This was part of my earlier post but grew so ends up with it's own post. It was interesting looking through the comments to the local Newspaper report that started all this furore, half way down there begins a discussion on the actual wording and intentions behind the JoisYoga foundation Grant
The first week of school was a wonderful success! Thank you for all of your help in ensuring that our first couple of days went so smoothly. I had a great time seeing all the children excited about their new classrooms and hearing all of their summer tales.
During the 2012-13 school year, the Encinitas Union School District has been awarded a grant from the KP Jois Foundation in the amount of $533,720 to support Yoga Instruction at its nine sites for grades K-6. The grant also provides for the development of a corresponding health and wellness curriculum with a focus on life skills. The University of Virginia and The University of San Diego have partnered to design and implement a research study to measure the impact of system-wide implementation of yoga, health, and wellness curriculum. At PEC the Jois Foundation grant will provide us with an opportunity to continue our yoga program that we began two years ago and will provide us with the resources to begin developing our farm to table program with our School as a Garden project. This year, our yoga instruction will be provided by Jacqueline Bergeron. Jacqueline, or Jackie, comes to us with a myriad of experiences in teaching yoga and art to children, most recently at Canyon Crest High School. I am excited about welcoming Jackie to our PEC community! Jackie will begin full time at PEC on September 10. I will be providing you with updates throughout the year as to how the grant implementation is proceeding at PEC.
I look forward to seeing you at our various PEC evening events this week, including our Back to School night and the DLI Advisory meeting.
Sincerely,
Adriana Chavarin
Principal
...but I get ahead of myself.
My main reason for getting involved in this was
So, re the discussion about Yoga in Schools in Encinitas.....(great idea and something the Prime Minister's wife is behind over here I believe)
The story : Joisyoga gives grant substantial to the local authority to include yoga in their schools. Some parents complain.
"Seven district parents and a lawyer spoke to the board Tuesday, saying they thought the program pushed Hinduism on children and violated religious freedom".
"Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they're religious practices," said Marsha Qualls, who has a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, calling the techniques "a kind of prayer."
Yoga community get upset, basically treats the parents like idiots because '...its only yoga, the kids are just doing exercise'.
So, I'm confused, is yoga just gymnastics, just exercise now or is it something more... profound?
"Kind of like a prayer"...that's actually a kind of nice way to describe our Ashtanga practice, no?
This is a grant from JoisYoga remember, Ashtangi's take their yoga pretty seriously.
Strikes me we cant have it both ways just when it suits us.
And what's this about the little buggers doing light pranayama and meditation, I watched the video, the kid on the left with the snotty nose, NO WAY is he doing third series yet.
Here's the full story from the Encinitas North County Times
October 10, 2012 7:00 am • By STACY BRANDT sbrandt@nctimes.com (106) Comments
Related Stories
ENCINITAS: Students now getting yoga lessons
A group of parents complained Tuesday to Encinitas Union School District trustees about a new yoga program, calling it religious indoctrination.
District officials said there is no religion involved. Still, the school board said it would look more closely at the program and revisit it at a future meeting.
District officials have started the program at half of the schools over the last couple of months with a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, an Encinitas-based group that promotes Ashtanga Yoga. The plan is to start it at the district's other schools in January.
Seven district parents and a lawyer spoke to the board Tuesday, saying they thought the program pushed Hinduism on children and violated religious freedom.
"Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they're religious practices," said Marsha Qualls, who has a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, calling the techniques "a kind of prayer."
Some of the parents said they have already asked to have their children removed from the classes.
"I will not allow my children to be indoctrinated by this Hindu religious program," said Andy Vick, who has three daughters at Mission Estancia. "Because of this, you're forcing me to segregate my children."
Vick said some of the children who are pulled from the yoga classes are ostracized and bullied, comparing the situation to Nazi Germany.
There are no religious aspects to the lessons, which were put together by educators with the district, said Assistant Superintendent David Miyashiro.
"We strip it of anything that seems remotely religious," he said.
The trustees said they wanted to find out more about the program and the parents' concerns.
"I thought the parents brought up a lot of good points," Trustee Maureen Muir said.
Trustee Carol Skiljan said she has done yoga for years and has never encountered any religious teaching through it.
The yoga lessons are part of a bigger push to encourage students to keep active and eat healthy meals, Miyashiro said.
Students in all grades get the classes twice a week for 30 minutes at a time.
Researchers with the University of San Diego will study the program to monitor its effects on students.
The effort started last year with a pilot program at Capri Elementary School.
View the 108 comments
-----------------------------------------
The comments are interesting, ( OK, not all of them, some reactionary ut then it's often good to focus to try and get behind what's being said) on the whole these are local comments, local mums often with reasonable concerns that need addressing.
