The new program will encompass yoga, character education, nutrition, goal setting and wellness as a whole. It was initially tested at one of the district’s schools and will be implemented in all of them starting Monday.
“We tell our kids to calm down but we don’t give them the tools to do that,” said David Peck, a supporter of the program. “We are very supportive of the yoga program in terms of physical and mental in terms of ability calm himself.”
Parents in the community by in large are extremely excited about this program. It’s a vocal minority that is expressing their opposition, Peck said.
Mary Eady opted her son out of the yoga portion of program because she believes it’s promoting religious beliefs. Eady said the state’s government authority in a public school setting should not be teaching children spiritual or religious practices.
“The curriculum itself said this yoga is meant to bring the spirit of the child to the surface. It’s meant to teach the children to view the world from the standpoint of yoga and it’s philosophy which is Hinduism,” Eady said.
Working with first amendment attorney Dean Broyles, Eady said she hopes to force the district to drop the program.
“It’s very fraught with Hindu religious belief and language itself,” Broyles said. “Publically [the district] is not saying that it is not religious, but repeating a lie doesn’t make it true.”
The district received a half-million dollar grant from the Jois Foundation, who is dedicated to the teachings of Astanga yoga. The curriculum will go into effect on Monday.
58 Comments to “District adds yoga to all schools despite opposition”
January 3, 2013 at 4:33 PM
How wonderful for these students to have an opportunity to practice yoga. Kudos to Encinitas Unified for not caving to the irrational fears of a few people who do not appreciate the health benefits of yoga.
January 3, 2013 at 8:35 PM
I totally agree Debbie
January 3, 2013 at 5:12 PM
So should students have the opportunity to pray and read the Bible as well?
January 3, 2013 at 8:53 PM
How is it comparable? Yoga is moving your body, breathing, finding balance, self contemplation. The poses have no religious meanings. It would be fine if you wanted to take the same poses and name them after Biblical characters. It would change nothing so long as you were teaching breath, balance, considering what's important in life, etc.
January 4, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Actually students do have the opportunity to read and pray in school as long as it isn't led by an adult. It falls under the first amendment also.
January 4, 2013 at 4:49 PM
Yoga absolutely is directly to Hinduism…. "Yoga is an integral part of the Hindu religion. There is a saying: “There is no Yoga without Hinduism and no Hinduism without Yoga." "
Although there are claims of no links to Hinduism, the exercises are linked to their spiritual beliefs. The exercises serve more than just a physical and mental purpose.
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philos…
January 4, 2013 at 1:44 PM
The Bible is a genuine ancient text. There are many parts of it that do not teach about God and Jesus Christ. However, teachers won't use the scriptures to teaching reading as it would violate the first amendment for those families that reject the bible's teachings and have chosen a different religious practice. You cannot just take parts of something that is a religious practice, make a claim that you have stripped it of its religious roots and expect people not to disagree. Who decides when enough religion has been stripped?
January 3, 2013 at 6:40 PM
Thank you so much to the Jois Foundation for giving the money to the Encinitas Unified School District to teach these young children Yoga. I feel sooooooo sad for the parents who think that these Yoga teachers are teaching Hindu religious beliefs. Have any of you ever sat though one of these classes???? If not please do so. I am a Yoga teacher and have NEVER taught any Hindu religious beliefs to any child or adult. I hope you find it in your hearts to give this awesome program a chance.
January 4, 2013 at 4:51 PM
Do your research. There is a reason why yoga has such an effect on people. If parents do not want their children to participate in it, then that is their business.
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Yoga_and_Hindu_Philos…
January 3, 2013 at 9:22 PM
That lady is crazy!!! Yoga is not a religion anymore than eating McDonald's is!
Yoga has been proven to help kids improve concentration and provide stress relief. You want to help solve school violence, bring more programs like this to help kids cope with this fast paced life!!!
January 3, 2013 at 9:41 PM
After speaking with my ex about this, turns out that this lady is part of group of people that don’t like the superintendent and this was their way of trying to get that person fired. You sad, pathetic, and just plain ignorant people! Get a hobby and stop punishing your children for your stupidity!
January 3, 2013 at 10:16 PM
I went to La Costa Heights in Encinitas Unified. It was great. I'm glad that the district is being adventurous w/ yoga! By the way, Eady and all other fools, maybe you should ban all sports, since the fact that they were pop. w/ Spatans encourages ancient Greek relig. Beliefs.Congrats Enc.UNif. Sch. Dis.!
January 4, 2013 at 10:13 AM
Great point, Lucas.
January 4, 2013 at 5:05 AM
As a yoga instructor I think it is great to add Yoga session after school program. It will give the opportunity of knowing Yoga well to many students.
