“Release” is the 2nd in our series of Mindful Shorts, and it focuses on stress and anxiety as experienced by middle school kids. 70% of middle school students today report feeling “stressed out” — an alarming figure, and a sign that something must be done to help kids manage the sense of overwhelm and frustration they experience so that they can blossom into young adults who are equipped to navigate their way through life's challenges in a positive, productive way. We hope this film in some small way helps not just kids, but everyone who suffers from the toxic effects of stress and anxiety.

A very different approach than its predecessor “Just Breathe” (which focused on Anger in elementary school kids), “Release” was designed to be more visceral/experiential. We wanted to visually communicate the differences between calm and anxious states of mind/body, so that viewers could truly relate to those experiences while simultaneously benefiting from a basic lesson in Mindful Meditation.

We are currently raising money to complete a series of 6 Mindful Shorts -- experiential short documentaries that explore the practice of mindfulness as it pertains to self and culture from childhood through old age. Four of the six films -- "Just Breathe" (on Anger), "Release" (on Anxiety), "Into Light" (on Depression), and "A Good Day" (on Addiction) -- are finished and currently being shared around the world via social media, film festivals, classrooms, doctors' offices, and social service departments. We have two more films to complete (on Trauma, and Grief) that will provide people with a holistic view of mindfulness and how the application of this simple philosophy can help us - as individuals, and as a global community - throughout all stages of life.