Three Awesome Dudes Inspire Baltimore Youth With Yoga

We hear a lot of talk. These guys are making it happen. It’s Yoga in Action.

left to right: Ali, Atman and Andres of Holistic Life Foundation.

Meet the A Team! Ali, Atman and Andres, three pals from West Baltimore bringing yoga to inner city schools, inspiring social change and being overall awesome. They are dudes. They do yoga. We wouldn’t mess. In other words, they are the perfect mentors for their hometown neighborhoods where crime and shenanigans surround the city’s youth. Also, they look pretty lovable.

The three friends had the idea to start the Holistic Life Foundation 9 years ago and have been making a difference teaching techniques on centering, breathing, mindfulness and encouragement to at-risk youth ever since. So we suppose it’s rather fitting then, that they’ve received some well-deserved recognition from our darling media. Check out their recent 3-part feature on the aptly titled segment ‘Making a Difference’ on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

First part here:

“There are some children who have anger management problems. Instead of them reacting and getting angry they’ve learned to redirect the anger by doing meditation,” says Carlillian Thompson, principal Robert W. Coleman Elementary School. “It teaches them self-assurance, self-esteem and self-confidence. The children who didn’t have good self-esteem now are proud about their accomplishments.”

“I became a lot more level headed I think things over a lot more before I just react now. And that’s what the yoga helped me do a lot. If I didn’t have Ali, Atman and Andy I probably would be somewhere on the streets. I would’ve went astray. I probably wouldn’t be here today, honestly.” Darrius Douglas, former student of the elementary school yoga program.

Part two:

Part three:

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Earlier…

• Yoga, Meditation Help Kids Deal with Chronic Stress
• World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher, Bernice Bates, Stretches it Out (video)
• Donna Karan Launches Zen Therapy, Holistic Care, Yoga at UCLA Hospital
• Yoga Brings Peace, Self-Esteem to Homeless, Addicts, Survivors of Abuse