The Yoga Inquisition

Sorry to be gone so long. Evidently I've been spending too much time playing Demon Solitaire. And I still haven't won yet!

I've written before about how much I love Yoga. I find it to be an exceptional activity for fostering strength, flexibility, confidence and – oh okay, laugh if you want – inner peace.

I've been practicing Yoga for over eight years now, and I love it more today than ever. Each day I practice provides me with new opportunities to learn new and challenging poses, refine poses I'm comfortable with and hone that "inner light" that Yoga helped me discover and nurture. It's truly one of the activities I look forward to most each week.

So when I was asked to volunteer to teach an activity to a group of youngsters at my children's school this week, I said, "hey, why not teach some Yoga to these kids?" After all, my children enjoy doing Yoga with me and they even join me at a weekly Mom & Kids Yoga class. It's so great to see them gain a greater awareness of their bodies and the muscles they use throughout the rest of the week in dance class, soccer, swimming and just being kids. They are stronger, more flexible and far more coordinated because they practice Yoga, and that has a positive influence on every other aspect of their lives.

The way I see it, Yoga is an excellent low-impact activity that we can take part in with our children. It brings us together as a family and helps us improve the way we move in our bodies. Now that's not too threatening is it?

With this understanding, I'm sure you can see why I was shocked beyond comprehension to find that there was a faction of parents at my children's school who managed to have Yoga instruction removed from the gym curriculum on the grounds that it was "teaching the children to be Hindu and to worship Buddha".

I know: WHAT THE —-???!?

Yes. It's true. And it's wrong on SO MANY levels.

Hmmm…where shall we start?

1. Yoga is not Hinduism. Let me explain: there are indeed elements of Hinduism that refer to Yoga practices, and the word Yoga can be used to refer to one of the six schools of Hinduism. But people: KEEP YOUR SHORTS ON HERE. Let's remember that these traditions are both 5,000 years old and developed within the same culture. They stem from the same root word "yuj" meaning, variously: to unite, to join, to yoke. The kind of Yoga we practice here in North America (Hatha Yoga) is a form of discipline for the body, achieved through different poses. Back in the 15th century, when Hatha Yoga was first described, the idea was that through disciplining the body, you would bring discipline to the mind. This was as opposed to the more common practice of disciplining the mind through seated meditation. So – the practice of Yoga and Hinduism developed in tandem, and some elements of both are derived from the same root word, but that's it. (For more on Hinduism, I recommend Wikipedia)
2. Yoga is not Buddhism. Nor do Buddhists worship Buddha (or any deity for that matter). This one betrays even greater ignorance. The word "Buddha" simply means "enlightened one". Buddhism, which is considered by most people to be a religion, is in fact better described as a family of beliefs, based on the teachings of Siddartha Gautama – the first enlightened one, or Buddha. Buddhists study the teachings of Gautama and others, and they certainly admire Buddha, but they definitely do not worship Buddha. Nor would they encourage anyone else to worship Buddha (especially not young kids in gym class!) In fact, Buddhists don't worship anyone or anything, because there is no god or deity in Buddhism. (For more on Buddhism, I also recommend Wikipedia)
3. Practicing Yoga is good for kids. Scientific studies have shown that practicing Yoga in school improves "self-esteem, physical health and grade point averages among students". All good, no matter what your religious beliefs.
   
4. This is a PUBLIC school. Public schools value diversity. They celebrate diversity. They welcome the opportunity to learn about the many different cultures and traditions that make up our wonderful, interesting, challenging world. Public schools, in fact, have a responsibility (especially in a community like ours that is predominantly white and Christian) to teach students about other cultures that are represented in the community, but in a minority. I know the parents who spear-headed the "Yoga Inquisition" are a small, vocal minority who belong to the very popular evangelical Christian churches in this area. But these people have a choice: if they're not comfortable with their children being exposed to different cultures and practices in a pedagogical and not doctrinal way (we're just teaching them to put their hands in the air and make like a tree here, folks), then they should remove their children. Either from the school or from that unit of the curriculum. But they have no right to deprive other children (mine) of the right to learn about Yoga. And imagine how the few Hindu and Buddhist families in our school must feel, in this kind of environment? 

Anyway. My invitation to teach Yoga tomorrow hasn't been revoked, mostly because it's for a choice-based program. Those who don't want to learn about Yoga will go and learn about firemen, or robots, or decorate cookies or some other, less controversial activity.

And while I'm happy to have the chance to share the joy of Yoga with a group of 12 kids, my heart feels really sad about the few whose parents will never open their minds. Because it's not just Yoga they'll miss out on, but so very much more.

Namaste*

*This is the traditional Yoga greeting/salutation, which can be translated as "the light in me recognizes the light in you". And how beautiful is that?