So often yoga seems like a middle-class, white-female, grown-up thing, especially here. But perhaps no one needs a good yoga class more than the kids and teens packed into overcrowded New York City public schools that may not have recess or a gym. This week my colleague, the lovely Ashtanga teacher and studio owner Eddie Stern, dropped me a line about Bent on Learning, a non-profit run by friends of his (he's on the board) that teaches yoga to nearly 1,600 kids, grades K through 12, in Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan schools and youth centers. And it's been at it for the last seven years.

This fall the group is starting its most ambitious project yet at the Lyons Community School in Brooklyn—classes in every grade for an entire school including teachers, who will have separate morning sessions. That’s 30 classes a week and an integral part of the curriculum.

A typical class varies, said Bent co-founder, director, and yoga teacher Anne Desmond in a phone chat, but in general they take place in a classroom, desks pushed aside, mats unfurled (recently Gaiam started donating mats to the program). The littlest kids imitate animals and the teens keep a yoga journal, tracking their thoughts and progress over 10 to 15 weeks.

“The transformation is amazing,” Anne said. Classes emphasize loving-kindness and respect for self and others. Students have told her the yoga has helped with everything from calming down for the SATs to believing in themselves.

The organization, run on donations, has a fundraiser gala in spring (Moby, Beastie Boy Mike D., and members of Cirque Du Soleil have performed at past functions) and a letter-based fund-drive in the fall. Seems like a worthy cause, indeed. To find out more or donate: Bentonlearning.org