Yoga is an exercise that is done by millions of people daily, used by many people for a variety of reasons. It increases flexibility, strengthens muscles, develops balance, teaches the importance of breath control and promotes relaxation.

However, some parents are opposed to yoga in schools:

“… Two New York teachers werein (sic) the process of developing a districtwide program to assist students in dealing with pre-exam stress when they were shut down after concerned parents and community critics blamed the yoga for indoctrinating students in Hindu rites.”

link: NY school falls under pressure to remove yoga from curriculum

This is not a new concern. At Messena Central High School, yoga has long been a source of contention. The perceived problem of religious indoctrination might be relieved if ‘yoga’ were called something else. Of course, children have a way of seeing through such chicanery and would likely search for ‘yoga’ online.

It would be difficult to determine how many millions of Yoga practitioners have been indoctrinated without their knowledge.

Catherine Forsythe