"We're a small start-up with a big mission: to reduce stress and increase calm in an increasingly stressed-out world. We're just starting out, and we're looking for talented and driven folks to join us.
On offer is a competitive salary, meaningful equity, great benefits, holiday when you need it and the chance to make a real difference in people's lives. We're based in San Francisco's SOMA district and all roles are based here in our office."
Companies like this still need to be made by talented people.
I know the founder of Calm, he's extremely laid back and great to work for.
You have to believe in the vision of a company to work there and this will be no different for Calm. It'll take the right kind of mentality to succeed at a place that puts reducing stress at the forefront of its mission.
Yes, it's completely impossible that this company has its own corporate culture, they're probably exactly like every other startup (to a laughable stereotype). Working 500 hour weeks, literally paid in peanuts, and if you go on a date instead of pushing a bugfix they crucify you.
I was told recently that some study showed the brains of humans lighting up much more when reading using a video screen than with paper, and that essentially digital displays are a stimulant of sorts. Anyone see a study like this before? If it's real, wouldn't it be better to meditate in front of a non-digital interface?
In the guided sessions (as in most other meditative practices I've seen), you're instructed to close your eyes. The imagery is just there to set the stage before and after the meditation; the guidance is audio-only.
I like this, as I do anything that fights the flood of stress and insanity that is a lot of (at least my) daily life. Business-wise, I could see this being a gateway drug for selling meditation accessories, but it'd be hard to sell the sessions themselves. Advertising would be a no go, as putting it anywhere you'd make money on it would negatively impact the product itself.
Former neuroscientist and current meditator here (even went to the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute to combine the two once). While it's nice to want objective measures of meditative progress, there are two caveats:
a) Once you start meditating, you will probably notice subjective improvements that will be of more importance than things like vertex electrode amplitude.
b) This is still early days for brain science. Our tools (EEG and fMRI) are way cruder than the populace at large believes, so take their results with a grain of salt.
My knee-jerk reaction to this was at first laughter, followed by a deep sense of loathing as I dug deeper into whatever this site is supposed to be. This is fucking appalling. In some respects I might, -might- be able to get behind the idea of "meditation" as "SaaS" but for the most part I find this borderline insulting.
I agree that "real" experiences are awesome and sometimes people spend a bit too much time in front of their computer or staring at their phone....
But the vitriol of the grandparent-comment seems uncalled for. Computers/phones/etc are not some sort of evil presence that infect everything they touch, and apps like this can have their place too. In the right context, they might do a lot of good.
[E.g. I love various simple "sounds of rain" apps on my phone -- they can reallllly help me concentrate when I'm trying to study in a cafe and the background noise is somehow putting me off. It's like a blanket of calm...]
Yeah, to be fair I had just gotten out of a series of meetings about having less meetings...perhaps the vitriol was a bit uncalled for. I'm also with you on those "sounds of rain" or other white noise apps for concentration.
But this isn't just for concentration, this is for (quoted from their terms and conditions) "customized relaxation and self-improvement sessions." I'm not of the mind that electronics are an evil presence that infect everything they touch, rather I'm of the mind that there are certain activities which are cheapened by a service like this.
Actual meditation requires some amount effort, not a 20 minute session with headphones and an app.
Yeah, I concur. My wife tried it out and wanted to do more, but it was all "in-app purchase this" and "in-app purchase that," and "you'll be tracked on our website," etc. All she wanted was to download a single app and use it. She didn't want all the crap that goes along with it because other people keeping lots of info about her stresses her out!
We should keep in mind that we don't have access to all the available information the investors had. Previous successes by the founders, a kick-ass business model or solid traction could all be valid reasons for such an investment.
Our valuation of the company is based on partial information, and is likely less accurate than that of the investors.
If the app is useful, a premium version could be made, as well as a company branded version for an entire company, etc. HR is tough to sell to, but that doesn't mean impossible. It could be a nice corporate perk.
Good question. The site's 10 minute guided meditation right now does not sound like the forms of Zen meditation I'm familiar with, and it doesn't sound like mindfulness meditation. What is it? And is it evidence-based?
I practice Zen-style breath-counting meditation (susokukan) now. No doubt many different kinds of meditation are beneficial, but I suspect they have different effect sizes. Probably some do nothing for you at all.
The most unexpected consequence of breath-counting is how dispassionately I see my random intrusive thoughts during meditation, whether it's anger at someone, a happy memory, or a worry about some future task. It sounds crazy to non-meditators, but it's actually hard for me to not to laugh during meditation sessions at how ephemeral and "unreal" these thoughts are... and how quickly all emotions, sensations, thoughts move in and depart like blips on the screen of mind.
