18 Calming Podcasts To Listen To If You're Not Into Meditating

A production of BBC Radio 3, Slow Radio bills itself as “an antidote to today’s frenzied world.” I might describe it as an auditory journey; each episode takes you to a new location somewhere in the world, building that location around you through what it sounds like. You’ll hear ambient sounds, specific noises, and/or human voices; sometimes you’re spoken to, but other times, you’re just left to bask in the sounds of, say, Sherwood Forest at night, or Orford Ness as its buildings are slowly reclaimed by nature. “Step back,” the podcast instructs you to do. “Let go. Immerse yourself. It’s time to go slow.”

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If you find folklore calming (it’s me, I’m talking about me), you might consider queuing up Nicole Schmidt’s podcast, Mythos. In each episode, she explores curious pieces of storytelling, both sharing the tales themselves and breaking down their historical background. Each season focuses on the folklore of a different part of the world: The first is “Folklorica Britannia,” featuring stories from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales; the second is “Folklorica Slavica,” telling tales from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and other Slavic countries and cultures; the third is “Folklorica Nordica,” with stories hailing from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland; and the fourth, which hasn’t yet aired, will be “Folklorica Baltica,” will focus on legends from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

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Everything Is Alive, which was launched by NPR alum Ian Chillag in 2018, is unlike anything else you’ll find on the podcast soundwaves. Framed as an interview show of the variety you often do find on NPR, it features… somewhat unusual subjects: inanimate objects. Played by actors and comedians who give them voice, these objects detail everything you could possibly want to know about their lives — and a lot of stuff you had no idea you wanted to know about their lives. Subjects range from Louis, a can of cola, to Shannon, a bath towel. I know it sounds twee, but it’s honestly one of the most enjoyable and relaxing things I’ve ever listened to; I think it has something to do with the mundanity of it all, although at times it can be surprisingly deep.

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Are soundscapes your jam? Give Deep Energy 2.0 a shot. Created by New Hampshire-based musician and composer Jim Butler, Deep Energy releases about two episodes per month, each consisting of an hour of ambient, new age music suitable for everything from helping you sleep to providing a soundtrack for yoga sessions. Each episode’s music is brand new (Butler is a prolific fellow), so you’ll never hear the same thing twice.

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Since 2001, On Being has been asking the big questions and talking about them with really, really smart people. The podcast/radio show doesn’t necessarily answer those questions — but it doesn’t really need to. The questions are often so big that there really isn’t one, single answer to any of them. Recent topics include “tending joy and practicing delight,” grace, and whether we can — or even really should — bring “our whole selves” to work.

Over the decades, On Being has become a whole project, so if the flagship show isn’t quite your cup of tea, you might think about trying one of its spinoffs; Becoming Wise and This Movie Changed Me are both particularly notable.

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Sometimes, there’s nothing more calming than simply listening to someone tell you a story. Seymour Jacklin’s podcast, Stories From the Borders of Sleep does just that, with each episode giving you a bite-sized tale that’s usually fantastical in nature and extraordinarily relaxing — the kind of thing you expect to hover at the corners of your imagination, just waiting for you to fall asleep so it can coast along with you as part of your dreams. The podcast is updated only sporadically, but with an archive going back to 2011, there’s plenty here to occupy you as you drift off to sleep.

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Launched in 2018, Forever35 is ostensibly “a podcast about things we do to take care of ourselves,” as it describes itself in its opener each episode. Although it’s absolutely true that effective self-care rituals and habits don’t have to involve spending money, it’s worth noting that Forever35 skews more toward bath/beauty/skin care/spa end of the self-care spectrum — which, in turn, means that there’s often a lot of product talk in it. But if you, like hosts Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer (and myself), really enjoy talking about serums, then this one is worth tuning into — especially as the talk isn’t limited to products. It also deals frequently with what it means to grow older in our absurd society, and how we can help ourselves grow wiser at the same time.

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The name Sleep Meditation Podcast is actually kind of a misnomer; the podcast doesn’t necessarily have to be used for sleep, and it doesn’t feature any kind of guided meditation prompts or anything. It is, however, delightfully relaxing — or at least, it lets you put yourself in a delightfully relaxing scenario, depending on which episode you choose to listen to. Similarly to Slow Radio, Sleep Meditation Podcast creates soundscapes evocative of specific places and locations — the beach, a tent during a rainstorm, that kind of thing. If nature sounds chill you out like nothing else, Sleep Meditation Podcast is for you.

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For a dose of can-do positivity, nothing beats The Couragemakers. A creation of Meg Kissack and her online home, That Hummingbird Life, the podcast celebrates “creative and passionate, mission-driver doers, makers, and world-shakers” and aims to “inspire and encourage fellow couragemakers and spark a movement of women who are choosing themselves.” As Kissack told HelloFlo of That Hummingbird Life in 2016,

“That Hummingbird Life started as a way of working through and sharing my own lessons when it came to burnout, feeling disillusioned with the world, and self-care. I wanted to create a space that challenged this idea that self-care is selfish and [that] you always have to put other people in front of you, no matter what the personal cost or sacrifice to yourself.”

