by Post Malone, help you to wind down and fade into sleep, usually without hearing the end of the song.

The music section is also perfect for the classroom. Debra Raney, a second grade teacher at Parkview Elementary School, uses Calm music during Writing Workshop to foster her students’ creative spirits. Some of the music she has discovered and recommends includes ‘Disney Peaceful Piano’. Students love the familiar songs. She also plays the first 20 minutes of the remix of ‘Breathin’ by Ariana Grande. Her students find it very calming and they connect with the familiarity. ‘Lunar Lullaby’ encourages her students to relax into their creative space. Finally, ‘Relaxing Guitar’ offers fourteen tracks from various artists. It is uplifting and quiets the mind. According to Debra, it’s so easy to play calming music for your class with the Calm App, and hopefully you will try it!

There are many more features of Calm to explore - Meditation, Calm Body, Music categories including Soundscapes, Nature Melodies, Lullabies, and music for Work, Relaxation, and Focus. I hope you are motivated to explore the app and see what it can do for you! 

If you use the Calm App in the classroom, or have a favorite meditation app to share, contact the Communications Team to be featured in an upcoming issue!