Kashala Francis, a 13-years-old Houston native, died April 28 after slipping into a coma after a fight with two teens who assaulted her as she walked home from school.

We now know that she died of a brain tumor that was exacerbated as a result of the assault. Yet, think how horrible that the last hours of her life were spent in agony after being beaten by her peers. All while other children stood by, recording with their cell phones and laughing as she was kicked and punched repeatedly in the head.

Of all the witnesses no one spoke out or lent a helping hand. Why are our children behaving like animals, giving into a herd mentality?  Something is broken in the way we teach our children, and we need to fix it.  Because as American sociologist W.E.B. Dubois famously mused, “It is easier to raiser to strong child, than to repair a broken person.”

Educators are spending thousands of hours teaching test-taking skills, but lack curriculum and training to develop what kids really need–compassion and self-control, or what psychologists call social and emotional development. Likewise, parents spend thousands of hours repeating, “No, don’t do that!” “Get off that screen!” And an all-time favorite, “Because I said so.” These have all resulted in the same negative behavior. Perhaps it is time to choose a different tactic? 

Surprisingly, social and emotional learning (SEL) techniques are working in some of the most challenging neighborhoods in Dallas. My group, Yoga N Da Hood is one of several new ventures bringing social and emotional learning to communities where unemployment and crime are rampant. And it’s working.

According to Psychology Today, early social-emotional skills are rooted in how socially, emotionally, academically and professionally adept individuals are later in life. For example, researchers from Penn State and Duke found that kindergarteners with higher social-emotional skills were more likely to complete college, less likely to tangle with law enforcement and had better interpersonal relationships by age 25.

Social-emotional skills equip children with the wherewithal to persist on challenging tasks, to effectively seek help when they need it and to be thoughtful in their actions. This is particularly important with children who have experienced trauma; without help processing trauma, children and others may experience distortions in their perceptions of present reality, making it difficult to respond appropriate in new situations.

Avoiding these pitfalls is the ultimate goal at Yoga N Da Hood. Mentors and yogis try to give Dallas students the skills they need to cope with some pretty tough experiences. As it turns out, yoga really works for some of the kids involved.  The organization hosts before and after school programs in some of the roughest neighborhoods all over North Texas, where children have experienced trauma directly and indirectly most of their young lives.

Yoga N Da Hood offers coping skills through movement and mindfulness that help children not only survive the trauma, but thrive through it. We know it works because we studied it: on one six-week period of our Mindful Movement Curriculum with elementary students, we saw a 72 percent decrease in classroom disruptions and 31 percent increase in classroom academics success. We believe this is because yoga and related practices help kids regulate their biological responses to stress.

Nine-year-old William, for example, saw his father gunned down in front of him. Not surprisingly he was having issues in school afterwards. William constantly found himself suspended or in detention. But within six weeks of practicing yoga William’s grades improved 60 percent and his teacher reported that he was no longer having behavior issues in class. We need to help more kids like William. 

Yoga N Da Hood translates SEL and wellness into a language that the inner city can not only understand but use in everyday life.  The ability to perceive and understand one’s emotions is a powerful tool. Perception allows the individual to create a space to connect with self, family, teachers, friends and community. These ever growing SEL skills are a practice and help our youth to become skilled in productively navigating positive and negative social interactions, emotions, and situations.  

My father 65 years old the strongest man I know, plagued with COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, involving constriction of the airways and difficulty or discomfort in breathing.

My father has had this horrible disease for years. I didn’t even begin to understand the severity of his condition until he had a stroke last year. See my father is like T’Challa from Black Panther- a King, a Warrior, a Change Maker.

It’s hard to see him gasp for life. It makes the art of breathing even more profound to me.

I first began to notice the power of breath when began the practice of yoga. I guess you say, “all you damn yogis talk about is breathing. I breathe all the time.” Well it is true you do breathe, some of us without effort all day everyday. But what if you take something you are doing by default and use it to better your quality of life?

The breath is such a powerful tool. The science behind breathing will make you appreciate this powerful life force (even if it smells like onions).

According to an article in Forbes, controlling your breathing calms your brain.

While the admonition to control breathing to calm the brain has been around for ages, only recently has science started uncovering how it works. A 2016 study accidentally stumbled upon the neural circuit in the brainstem that seems to play the key role in the breathing-brain control connection.  The circuit is part of what’s been called the brain’s “breathing pacemaker” because it can be adjusted by altering breathing rhythm (slow, controlled breathing decreases activity in the circuit; fast, erratic breathing increases activity), which in turn influences emotional states. Exactly how this happens is still being researched, but knowing the pathway exists is a big step forward. Simple controlled breathing exercises like the 4-7-8 method may work by regulating the circuit.

Now if you are thinking to yourself- what would Forbes know about breathing? Then try it yourself. Take a moment and close your eyes, notice your breath and only your breath. See how you feel…don’t worry. I will wait.

The breath is a life tool (pun intended) you can use it for so many things. From calming your nerves to lowering your blood pressure.

According to http://www.measureuppressuredown.com/, High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most prevalent health conditions facing Americans. In fact, 68 million Americans – 1 in every 3 U.S. adults – have high blood pressure, and nearly 20 percent do not know they have it. Sadly, the disease can lead to other health problems, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.

Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which decreases the heart rate and dilates blood vessels, reducing your overall blood pressure. As your breathing becomes slower, your brain associates it with a state of relaxation, which causes your body to slow down other functions like digestion.

Breathing is not only a life force, but a life enhancing tool as well. Instead of just breathing, really take time to focus on your breath. Allow it to help you help yourself. The next time you find yourself pissed off because someone cut you off or your teenager is riding the wave of your last nerve: Focus on your breath, take deep long breaths in and out, notice that you are alive.