After breath-counting for half an hour, I feel a much deeper, more substantial calm than if I'd done something like listening to relaxing noises in the same time. It's a calm of mind that bleeds into the rest of the day, because meditation gives practice at seeing the shape-shifting nature of thoughts and human identity.
Does the kind of meditation practiced on this site have similar effects?
I can give you basic instructions based on what I've been given at Fire Lotus Zendo and Insight Meditation Society:
Sit, get comfy, and calm down. Relax your eyes, your jaw, your shoulders, and anywhere you're carrying tension.
WHen you're settled, focus on your breathing, pick one spot (belly, nostrils, nose, etc) and count each breath in your mind. Try to count softly; you want to pay attention to your breathing, not your counting. Start at 1 and go to 10. When/if you reach 10, start over again from 1.
When you find yourself distracted by a thought (and you will), that's normal. Just acknowledge the thought, and start counting again from 1.
Get curious about your breath. Is it hard or soft, fast or slow, dry or wet, smooth or ragged? Notice the pauses at the ends of the inhale and exhale: what's it like? What are the parts in-between like as it comes and goes?
If you find the counting helpful, stick with it. If you find the counting too distracting, just try to pay attention to the breath without it.
Lastly, don't worry too much if your mind is bouncing around like a monkey on a sugar rush; that's pretty normal. Most of the practice of meditation is continually coming back to the present moment, not attaining blissful thought-free emptiness (which is quite rare, even on retreat).
Thanks. I find that when I focus on counting my breaths, I immediately start visualising the numbers. They get painted. Or flipped around in 3D. If I pay attention to breath, then it, too, takes on all sorts of stuff. A whistle-type breath might make me see a cliff with wind blowing by it, and then that'll trigger memories. I can't seem to get passed even 3.
This is expected, if you are freeing some of your attention and focusing on your breathing, intrusive thoughts will likely arise. Don't get discouraged or angry about your lack of attention, just refocus "gently" on the breathing. And just keep going. With some practice, it becomes easier to stay on the breathing. The goal is not suppress or ignore those intrusive though anyway.
My favorite book for beginners is Philip Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen. The author was a Zen teacher for many years and helped steer me in the right direction.
I do this every morning for 23 minutes. Except I'm a computer programmer so I do start my counting at zero.
After one or two counts to ten (but starting over whenever I'm distracted) (which happens a lot), I usually stop the counting and just focus on my breathing, which I find more relaxing.
I agree with you in several ways, but to be charitable, just look at the site as a place to go to get some guided meditations for newbies.
I think over time, people turn away from guided meditations as distracting (I know I do), but something like this could be helpful to the right person.
This is similar to http://www.getsomeheadspace.com which is based on a subscription model and a mobile app. The app is free and provides 10 sessions of 10 minutes each. If you like calm.com, try www.getsomeheadspace.com for a very good alternative.
I subscribe to headspace, have been for about two months now. I find it extremely helpful. There are a wealth of different programs with different areas of focus, and about a years worth of content with daily use. I highly recommend it.
Also a Headspace subscriber. If you're interested, subscribe and then, instead of using their site/app, you can download the whole program via a torrent (5 GB).
On the iPhone, calm.com takes you directly to the App Store page without even prompting. You can try going to the deeloper's website from there, BUT that takes you to their Facebook page. From there it links back to calm.com.
Worst. Experience. Ever. And I haven't even downloaded the app yet!
What's annoying for me was that I was redirected to the "sign up for when the app is released" page, but if I fake the user agent I get a very nice, very usable calm.com that works out of the box with my phone.
Why, why must you force me towards your app? At max, serve the web page first, then suggest the app to me.
179 comments
[ 2.1 ms ] story [ 190 ms ] threadIs there a business model for this, possibly subscription based in the future?
They have job postings:
http://www.calm.com/jobs
"We're a small start-up with a big mission: to reduce stress and increase calm in an increasingly stressed-out world. We're just starting out, and we're looking for talented and driven folks to join us.
On offer is a competitive salary, meaningful equity, great benefits, holiday when you need it and the chance to make a real difference in people's lives. We're based in San Francisco's SOMA district and all roles are based here in our office."
I know the founder of Calm, he's extremely laid back and great to work for.
You have to believe in the vision of a company to work there and this will be no different for Calm. It'll take the right kind of mentality to succeed at a place that puts reducing stress at the forefront of its mission.
This would be awesome on chromecast.
Great UI, awesome background activity, relaxing music, timers -- exactly what I was looking for. Well executed!
