Yoga has never had a single purpose for its seekers – whether it is philosopher-ascetics seeking enlightenment, ecstatic devotees expressing love of God, people in pursuit of yogic superpowers, fitness buffs seeking the perfect “yoga butt” or Christians wanting to get “closer to Christ.”
This week the Religion News Service reported that a group of parents in San Diego want yoga banned from public schools.
The parents claim “volcano part one,” “silent gorilla,” and “rag doll" iaren't physical fitness, instead are a form of religious practice and therefore inappropriate in a school setting.
SAN DIEGO (RNS) In an elementary school classroom with an American flag draped over one wall, a couple dozen students rose to standing positions. Then they shifted into poses called “volcano part one,” “silent gorilla,” and “rag doll.”