Nayeema Akter http://www.anamayaresort.com
January 4, 2013 at 12:40 PM
I think the key word in your response is AFTER school. This program is a mandated 60 minutes each week that students have to take, unless of course a parent chooses to opt them out. After school would make this much more palatable.
January 4, 2013 at 1:12 PM
The problem here is that this is not an after school program where people can opt-in. They are requiring the practice of yoga for all students. The physical practice is only one component of the program. They also are weaving the philosophy of Ashtanga yoga into the daily curriculum which is where additional concerns arise relating to its spiritual influence on children. The 8 limbs of Ashtanga yoga represent spiritual worship to Hindu dieties (you can find out more about each limb from many independent sources). You are not able to just say it isn't religious and make it so. The fact is, that its practice is deeply spiritual and just because most people support it doesn't mean the program doesn't violate the law. If a different group gave money and wanted to show the effects of their stretching that had kids lay mats down and stretch in the same form of worship that we see Muslims practice, would that also not be considered worship? And, what if they determined it was most affective to do so at certain times of the day and facing a certain direction? Would anyone have a problem with that? What if it improved flexibility and helped increase strength?
January 4, 2013 at 3:36 PM
Hi There,
I am a teacher in the Encinitas district and have been participating in the sessions offered for teachers after school since November. I can tell you that the instruction being taught in now way resembles a religious practice. All of the "yoga" language has been stripped from the practice. How can "opening sequence A" be interpreted as "religious." It is very similar to the stretching and strength training I participated in as a child/young adult in the study of ballet and gymnastics.
It sounds as if you have never attended any of the classes offered to parents in the school community. I suggest you take advantage of this opportunity so you can be better informed.
On the plus side I have experienced many positive health benefits such as: better sleep habits, reduction in stress, increased strength/flexibility, and weight loss. Wow! I am excited that my students will have the opportunity to share in these benefits when we return to the classroom next week.
January 4, 2013 at 6:58 PM
The "opening sequence" being taught is the same sequence for the sun salutation in Ashtanga Yoga…it's to honor and worship the solar deity. They can name it "opening sequence" or make it as non-religious and "kid friendly" as they want, however the facts are the facts…kids are being taught religious forms of worship in the public school.
January 5, 2013 at 3:00 PM
But if you remove all of the religious language and make it non religious as you said, then they aren't being taught religious worship.
If the school is just teaching breathing/exercise/focus techniques and not forcing kids to follow a deity, then no indoctrination will happen.
January 4, 2013 at 7:28 AM
Although you can start yoga at any time, these kids have an edge by starting now. Ashtanga yoga will help these kids with breathing techniques, balance, coordination, synchronization, concentration and awareness. Yoga is NOT religion. It is based on UNIVERSAL principles. You can still pray and do yoga.
Kids need tools for self-awareness and self-calming. They need ways to help them develop single-pointed minds (ekagra). Ashtanga is a way to achieve these without the added side effects and so many more benefits.
January 4, 2013 at 1:31 PM
We already have programs that are giving kids many tools they need to help them cope with stress and calming. They also help with skills about making friends, dealing with conflicts, and how to cope with many stresses todays children face. This program is called Second Step Pals. It is a program that parents can sign their student up for and it was open to all kids. Also, maybe the school district should evaluate the ways THEY are causing the stress in these kids and make some changes. We are piling on homework, upping the expectations of each grade level, adding content, and testing these kids all of the time. Maybe the real solution would be to remove those added burdens and stresses and let kids have time at home to spend with their families and have down-time. Parents also need to think about the stress they put on their kids with over-scheduling. Yoga is not the answer to these real stresses that we are putting on kids.
January 4, 2013 at 2:30 PM
I know about Second Steps and yoga is much more effective for individual stress management rather than some pre-packaged program/videos.
In addition, the CCSS is actually streamlining education. It is encouraging children to focus more in-depth on topics and know them deeply, rather than shove tons of content at them. Testing is shifting into more performance based tasks.
Yes, I'm an educator and yes, I am a yoga instructor. I specifically got certified 9+ years ago to teach yoga to my inner city students. My students do very well and don't panic on tests. I teach them simple breathing techniques to calm their systems and focus. I do not teach them any part of Hinduism, nor any other religion.
January 4, 2013 at 9:41 AM
Yoga is healing, calmness, elasticity and peace. This planet is perpetually in need of THESE principals every single day. As a practicing Buddhist, the yoga excescise in part allows for the reverence for all peoples each day, how about you?
