People ask me why I teach yoga to kids. This is why: what we practice on the mat translates to life off the mat. Skills like acceptance, resilience, presence, endurance, confidence and ultimately attention. What do we pay attention to and for how long?

The current issue is evil: war, violence and atrocities. Why do they exist? How are they different than evil thoughts like, “I hate my brother. I’m gonna kill him!” Simply said, evil thoughts are not the same evil acts. However, all actions are based in a thought, feeling, or impulse.

I believe evil is a learned behavior. No one is born evil. Further, a learned behavior that leads to wrongdoing comes from a child’s upbringing. This includes morality, conditioning, impulse control, anger, inner conflict and fear. Specifically, how a child’s leaders (parents, teachers, coaches) deal with these factors.

How do we overcome evil within and around us? Raise compassion. Raise awareness. Act from that place. That’s it!

No one is immune from inner conflict, fear, and anger. Look inside yourself because external conflicts are the extension of inner conflicts. Develop your own humanity by living from a deeper state of consciousness. With practice, you will become an agent of peace which is the greatest contribution you can make to counter evil.