A California judges ruled recently that yoga classes in schools’ fitness programs is not the same as promoting Hinduism in school despite yoga being deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy. A family filed a motion to ban the Encinitas school district from the inclusion of yoga in physical education programs because it is “inherently religious.” The judge argued that any reasonable student would not perceive their yoga classes as a means of promoting religion. The ruling allows the school district to continue teaching yoga.
Yoga in school
Judge John Meyer of the San Diego Superior Court ruled that the practice of yoga in the Unites States is “a distinctly American cultural phenomenon.” He said that the development of yoga in the United States is deeply rooted in American, not Indian culture. Judge Meyer added that the way the Encinitas Union School District teaches yoga in its nine campuses is free from religious and cultural elements. For instance, the lotus position was taught to the kids as “crisscross applesauce” pose. The district made it a point to use child-friendly terms such as “peacock,” “gorilla,” and “turtle” to describe the yoga poses.
Beneficial to students and teachers
The Encinitas Union School District is located in northern San Diego. In 2011, the Yoga program was piloted by the district. In January of this year, it was fully incorporated into the district-wide curriculum. The district is the first in the country to employ full-time yoga teachers at every school. The program is funded by the Jois Foundation, which promotes Asthanga Yoga. It gave the district a grant of $533,000 which is good for three years. For the foundation, the program could eventually be a national model that teaches students life skills.
Timothy B. Baird, Encinitas Union School District Superintendent, said that parents and teachers have noticed that the breathing practices have made the students calmer. Students do this to release stress before taking tests. The Superintendent clarified that what they teach in the schools is a mainstream physical fitness program that just happens to incorporates yoga.
Biased
Early this year the Sedlocks, an American Christian family composed of Stephen and Jennifer and their two children, sued the local school district. The family objected to the Namaste greeting, the eight-limbed tree posters, and other yoga poses that they believe equate to worshipping deities of Hinduism. The family’s lawyer, Dean Broyles stated that Yoga is a religious practice and has religious aspects and is consistent with “pro-Eastern or strange religion bias” or “anti-Christian bias.” The lawsuit filed described the twice a week classes for half an hour each as violations of the “constitutional separation between church and state.” A Christian civil liberties group, the National Center for Law and Policy (NCLP) backed the petitioners.
The Sedlock kids are students in the district. The family, through their lawyer said that with yoga classes, schools are promoting Eastern religions and turning the students away from Christianity.
Atty. Dean Broyles said that they will likely file an appeal and insisted that Judge Meyer were wrong about some of the facts. The lawsuit was not after monetary damages but for the suspension of the program.
Photo Credit: Children and adults in various Yoga poses
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