Ali Smith

116: Executive Director, Holistic Life Foundation

Ali Smith co-founded the Holistic Life Foundation in 2001, where he currently serves as Executive Director.

He has over 15 years of experience teaching yoga and mindfulness to diverse populations.

Through his work at the Holistic Life Foundation he has helped develop and pilot yoga and mindfulness programs at public and private schools, drug treatment centers, juvenile detention centers, mental crisis facilities, and retreat centers, nationally and internationally.

In this conversation we discuss how they got schools to buy into their mission, the way in which they’ve made a big impact in many kids lives, and Ali provides some concrete examples of what his mindfulness practice entails.

“One of the coolest things that meditation does is it connects you to yourself so that you see your bigger than just this city square block. It connects you to everything and everyone and allows you to dream and see things on a bigger scale.”

In This Episode:

  • What inspired him to create the Holistic Life Foundation
  • Their unique method for teaching yoga and mindfulness to children
  • Why it all begins with learning the value of one deep breath
  • Making a big impact in schools with “The Mindful Moment”
  • How they got schools to buy in
  • Why wuji breathing exercises became so popular with the kids
  • The backlash they faced as they rolled out mindfulness programs in public schools
  • What his personal mindfulness practice looks like
  • How they found the money to launch their foundation
  • Their plans to make a bigger impact going forward

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