Protesting Yoga in Schools, But Welcoming Bible Study

[struggle4progress]

17. It doesn't seem to me they have much of a case

Constitutional Law
Suit claims grade school yoga classes are inherently religious
Posted Feb 21, 2013 6:33 AM CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss

... The suit, filed on behalf of a couple with students in the district, claims the classes in Encinitas schools violate state constitutional provisions regarding religious freedom and state physical education requirements, according to a press release (PDF). The parents are represented by the National Center for Law & Policy.

In a declaration filed in support of the suit, a religious studies professor says the Ashtanga yoga program is inherently and pervasively religious. Students who opt out of the program do not receive 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days as mandated by the state, the press release says. The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times blog L.A. Now have coverage.

The suit seeks an end to the yoga program rather than money damages. The program is funded with a $533,000 from the nonprofit Jois Foundation. According to a prior press release (PDF) by the National Center for Law & Policy, "the stated goal of the Jois Foundation is to promote the 'gospel' of Ashtanga (Hindu beliefs and practices), a deeply religious form of yoga, worldwide" ...

LAW FIRM, PARENTS FILE SUIT AGAINST EUSD OVER YOGA CLASSES
Encinitas district’s officials say lessons have no religious tie
By Gary Warth
12:01 a.m.Feb. 21, 2013
Updated 8:54 p.m.Feb. 20

... The lawsuit quotes Sri Pattabhi Jois, considered the father of Ashtanga Yoga, as saying: “The reason we do yoga is to become one with God and to realize Him in our hearts.”

In a news release from last year, Broyles also quoted Jois as saying, “Yoga means knowing God inside you. But using it only for physical practice is no good, of no use.”

Encinitas attorney David Peck, who has offered to represent the district pro bono in the suit, called Broyle’s argument “ridiculous.”

“Mr. Broyles is arguing that a person can engage in religion unintentionally, simply by posing one’s body in certain positions,” he said, referring to yoga as “simply stretching by another name” ...

California school district sued over yoga program
By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press Writer – 14 hours ago

... Superintendent Timothy B. Baird said he had not seen the lawsuit and could not directly comment on it, but he defended the district's decision to integrate yoga into its curriculum this year.

The district is believed to be the first in the country to have full-time yoga teachers at every one of its schools. The lessons are funded by a $533,000, three-year grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes Asthanga yoga. Since the district started the classes at its nine schools in January, Baird said teachers and parents have noticed students are calmer, using the breathing practices to release stress before tests ...

Lawsuit Filed to End School Yoga Program, Claiming It Is a Religious Practice
The National Center for Law and Policy wants Encinitas public schools to stop offering yoga
By Sarah Grieco, Elena Gomez and Melissa Pamer
Thursday, Feb 21, 2013 | Updated 8:56 AM PST

... Encintas schools accepted a $533,000 grant for the yoga classes from the Jois Foundation, which the conservative legal firm that filed the lawsuit claims is a religious organization. The attorney who filed the suit called the relationship between the foundation and the school district "improperly cozy."

Jois Yoga states on its website that it works as an "extension of the Ashtanga philosophy and practice." The organization is based in Encinitas, where Ashtanga yoga was first introduced to the United States ...

"We have not stripped religion out of it. We never put religion in it," Baird said. "What we took out were cultural connections, so we don't use Sanskrit words. But basically what you have kids doing is stretching, moving, breathing. That's not religious."

An FAQ on the program on the district's website states: "There is no discussion of spiritualism, mysticism, religion in any context. The students simply perform the physical components of movement and breathing related to mainstream yoga" ...