While Calm is widely known for helping beginners start their mindfulness journey, our library also features robust tools and deep content designed specifically for experienced practitioners looking to sustain or expand an established, silent, or insight-based practice.
If you are looking to transition away from heavy verbal guidance or explore advanced meditation concepts, here are our top recommended tools and programs:
Top Tools and Content for Deep Practice
For Silent or Self-Guided Sits: The Less-Guided & Unguided Timers — If you prefer to meditate in silence without a guide, navigate to our Timer feature. You can select an open-ended or timed session, choose a background soundscape, and set ambient interval bells (such as every 5 or 10 minutes) to support your focus.
For Extending Your Sitting Time: Adjustable Session Lengths — Many of Calm's core themed meditations allow you to customize the duration before you begin. You can stretch individual sessions up to 20 or 30 minutes, allowing for more extended periods of silent integration between verbal prompts.
For Advanced Theory & Insight: Masterclasses and Advanced Teachers — Go beyond foundational breathing by exploring series led by world-renowned mindfulness teachers known for their deep, systematic approaches to practice. Look for programs by teachers like Shinzen Young, who specializes in advanced insight frameworks.
For Deepening Specific Techniques: Vipassana and Loving-Kindness (Metta) — Calm features dedicated, minimalist tracks centered around traditional insight meditation, body scans, and intensive loving-kindness practices that allow experienced meditators to refine their mental clarity and emotional resilience.
💡 Mindful Tip: Minimize Screen Distractions
Advanced traditions (such as Zen or Vipassana) often involve keeping your eyes slightly open, which can make bright menus or moving phone screens highly distracting. To establish a clean environment for your sit:
Lock Your Screen: Calm fully supports background audio playback. Once you set your unguided timer or begin your session, you can lock your device screen entirely. The ambient audio track and your interval bells will continue playing normally in the dark.
Hide App Menus: If you prefer keeping your device open but want to eliminate visual clutter, simply tap a blank space on your app's home screen. This instantly hides all buttons and text overlays, shifting the screen into a distraction-free backdrop.