<p>A comprehensive yoga programme for young students at a California school has sparked a religious controversy with some parents expressing concern that the exercises might nudge their children closer to ancient Hindu beliefs.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A small but vocal group of parents, spurred on by the head of a local conservative advocacy group, has likened these 30-minute yoga classes at Paul Ecke Central Elementary School to religious indoctrination.<br /><br />Underlying the controversy is the source of the programme's financing. The pilot project is supported by the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit organisation founded in memory of Indian yoga teacher Krishna Pattabhi Jois, The New York Times reported.<br /><br />Parents and the advocacy group say the classes — part of a comprehensive programme offered to all public school students in this affluent suburb north of San Diego — represent a violation of the First Amendment.<br /><br />After the classes prompted discussion in local evangelical churches, parents said they were concerned that the exercises might nudge their children closer to ancient Hindu beliefs.<br /><br />Opponents of the yoga classes have started an online petition to remove the course from the district's curriculum. They have shown up at school board meetings to denounce the programme.<br /><br />Mary Eady, the parent of a first grader, said the classes were rooted in the deeply religious practice of Ashtanga yoga, in which physical actions are inextricable from the spiritual beliefs underlying them.<br /><br />"They're not just teaching physical poses, they're teaching children how to think and how to make decisions," Eady was quoted as saying by the Times.<br /><br />"They're teaching children how to meditate and how to look within for peace and for comfort. They're using this as a tool for many things beyond just stretching."</p>
<p>A comprehensive yoga programme for young students at a California school has sparked a religious controversy with some parents expressing concern that the exercises might nudge their children closer to ancient Hindu beliefs.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A small but vocal group of parents, spurred on by the head of a local conservative advocacy group, has likened these 30-minute yoga classes at Paul Ecke Central Elementary School to religious indoctrination.<br /><br />Underlying the controversy is the source of the programme's financing. The pilot project is supported by the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit organisation founded in memory of Indian yoga teacher Krishna Pattabhi Jois, The New York Times reported.<br /><br />Parents and the advocacy group say the classes — part of a comprehensive programme offered to all public school students in this affluent suburb north of San Diego — represent a violation of the First Amendment.<br /><br />After the classes prompted discussion in local evangelical churches, parents said they were concerned that the exercises might nudge their children closer to ancient Hindu beliefs.<br /><br />Opponents of the yoga classes have started an online petition to remove the course from the district's curriculum. They have shown up at school board meetings to denounce the programme.<br /><br />Mary Eady, the parent of a first grader, said the classes were rooted in the deeply religious practice of Ashtanga yoga, in which physical actions are inextricable from the spiritual beliefs underlying them.<br /><br />"They're not just teaching physical poses, they're teaching children how to think and how to make decisions," Eady was quoted as saying by the Times.<br /><br />"They're teaching children how to meditate and how to look within for peace and for comfort. They're using this as a tool for many things beyond just stretching."</p>