A member of the Alabama House of Representatives says it’s time to end the state’s ban on yoga in public schools.
State Rep. Jeremy Gray (D-Opelika) has introduced a bill (HB 235) that would allow stretching, breathing and meditation exercises in the state’s public schools, reported the news site AL.com.
Yoga has been verboten in Alabama’s public schools since 1993, when legislators passed a law banning the practice, saying it is based on Eastern religions.
Gray said if yoga is allowed in Alabama schools, it won’t have any religious components.
Gray said that students “would be doing a five-minute reflection and exercise. You would breathe and you would think about what can I do positive today.”
Joe Godfrey, executive director of Alabama Citizens’ Action Program, a statewide Religious Right group, said he opposes the change. During a hearing on the bill Godfrey insisted, “This is Hinduism, straight up.”