On the practical front: How are you a company? What's your mission? Purpose? Business model?
a) Once you start meditating, you will probably notice subjective improvements that will be of more importance than things like vertex electrode amplitude.
b) This is still early days for brain science. Our tools (EEG and fMRI) are way cruder than the populace at large believes, so take their results with a grain of salt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYTJXiyyytQ#t=227
Also a full screen option would be nice.
The ogg and mp4 files are lovely as well :).
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001416/?ref_=tt_cl_t6
If you want less stress, or to calm down, the last thing you should be doing is staring at a computer screen. Go outdoors. Exercise. Meet real people.
I would totally use Nagios on my kids though.
But the vitriol of the grandparent-comment seems uncalled for. Computers/phones/etc are not some sort of evil presence that infect everything they touch, and apps like this can have their place too. In the right context, they might do a lot of good.
[E.g. I love various simple "sounds of rain" apps on my phone -- they can reallllly help me concentrate when I'm trying to study in a cafe and the background noise is somehow putting me off. It's like a blanket of calm...]
But this isn't just for concentration, this is for (quoted from their terms and conditions) "customized relaxation and self-improvement sessions." I'm not of the mind that electronics are an evil presence that infect everything they touch, rather I'm of the mind that there are certain activities which are cheapened by a service like this.
Actual meditation requires some amount effort, not a 20 minute session with headphones and an app.
Our valuation of the company is based on partial information, and is likely less accurate than that of the investors.
i kind-of do mindful meditation (i'm no expert) and this would be just one more piece of sensory data to acknowledge and then largely ignore.
if you're doing "concentrative meditation" (i'm using terms from wikipedia) then i would have thought this would be distracting.
is this more like new age tv?
I practice Zen-style breath-counting meditation (susokukan) now. No doubt many different kinds of meditation are beneficial, but I suspect they have different effect sizes. Probably some do nothing for you at all.
The most unexpected consequence of breath-counting is how dispassionately I see my random intrusive thoughts during meditation, whether it's anger at someone, a happy memory, or a worry about some future task. It sounds crazy to non-meditators, but it's actually hard for me to not to laugh during meditation sessions at how ephemeral and "unreal" these thoughts are... and how quickly all emotions, sensations, thoughts move in and depart like blips on the screen of mind.
After breath-counting for half an hour, I feel a much deeper, more substantial calm than if I'd done something like listening to relaxing noises in the same time. It's a calm of mind that bleeds into the rest of the day, because meditation gives practice at seeing the shape-shifting nature of thoughts and human identity.
Does the kind of meditation practiced on this site have similar effects?
Sit, get comfy, and calm down. Relax your eyes, your jaw, your shoulders, and anywhere you're carrying tension.
WHen you're settled, focus on your breathing, pick one spot (belly, nostrils, nose, etc) and count each breath in your mind. Try to count softly; you want to pay attention to your breathing, not your counting. Start at 1 and go to 10. When/if you reach 10, start over again from 1.
When you find yourself distracted by a thought (and you will), that's normal. Just acknowledge the thought, and start counting again from 1.
Get curious about your breath. Is it hard or soft, fast or slow, dry or wet, smooth or ragged? Notice the pauses at the ends of the inhale and exhale: what's it like? What are the parts in-between like as it comes and goes?
If you find the counting helpful, stick with it. If you find the counting too distracting, just try to pay attention to the breath without it.
Lastly, don't worry too much if your mind is bouncing around like a monkey on a sugar rush; that's pretty normal. Most of the practice of meditation is continually coming back to the present moment, not attaining blissful thought-free emptiness (which is quite rare, even on retreat).
Good luck
As a pragmatic matter, if the counting is distracting, try paying attention to the breath without it.
Likewise, if the breath itself is problematic (something I'vep ersonally wrestled with), try another anchor: full-body awareness, or just listening.
My favorite book for beginners is Philip Kapleau's Three Pillars of Zen. The author was a Zen teacher for many years and helped steer me in the right direction.
After one or two counts to ten (but starting over whenever I'm distracted) (which happens a lot), I usually stop the counting and just focus on my breathing, which I find more relaxing.
I think over time, people turn away from guided meditations as distracting (I know I do), but something like this could be helpful to the right person.
Also for what it's worth, the voice made me feel like I was in Michael Bay's The Island. Somehow was that strangely meditative.
It seems to me they fit perfectly with your vision.
Worst. Experience. Ever. And I haven't even downloaded the app yet!
My guess is they want to herd users to the mobile app right away, rather than manage both the app and optimized website for mobile.
Why, why must you force me towards your app? At max, serve the web page first, then suggest the app to me.