LocalMom - 16 hours ago I have been told by a child that has taken Ashtanga yoga that they were taughter poses that were based on actions of gods. There was one described to me where the head of something (a serpeant or a person was cut off and replaced by the head of a goat). Can you provide clarification on that? I don't know anything about Ashtanga yoga so I appreciate your clarification. Are any of the poses based on spiritual foundations or given to yoga through the gods? Also, why are gurus annointing yogis with new names? That seems like it is for a spiritual purpose as well. Thanks in advance. I am open to learning more and understanding the practice to determine if we can separate the spiritual from the physical.
MEMOM - October 12, 2012 9:35 pm I'm glad this was brought to my attention. I was unaware this grant would be offensive to anyone; I was simply happy to hear that our district was receiving additional money for our curriculum. I've spent the past few days researching the JOIS Foundation as well as the district grant and Ashtanga yoga. I have to say that this organization appears to be very spiritual. Take a look at their Facebook page and watch the ceremonies taped during the Encinitas Shalas' 2nd anniversary. Even if they strip away much of their philosophy...we are still allowing a religious organization to have input in core curriculum. Our public school system needs to do its research...even if it means turning down a large money gift.
Rather than suggesting they're idiots (not very yogic of us) it might be worth taking this on board and looking at how best to address their worries to put their minds at rest. We are constantly saying that yoga isn't just exercise so lets not all of a sudden change our tune when it suits us. There can be a spiritual, religious aspect to yoga. In Ashtanga we're encouraged to read the Yoga Sutras, the Gita, Hatha Yoga pradipka and that's just for starters, and we're invited to explore mantra and chanting as well. Many of us do explore these areas, others just do the postures and get fit and leave it that (especially in the beginning although that often changes after a couple of years).
The comments start to lose focus half way through as some get all riled up but then a couple of interesting comments that start to look at the nature of the grant from Joisyoga and how it connects with their Ashtanga research programs, now this is interesting and would be worth looking into.
4MY3KIDS - October 10, 2012 12:27 pm I feel that many people are misunderstanding. Yoga is by nature spiritual. It originated in India and is one of the 6 schools of Hindu Philosophy. Jois Yoga, who's grant paid the way into the district, does focus on the religious aspects of yoga. At their Enicinitas location, they provided food offerings to their gods as a part of their anniversary celebration.
I do not think people are debating any physical health benefits of yoga. I do not believe that they are condemning adults for choosing to do yoga. As adults and parents we all have the right to study in, participate in, and teach our children about the things we feel will they should know. If you choose to participate in yoga and you choose to have your child participate, that is fine. The problem lies in building this technique into our school curriculum. This does force this practice on children for their entire elementary career. It is not the place of the school to teach our children eastern philosophy as a means to relax or exercise. If this was offered as an opt in after or before school enrichment program, there would be no problem.
I would encourage people to research Ashtanga Yoga and it's founder Sri K Pattabhi Jois. Some direct quotes from Guruji Jois are:
"There is no Ashtanga Yoga without surya namaskara, which is the ultimate salutation to the sun god."
"Yoga is one. God is one. Yoga means, knowing God inside you. But using it only for the physical practice is not good, of no use. The spiritual aspect, which is beyond the physical, is the purpose of yoga."
I don't see anger from those opposed to having this yoga as curriculum in our schools, but rather, concern for the reality of what this truly is.
EUSDConcernedParent - October 11, 2012 2:57 pm I think there were some things missing from the NCT article that make 4MY3KIDS' comments and quotes incredibly relevant to this issue, and that show she is not quoting from HER bias, but rather, from the expressed views of those behind the Ashtanga yoga being brought to EUSD. She is not quoting from a random website that backs up her stance; she is quoting from the websites of those who practice the form of yoga being brought into the schools in Encinitas, and from the father of that form of yoga, Sri Patthibi Jois. I took a look at the website you linked to, ubetchaiam, -- and while it has a lot of interesting information, it does not relate directly to the specific group granting to EUSD while the quotes above do.
Perhaps it would help to understand some specifics about the grant, and what it contains:
- The grant explicitly states that the yoga to be taught at our schools be Ashtanga yoga.
- The grant also requires that the teachers who are hired by the district be trained by the JOIS Foundation in their own form of certification.
- The JOIS Foundation specified in this grant and related MOUs as well as its ad for teachers (they have been posting the teacher job ads on their facebook page) that they prefer those with established Ashtanga practices.
In addition, the terms of the grant extend well beyond the ideas of mere exercise. The wording stipulates life skills training, and the development of a curricular model that includes "life skills built around key themes of yoga instruction." These are two phrases of many that do bring up some questions about what else will be taught. Especially because JOIS also has a stipulated right to review the curriculum developed and have input into it through the Regur Development Group.
These aren't rumors started by those of us concerned. They are laid out in no uncertain terms in the grant proposal, and stipulated as objectives by the two Memos of Understanding finalizing the grant between the JOIS Foundation, EUSD, and the Regur Development Group, which is helping to administrate the grant.
