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.

Articles tagged "short-films"

Articles tagged "short-films"

Mindfulness Film 'Just Breathe' Goes Viral | New Series