January 4, 2013 at 10:40 AM
Yoga is not a religious practice. I know many who are atheists and practice yoga. It's probably the best form of exercise available and doesn't require more than concentration and a matt. If this woman thinks yoga is religious, how about Kung Fu? Does she somehow connect Kung Fu to Chinese traditional or folk religions? This reminds me of so many who won't practice meditation because they fear "satan will enter their soul" when they meditate. I wonder what religion this Eady woman is.
January 4, 2013 at 11:41 AM
Ignorance is bliss!! Allow our government to have control of your taxes and they'll take it all. Give a school district the ability to teach an exercise and there will be teachers that use that to teach a philosophy, it's a fact. You hippies have no clue!!
January 4, 2013 at 11:51 AM
Facts are stubborn things. This is not 24 hour fitness yoga. Ashtanga yoga, which is being taught here, involves Hindu religious beliefs and practices. Apparently the Establishment Clause (the so called "separation of church and state") only applies if the government it promoting a religion that you disagree with (Christianity) but not one that you like (Hinduism). This isn't about whether we like yoga or whether it is physically beneficial (prayer, for example, has been scientifically proven to have physical benefits–so should we have all public school students be taught Christian prayers in the classroom?). This is about religious freedom and avoiding religiously divisive programs in public schools.
January 4, 2013 at 5:51 PM
thank you!
January 4, 2013 at 12:09 PM
I'm so excited to hear that these kids will be able to start doing yoga…it will benefit them so much for their whole lives! As for the opposition, I would encourage any parents to partake in a modern day yoga class and then judge. As a yoga instructor who teaches at two Christian based universities, I can tell you that yoga does not have to be a religious practice at all. Yoga is wonderful physical exercise which can help heal injuries, calm the mind, promote healthy living and boost confidence for both adults and children.
January 4, 2013 at 12:29 PM
There are so many things to say, I shall try to keep it brief. As a parent in this district, I reserve my right as a parent to teach my children about ways that they can attain calmness, peace, and elasticity. We are not ignorant, as many people in favor of the yoga school program think we are. And it's not even about if we like Yoga or not. It's about principles of life that are being taught to our children which overstep the boundaries that schools have. Schools are meant to educate children, not groom them all to believe one way about how they can cope with life. That is a parents role alone. Many adults who agree that there could be a spiritual side to yoga also have the discernment and ability to sift through what lines up with their own personal beliefs and what does not. These kids (ages 5 to 11) do not yet have those skills. The parents who are against the grant and it's mission of what the Jois Foundation wishes to accomplish in public schools across the nation are not against the school offering a yoga program before or after school or even an "optional" PE that they can choose. This program is dividing our community and causing segregation in our schools (specifically in PE) based on religious beliefs and practices..which is also against the Constitution.
Parents who do not want this yoga program in our schools are not name calling, belittling, and being rude or crass to those who do want this program. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs and opinions and should express that in LOVE…something else we need a lot more of instead of just peace and calmness.
January 4, 2013 at 1:24 PM
The great thing about this country is that the law applies to all EQUALLY. It is not about majority rule. It is my hope that the school district will see the devisive nature of this program and respect the rights of parents to teach their children religious and spiritual practices and remove this program. I have no problem exposing kids to learn about different religions as their ultimate beliefs are their own and they need to make informed decisions. However, it is illegal for public schools to show preference of one religion over another. By having this program as a regular, weekly program where students are required to practice yoga and be presented with the philosophies of yoga throughout their day within the curriculum, the school district crosses the line of just learning about something and forces children to practice it. In this case, the regular practice is setting up a foundation for future learning and desire to seek out Hinduism (an empty religion in my opinion that focuses on oneself and hopes for the ultimate union with the universe). As a Christian, my God desires us to seek less of ourselves and more of him and him alone.
January 4, 2013 at 3:34 PM
I think anyone who seriously looks into the history of yoga will see that it is a religious practice. This really isn't debatable. Look into Astanga yoga's founder, guru Patabi Jois; look at his life, teachings, and the scholarly development of his yoga system – based on aryuvedic principles and other hindu teachings and traditions.
Religion is always foisted on non-believers with the best of intentions. The majority don't see it as "religion" they see it as "reality" as "universality" and anyone who disagrees must be wrong or evil. Its just funny to me that in Encinitas they are pushing yoga on people instead of school prayer or creationism. Got to love this place. But I don't think the school district will win if this goes to trial.
