Mindfulness Film 'Just Breathe' Goes Viral | New Series

How a Viral Mindfulness Short Film Sparked a Movement

The Unexpected Success of 'Just Breathe'

In 2015, filmmaker Julie Bayer Salzman created the 4-minute short film 'Just Breathe' featuring elementary school children discussing:
- Their experiences with meditation
- Techniques for handling difficult emotions
- Simple mindfulness practices for kids

The film gained unexpected traction when:
1. Mindfulness pioneer Jon Kabat-Zinn shared it on social media
2. Oprah featured it on Super Soul Sunday after interviewing Kabat-Zinn
3. It became a teaching tool in mindfulness education programs

Beyond 'Cute' - Expanding Mindfulness Media for Adults

While thrilled by the response, Salzman recognized limitations:

"Using only kids to talk about meditation somewhat limited the audience because people just thought, 'Oh, isn't that cute.' It's easily dismissed."

After completing:
- A 6-week Mindful Schools training program
- Daily 30-minute meditation practice

Salzman launched a crowdfunding campaign to create a new series exploring:

Key Themes:
- Mindfulness for anxiety management
- Meditation during illness recovery
- Coping with grief and loss
- Addiction recovery support

The Vision for Therapeutic Mindfulness Films

The planned series will feature:
- 3-minute documentary-style shorts
- Real people using mindfulness as a healing tool
- Relatable stories of overcoming life challenges

Salzman explains:

"We need more films that speak to more people—somebody who is using mindfulness to get through something incredibly challenging."

Current Status and How to Support

As of publication:
- $1,089 raised of $150,000 goal
- Campaign active on crowdfunding platforms

This initiative represents an important evolution in mindfulness media, creating content that demonstrates practical applications of meditation for adult challenges beyond the classroom.