What do Oprah, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ariana Huffington, Hugh Jackman and Phil Jackson have in common? They are all famous and rich? Sure, but a core component of their journey to success is their regular practice of mindfulness. What makes a life successful? What are its component parts? There is birth, school, college, drugs, alcohol, money, vacations, sex, children, aging, grandchildren, death, and yet there is no recipe for combining all

A few years ago I was approached by producer and director Larry Kasanoff who asked me if I would agree to be in his documentary: "Mindfulness: Be Happy Now" together with the famed Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, author and mindfulness advocate Deepak Chopra, actress Sharon Stone,and the "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan. From his IMDB profile Larry seemed like an unlikely mindfulness documentary producer. His resume was full of high action movies like "Mortal Kombat" and "Terminat

Hollywood producer Lawrence Kasanoff makes movies like Mortal Kombat. But his interest in mindfulness and its link to happiness has inspired a documentary called Mindfulness: Be Happy Now. In an interview, he talked about the difference between mindfulness and meditation and what Navy Seals and Buddhist monks have in common. What’s the difference between mindfulness and meditation? Meditation, in my opinion, is one of the ways you get to mindfulness. There are lots of ways

When we think about happiness and success, many of us turn our attention to some distant horizon where our hopes and aspirations lie. But according to Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, true happiness begins with mindfulness and mindfulness begins in the present moment. A new documentary featuring Hanh, called "Mindfulness: Be Happy Now," shares what producer and director Larry Kasanoff describes as a "non-denominational message" for people interested in learning more about the l

Lawrence Kasanoff was, at one time, a classic Hollywood producer - a guy with big projects and a bad temper. He was and is the guy behind the "Mortal Kombat" movies, Arnold Schwarzenegger's "True Lies," Ralph Fiennes' "Strange Days." Then, several years ago, he read a book by the Buddhist monk Thích Nhat Hanh. He decided to go to meet the famous practitioner of mindfulness not because he sought enlightenment, but because he thought the monk might inspire a new "Mortal Kombat"