Debate: Would You Allow Your Children to Practice Yoga in School?
Calming Meditation or Religious Indoctrination?
Yoga is an ancient tradition of physical stretching and relaxation that sometimes includes meditation practice and has been used in eastern religions for centuries. The purpose of yoga is to bring the mind, body and spirit into deeper harmony. Yogis or spiritual leaders in yoga claim that meditation allows the mind to release stressful, negative thoughts and emotions by emptying the mind of all thought and focusing on a mantra or guiding thought or phrase, usually a simple sound or syllable: the 'om' is the familiar mantra. By accompanying this meditation with a series of stretching exercises performed to a chant or simple tune, the body is relaxed, the mind is calmed and the spirit is healed, according to yoga protagonists.
I have friends who object strongly to the practice of yoga, especially for children. Some equate the practice with worship of eastern deities. Meditation, they maintain opens the mind up to dangerous influences, especially in children who are impressionable. Their basis in Scripture are Biblical references, mostly from the writings of St.Paul, that exhort Christians to 'allow no evil thought to enter your minds' and later 'whatever is pure and holy let these thoughts remain in your mind'. By emptying the mind of thought and opening it to focus on a neutral sound, we make ourselves vulnerable to evil influences. The premise of their concern is that children are particularly in danger of attacks from the devil when they are taught to 'open their mind'. Like an open wound, our mind in the mediation state is open to infection, the yoga antagonists maintain. Teaching yoga in the schools, they assert, represents a constitutional conflict with the mandated separation between church and state as well
My friends who practice and teach yoga sessions have various responses. Yoga sessions are held in our Catholic church's family centers; other local churches host classes as well. One our best local yoga leaders is a dear friend and member of my church. She uses Gregorian chant CDs for her yoga classes along with the traditional yoga poses. Members of her yoga class believe that they are healthier and more balanced. If they miss a class, they have told me, they feel lopsided and unfocused. Yoga helps bring them closer to God as well, they say.
Our high school offers a yoga class as a physical education option. Our daughter took it in her senior year; she is very experienced in yoga, Pilate's and dance. She felt that it was a good way to begin the day. Our school offers very little in the way of non-competitive personal fitness sports and the option of yoga was favored by many students who don't excel in sports. Basic yoga is taught practiced by some phys. ed teachers in middle school and elementary schools; I have subbed for them and I noted that the yoga they used was pretty simple and non-religious. I also noted that the children in these classes did seem more flexible and relaxed.
What do you think? Is yoga a safe healthy workout for students? Or is it dangerous for their spiritual development?
Published by Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben
Happy wife. Mom of 4. 10+ year homeschool vet. Certified K-8/special ed. Yahoo! News Beat Writer: Parenting, Michigan, Detroit. Published on Helium, SEED, AT&T, Diabetes Active, Mapquest, Best Contractors, H... View profile
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10 Comments
Post a CommentMy son (age 8) has done yoga in school and loved it. I think the problem some people have with yoga is a misunderstanding about the phrase "clear one's mind". It might help if they read it as - "clear your mind of bad thoughts". While many people use the stereo-typical "om" as a mantra, christens throughout the ages have meditated using short prayers as their mantra. Even Saint Paul claimed to have received his teachings from Jesus while
meditating.
I think yoga is good for kids like me who aren't very athletic. i am not very good at organized sports but i do like yoga
I dont think any thing is wrong with tha but to some parents maybe thats to much becuase school isnt for all that
They actually teach yoga at the high school I attended. It was a great way to relax in the middle of a hectic day and focus on pulling yourself together when you're stressed.
Personally, I think it's an excellent idea; students need to learn how to relax and find their own calm centers. It's also a great form of gentle exercise that doesn't encourage athletic competition for those of us useless at it. Also, conservative Christians aren't the only ones who object to it on a religious basis -- apparently in India, many Hindis dislike how commercialized and de-spiritualized (i.e. used for fitness) the practice is here.
I've always seen yoga as a calming exercise and don't think anyone could come out of a session in a bad way. Also I don't think it's possible to close kids away from the world and the ways of others. They need to learn how to respect differences and deal with negative influences, and people shouldn't be quick to judge or stereotype what they don't understand. A strong prepared mind is a better defense than a sheltered one. Interesting topic :)
Thanks for the article! Well written and interesting choice of topic.
PS: I like the way that you left your opinion out of it and presented both sides.
I wish yoga had been an option when I attended public school in the 1980s. I think it should be offered to those who would like it. Teaching teens how to de-stress naturally would be of benefit to the whole planet!
I think Yoga in school is a great idea. Kids need to learn how to de-stress.