Teaching Yoga in Schools

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Teaching Yoga in Schools

Yoga seems to be growing in popularity amongst people who are trying to exercise and get in shape. It is a relaxing way to become more flexible and gain strength. According to an article in Huffington Post, yoga practitioners have increased “nearly 30 percent in the last four years.” It seems like yoga would be accepted by the majority of people, seeing it as a good form of exercise. But when the school district in Encinitas, California received a 533,000 dollar grant to practice yoga in their schools, some parents protested, claiming that it was the school district’s attempt to teach Hinduism to the children.

Hindus can use Raja yoga as one of the possible ways for them to reach moksha which ends the cycle of reincarnation. By calming their mind with the goal of Samadhi, a super conscious state of union with the Absolute, Hindus can detach themselves from their bodies and senses. Participating in Raja yoga is not the most common practice in Hinduism, but some still do it. Meditation is a large part of Raja yoga. The whole goal is to detach themselves from the body they are present in because all that matters is Brahman, who is their god that every person is in their soul. Hindus believe that the world is an illusion and they need to reach liberation by realizing what they are doing on Earth is an illusion and all that matters is their soul which is Atman, also Brahman.

Approximately “22 million Americans practice yoga,” says Tony Perry, in his article in the Los Angeles Times. It is a common practice amongst many people desiring a way to become healthier. When school officials accepted the 533,000 dollar grant from a local yoga studio to practice yoga with the students and healthy eating and liv...

... middle of paper ...

...on be healthier should be practiced in schools at a young age, and that is exactly what this yoga class is doing for the children in Encinitas, California.

Work Cited

Author not listed. “American Yoga: How Many People Practice In The United States.” HuffPost Healthy Living. The Huffington Post. 7 December 2012. Web.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/american-yoga_n_2251360.html

Perry, Tony. “Parents view yoga in elementary school as religious indoctrination.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. 7 November 2012. Web.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/07/local/la-me-yoga-20121107

Perry, Tony. “San Diego judge: Yoga case 'almost like a trial by Wikipedia'.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. 2 July 2013. Web.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-diego-public-school-yoga-20130702,0,819739.story#axzz2rfb7im6o

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