January 4, 2013 at 10:00 PM
It is so interesting to hear all the opinions but the ones protesting this programs are not giving their opinion on this matter they are speaking based upon fact and direct quotes from all resources, including the Jois Yoga website itself, that confirm Yoga cannot be separated into a physical or spiritual practice it is inherently and most definitely a practice that is both. Fitkitten what about what prayer in schools have proven to promote to our children? Ever since the landmark cases in the early 1960s (Engel v. Vitale 1962 and Murray v. Curlett, 1963) removing prayer from American public schools, many have asked if there is any advantage of prayer in school. Is it a useless religious practice that rightfully was removed? Or, are there benefits that are now sadly lacking in our schools?
One of the benefits of school prayer identified by John Adams is that it will promote good citizenship. (bullying is one of the biggest problem in schools today)
Another benefit identified by the Founding Fathers is that prayer in school can promote virtuous living. (Do kids even know what virtuous living even means today?)
A third benefit of school prayer is that it can decrease the natural egocentrism to which all mankind is prone. Praying for others can cause students to think more of their fellows than of themselves. (promote love and kindness, prayer does this by speaking kindness out loud)
As we look at the changes that have occurred since school prayer was outlawed, can we say that the conditions on our school campuses are better or worse? Can we say that the moral fabric of our youth is better or worse? Can we say that our children are less self-absorbed or more self-absorbed? Are reading and achievement test scores climbing or falling? In other words, are our schools better off or worse off now than they were in 1960? Admittedly, whatever decline in schooling we may have seen over the past forty years cannot be attributed wholly to the removal of school prayer. However, without it, our school have lost a powerful tool for promoting citizenship, virtue, servanthood, and reverence.
Kris Kempa, heresay is for fools and you should think about employing more grace when you state your opinion, calling people "sad, pathetic, and just plain ignorant" just because they differ in opinion from you is exactly what we are all talking about. The Superintendent should be fired over this in my opinion but that is not why I or any other sane person is standing against Yoga in schools!!!
January 5, 2013 at 9:43 AM
Great for these kids! I would love for this to come to the schools in Florida. These kids will learn how to move their bodies in a way that will improve their overall health. They will learn how to use their breath to feel more energetic and calm when feeling stressed. What could possibly be wrong with that?? Any skeptics should try the practice of yoga to really have greater understanding of the amazing benefits. It is in no way a religious practice……..just a spiritual practice that will lead to a greater understanding of ourselves that can actually bring you closer to your "own" religious beliefs which ever they may be. When we learn to feel more peaceful inside, we can begin to outwardly treat others with more kindness and love.
January 5, 2013 at 11:38 AM
It’s great the Jois foundation gave a grant. Astanga is a sect of Yoga. It would be nice to teach the children about Yoga in all it’s forms if you are going to do it; not in one highly specific form that is widely recognized as “not for everyone”.
January 5, 2013 at 8:48 PM
Has anyone been to a yoga class at their local gym lately? There isn't anything religious about it. The religion aspect comes in from the teacher teaching the class. Period. If the teacher doesn't teach philosophy or religion during the class, but only the physical part of it, then it isn't religious. Purely physical. Like a good run around the track. It's probably a very wise idea to carefully consider what exactly is the objective of the class and who exactly will be teaching it.
January 5, 2013 at 11:46 PM
I've been practicing ashtanga for years and never associated it with anything remotely religious.
January 6, 2013 at 6:38 AM
This is great! This year tax payers can fund public schools to have students take communion for Easter. After all, everyone knows that the stuff about water and bread into flesh and blood is just Catholic superstition.
January 12, 2013 at 8:29 AM
Hi everyone! I am a 6th grade kid who does yoga at flora vista elementary. I just want to say it doesn't feel religious to us. It helps us calm down and focus. I like it and I don't want it to go away. It's not religious. Think of all those people who do Kung fu and karate. Are you saying that isn't and this is. It's stupid to try to sue us. Your just making it harder on me and my friends because the school is already in dept. don't think of the yoga. Think of us having an education.
January 16, 2013 at 12:06 AM
Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found a sea shell
and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the
shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside
and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
January 18, 2013 at 5:59 AM
Interesting…. Some of my best prayer times to God are when I am on my Yoga mat in a yoga class. As an educator in a public school and a Christian, I don't see the issue. We have had character education in school for years and the health benefits of yoga are supported by many studies. Why not take the opportunity to teach your children how to discern truth ( faith in God) and build in for them the practice of prayer (to a living God) while participating in yoga. They live in a fallen world that needs believers who are flexible, willing to be in the world but not of the world and yet strong in their own faith so as to stand as a witness for truth.
January 29, 2013 at 8:34 PM
this is amazing! very exciting!
March 25, 2013 at 9:39 PM
I just don't get why there are still those who don't want a very effective way to relieve stress and stay fit in the curriculum. What's next – getting rid of the guidance counsel?
April 18, 2013 at 2:38 AM
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