168 Meditation For Kids, Too

May 20

Are you curious about meditation? Or have you already tried doing it and found yourself becoming really frustrated? If so, today’s show is just for you. We have a super inspiring interview today with Ali Smith, one of the co-founders and co-leaders of The Holistic Life Foundation. At the Holistic Life Foundation, they are bringing the skills of mindfulness to kids and this is having a very positive impact on them- and really quickly! Ali and his partners go out into the schools, both public and private, in the Baltimore area and they teach meditation. In the schools where they have introduced their mindfulness programs, the number of suspensions and detentions have been drastically reduced, with some schools even having zero suspensions, after instituting the program. This has brought The Holistic Life Foundation a whole lot of attention, over the last few years. Listen in now, to find out more.

Alex was really fortunate to have met Ali at Quad City’s Health Conference in Iowa, at the beginning of 2017. Ali was taught to meditate by his father at a very young age, but due to unforseen circumstances, his meditation practice fell by the wayside while he was still a child. When he was in his early twenties, he started searching for some answers and for a way to overcome his anxiety, so he started the process of mindfulness all over again. You’re really going to love this interview, so listen in, to find out more about Ali and the awesome results of his Mindful Moment Program for schools.

Music Credit: My good friend Lindsay Katt – https://lindsaykatt.bandcamp.com/track/stick-by-me

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Show Notes:

Ali explains what brought him to to the practice of meditation.
How Ali got back into meditation, around the age of twenty.
Ali’s experience of the challenge of getting back into meditation, after not having done it for a long time.
It’s easy to find excuses not to meditate, but you can always find some time to do it.
The benefits that Ali experienced when he started meditating again.
How often Ali practices meditating – and for how long.
What led Ali and his partners to creating The Holistic Life Foundation and teaching kids how to meditate.
How they got to teaching kids in schools how to meditate, in 2001.
The benefits of learning to respond, instead of reacting.
All about Ali’s Mindful Moment Program for schools.
Developing a meditation practice with your child.
The fundraiser that Ali is doing for his foundation.