About this episode

Sharon Salzberg continues her series on children's mindfulness with guests from the Holistic Life Foundation discussing their impactful work.

For episode 275, we are continuing a new series on the Metta Hour, centered on kids, in honor of Sharon’s first children’s book, Kind Karl , out now!  Co-authored by Jason Gruhl, this illustrated picture book is for 4-8 year-olds and is a new children’s adaptation of Sharon’s beloved book Lovingkindness .  To learn more about Sharon’s children’s book, Kind Karl , and pre-order a copy with a special pre-order gift, you can visit Sharon’s website, right here . For this podcast series, Sharon speaks with educators, caregivers, and researchers about the ways meditation, mindfulness, and lovingkindness can impact children of all ages and the family systems that support them. For the fourth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with Ali Smith, Andres Gonzales and Atman Smith of the Holistic Life Foundation. Andy, Ali, and Atman co-founded the Holistic Life Foundation in 2001, a non-profit organization bringing yoga, meditation, and breath-work to thousands of at-risk kids in Baltimore and beyond. Their work has received wide national attention due to their remarkable results in public schools where suspension rates plummet and graduation rates skyrocket. Outside of the…

People in this episode

Host: Sharon Salzberg

Guests: Ali Smith, Andres Gonzales, Atman Smith

Topics covered

• children's mindfulness
• meditation
• yoga
• education
• non-profit work
• holistic health

Keywords

• mindfulness
• children
• Holistic Life Foundation
• meditation
• yoga
• education
• Lovingkindness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Holistic Life Foundation, Penguin Random House

Books & works: Kind Karl, Lovingkindness, Let Your Light Shine

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• Ep. 282 – Elisha Goldstein · March 17, 2026 · 59 min
• Ep. 281 – Engaged Compassion Series: Jerry Colonna · March 4, 2026 · 58 min
• Ep. 280 – IMS 50th Anniversary w/ Dipa Ma · February 18, 2026 · 60 min
• Ep. 279 – Jack Kornfield · February 3, 2026 · 1h 11m

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