Yoga for At-Risk Communities

Dressed alike in loose grey pants, blue T-shirts and dark navy sweatshirts, a group of teenagers files into the bright room. They remove their shoes and sit on the identical green mats arranged in two rows on the floor. Once they’re seated, Annika Hanson, their teacher, asks for silence. A few kids, ignoring her, keep laughing and talking. Eventually, one speaks up. “Just go ahead and be quiet.” Then amid minimal noise, Hanson leads them in chanting “om.” Yoga class has begun.

Originally published on Huffington Post