Yoga in schools denounced as anti-Christian

Ethan Baron, CanWest News Service

Published: Wednesday, January 10, 2007

VANCOUVER --Some Christians in Quesnel are taking aim at a provincewide public-school program that uses yoga to promote fitness.

"Supposedly, we do not allow religion in schools -- and yoga is a religion," said cattle rancher Audrey Cummings, 68, who filed a complaint with the Quesnel school board and the Education Ministry over the Action Schools program. Quesnel is in the B.C. interior, about 90 kilometres south of Prince George.

"I don't see what's the difference between that and saying we're going to have the Lord's Prayer in the morning," she said. "And the kids that don't want to don't have to participate."

The yoga exercises are presented from cards given to staff at schools participating in Action Schools.

The program, which includes many other fitness-related materials, is run by a private organization paid by the education ministry.

More than 1,100 elementary, middle and secondary schools in the province are signed on to Action Schools, with 247,830 students registered in the program.

Yoga turns kids' minds toward Hindu gods, Cummings said.

"If you're not seeking the God of the Bible, His power, then by default you're in the other camp," Cummings said. "The other source of supernatural power is Satan."

Yoga teachings can be traced back to scriptures at the roots of Hinduism.

Parent Chelsea Brears also complained to the school board and the ministry after her son at Kersley Elementary was asked to perform yoga, including one pose with his hands together.

Six schools in the Quesnel district participate in Action Schools.

Teachers might use elements from the program's kit at the start of the day or at various times to keep kids active, said district superintendent Sue-Ellen Miller.

Teachers use the yoga cards at their discretion, Miller said.

If a parent or student takes issue with yoga, alternate exercises will be provided for the pupil in question, Miller said.

"We would never mandate that a child do them," Miller said.

Action Schools is not part of the mandatory schools curriculum, and the yoga component focuses on stretching and breathing, said Education Minister Shirley Bond.

"There is not an intent to have a philosophic or religious intent for this," Bond said.

"We're trying to deal with the issue of obesity. We're trying to find as many ways as possible to engage our children in healthy and active lifestyles."

For Vancouver yoga instructor and former kindergarten teacher Mara Branscombe, yoga is not a religious practice, and she says it offers tremendous benefits to schoolchildren.

"Yoga brings clarity to the mind," Branscombe said. "The benefits are huge in terms of productivity."

The practice builds self-esteem and confidence, and controlled-breathing techniques promote an optimal state for student learning, Branscombe said.

"They're more relaxed, so they can work intelligently and creatively," she said.

People from a variety of backgrounds, including Christians, take classes at her yoga studio, Branscombe noted.