USA: Zen president A 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful wants to raise awareness of yoga and mindfulness as part of this campaign. Ohio congressman Tim Ryan — who, if given the nod by his party, could face Donald Trump in the next US elections — recently held a New York fundraiser that featured a yoga class and a breathing session, under the banner ‘Healing America Through Mindful Leadership’. He believes America is craving a more ‘zen president’. “You look at the presidents we admire over the years,” he said, “and they have that quality of equanimity in rocky times.”