Embrace World Mental Health Day with Sal Khan

Sal Con here from Khan Academy, and we are inside, uh, my office/sl closet. This is where I record videos, take meetings, etc. Uh, many of y’all know I’m a big fan of meditation. It helps me clear my mind; it helps me think more clearly, be less stressed, etc., etc.

I'll show you where I meditate. So, I actually usually meditate on this chair. This is like my meditation chair, and I like it 'cause it's nice and firm. So, I try to do it before the family wakes up, uh, when the house is quiet.

Yeah, I'll just, uh, sit here, get nice posture, and, uh, you know, close my eyes, deepen my breaths, and put a smile on my face. I feel like that, um, actually puts you in a better mood if you force a smile. Then, uh, you know, just try to, um, steal my thoughts, accept everything around me, steal my thoughts and [Music].

I started only doing 10 minutes a day, but I found after a month I was just getting less stressed. I was sleeping better; I was able to focus a lot better. I was listening to people better. I know it sounds like it defies the laws of time mathematics, but if you do that meditation for 10 or 20 minutes, you’re eerily going to find yourself with more time.

You realize that you’re going to focus on the things that matter. You’re going to be able to pay more attention, and you’re just going to be doing things in a more sustainable way. It's, you know, take it for what it's worth, but it's definitely been working for me.