The podcast spun out from those ideas, with the result being a powerful reminder — particularly for women, who are often socialized to place others’ needs above their own at all times — that it’s not “selfish” to take care of yourself and your own well-being.

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Subtitled Bedtime Stories for Grownups, Nothing Much Happens is ostensibly meant to help you fall asleep — but honestly, it has a calming effect, no matter when you listen to it. Each approximately 25-minute episode features an original story written and narrated by creator and host Kathryn Nicolai — stories with simple structures meant to relax you as you listen to them. As Nicolai puts it, “nothing much happens, you feel good, and then you fall asleep.” She tells each story twice in each episode, slowing down the telling the second time through; but, she reminds us at the beginning of each episode, “If you find you are still awake at the end of the second telling, don’t worry. That’s a good rule of thumb when you are trying to fall asleep: Don’t worry. You can keep listening.” Sit back, relax, and let yourself drift.

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For some, The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps might be soporific — but then again, sometimes, that’s exactly what you’re looking for in a calming podcast. Written and hosted by Peter Adamson, who is a professor of philosophy at both the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and King’s College London, the podcast takes listeners through the complete history of philosophy, examining both “the ideas, lives, and historical context of major philosophers as well as the lesser-known figures of the tradition.” Pithy titles keep things interesting — “Istanbul (Not Constantinople): The Later Orthodox Tradition” in the set of episodes on Byzantine philosophy is a personal favorite — and Adamson is a measured, serene host.

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Most of what you need to know about Hello from the Magic Tavern — from its actual content to its tone and style — can be gleaned from the way its host, Arnie Niekamp, describes it on its website:

"Hello! I’m Arnie. I fell through a magical dimensional portal behind a Burger King in Chicago and found myself in a strange magical land called "Foon." I’m still somehow getting a weak wi-fi signal from the Burger King so I host a weekly podcast from the tavern the Vermilion Minotaur, interviewing monsters, wizards and adventurers."

Like Everything Is Alive, Hello from the Magic Tavern is an unscripted, interview-style format with… unusual subjects. It is hilarious. It is wonderful. And it is a terrific escape from the perils of the everyday world. Granted, Foon certainly has its own set of perils, but, y’know, at least you don’t have to deal with them yourself, right?

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Sometimes one of the best ways to unwind and destress is to take a nap. But if you're like me and have difficulties falling asleep, a soothing podcast can be the trick. Sleep With Me's bedtime stories for adults help stop your mind from racing by distracting you with humor and simplicity. Before the podcast is even over, you'll find yourself relaxed enough to fall fast asleep.

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If practicing meditation isn't your thing, maybe listening to people talk about meditation is. Untangle hosts Patricia Karpas and Ariel Garten discuss everything from mindfulness practices to the best foods for brain health, and invite experts to get in on their conversations. While some episodes do include meditation tips, the podcast also teaches you how to train your brain in ways that don't require repeating mantras or staying in one position for a very long time.

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With the word "calm" in its title, you know The Calm Collective will get the job done when it comes to relaxing your mind. The podcast features mindfulness blogger Cassandra Eldridge who shares her own personal anecdotes about life to remind listeners they're not alone. Topics range from body love to handling grief, and you'll learn to get creative when it comes to relaxing. For example, Eldridge explains how something as simple as a hobby, like photography, can contribute to a sense of fulfillment.

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If whispered voices and soothing sounds help you calm down, then The ASMR podcast might be your best bet. Each episode consists of random ramblings aimed specifically at soothing your mind and helping you fall asleep faster. These include poems, stories, meditations, informational Wikipedia articles, and even entire series dedicated to Ariel and Sherlock Holmes. In one series, for instance, Ariel the mermaid talks you through all of her underwater discoveries. In another, if Disney isn't your thing, Sherlock Holmes reads his famous mysteries aloud (in a whispered voice, of course).

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The Calmer You Podcast features Chloe Brotheridge, author of The Anxiety Solution and Brave New Girl. On the show, she invites personal trainers, life coaches, mental health experts, and other guests to help her in give advice, share personal stories, and send out "audio hugs." With episodes titled "This Too Shall Pass" and "Find Your Voice and Get Out of Your Head," the podcast aims to help listeners adopt a more positive and relaxed outlook on life.

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You might not think of Game of Thrones as a calming show, but think again. Game of Drones is a sub-podcast from Sleep With Me that features different people summarizing Game of Thrones in a monotonous tone that's meant to put you to sleep. There are hundreds of episodes that not only cover every episode from each season, but also explain details only found in the books.

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Syeda Saad contributed to this article.