What is additionally interesting to note is that the study that keeps being referred to by the district as it lauds this program is also coming through funding by the Tudor Jones family, who are intimately involved with JOIS and financial backers of the grant that we've been discussing. The center they've established is called the Contemplative Sciences Center.
Here is an interesting set of paragraphs containing quotes about the Center from its newly hired head:
“One of the interesting questions for the center to be engaging in is the degree to which any contemplative practice by definition involves somebody’s way of thinking,” Campbell said. “It taps into and addresses the areas of life which have certain overlap with their belief systems. How do they feel about themselves? How do they view their role in the world? What are their ethical guidelines?”
Contemplative science, then, is a sort of intellectual high-wire act, focusing the rigor of academic discipline on the shimmering horizon where theory meets practice in the human mind.
“One of the center’s main purposes is to approach the practice of these contemplative traditions with a truly scientific program,” he continued. “That’s not to say that somehow you can avoid or strip away elements that in other contexts you would call religious.”
You may wonder what this has at all to do with our yoga program. Our yoga program's study is through UVa, and through this center.
Here is another quote a bit further in
"Ashtanga will also be the focus of another, more far-reaching CSC project, again at the Jones’ initiation. The Jois Foundation was approached by the Encinitas School District, in San Diego County, about implementing an Ashtanga-centered K-12 program. "
I urge all of you to research these groups, the grant, and the stated intent of those behind the money and the practice. They have every right to worship and spend as they choose. But it does not belong in a public school setting, just as teaching Christian doctrine and encouraging its practices in graded curriculum would be inappropriate.
There is so much more to this than a bunch of fanatical parents overreacting to a general misconception about yoga. Indeed, that has been the conclusion jumped to by many who have only read one reporter’s partial description of what was actually being talked about that night. Not only that, we were only allowed 2 minutes apiece to try to make our points to the Board. I don’t say this to defend myself as one of those who stood to speak – I had very good reason to do so. I am saying to it try to draw a bigger picture of what many parents (many more than 7, the article does not mention that about 70 were present to support and that many more could not come who wanted to) are actually trying to address.
As another parent stated, the way that the Wheel curriculum is being implemented is also a concern. However that implementation is different at every school. It is also concerning that at least two school sites children not participating are losing 60 of 100 minutes of PE time. There are many, many things that are concerning.
Last, there have been references by Dr. Baird and a poster on here (rmstfu) to the funding given by the YMCA to our schools. This is a poor comparison to the JOIS Grant. The YMCA funds sports which are nowhere described in Christian scripture or held anywhere within Christian tradition as a rite or sacrament of our religion, and the activities are supported in a large part by parent volunteers of many various religious backgrounds (or no religious affiliation at all). The sports opportunities provided are not a part of the graded curriculum on which the school day rests. Children are not required to participate. None of these things can be said about the JOIS grant and resulting curriculum development and classes.
Those of us speaking out in concern have also been accused of being scared, stupid, and ignorant, not wanting our children to see or know about things like Fall Festival, Christmas trees and whatever else. You can learn about something without participating IN something. Yoga poses are directly rooted in and described in ancient Hindu religious text. I have no problem at all with my children being told that, or told what Hinduism is, or knowing people who practice yoga of their own volition in the forms they choose. I do have a problem with the school asking children to practice yoga, for a grade, during school time, and under school authority especially under the terms set out in the grant relationship we have now.
davidji - October 10, 2012 12:54 pm This has nothing to do with YOGA. It as to do with the quality of teachers and the school district not doing its homework. The JOIS Foundation is a brilliant organization but they are not experienced Kids Yoga teachers. Jodi Komitor, specializing in KIDS YOGA for more than 15 years has taught all over the world and used to teach in the Encinitas School District until this year when the School District quickly accepted a $500,000 grant without performing due diligence and getting rid of the kids yoga teaches who had taught for years without issue. Under the teachings of Next Generation Yoga - the first kids yoga studio on the planet- the Encinitas children AND the parents loved the gentle process that Jodi offered the children leading them through acceptance, expansion, creativity, happiness and all things YOGA. The school district made a poor decision letting go of the highly professional, experienced teachers like Jodi Komitor and Next Generation Yoga. The problem could be solved in minutes by integrating her non-denominational teachings into the JOIS program. Let's not make this about YOGA which can be mainstream, inclusive, a powerful learning tool, non-religious, fun, and an easy way to help kids reduce stress.
I was a school teacher for a while, seven to eight year olds. It was a Christian prep school (yeah me, what was I thinking) and I was supposed to teach a class each week on religion. First week I went in, wrote Religion on the wall and then added a big S and taught them about the Buddha. (parents were up in arms over that and I nearly lost my job 'though I still taught them about Mohammed the following week).
JOIS Foundation Grant
EUSD awarded JOIS Foundation Grant for Yoga
Dear PEC Families,The first week of school was a wonderful success! Thank you for all of your help in ensuring that our first couple of days went so smoothly. I had a great time seeing all the children excited about their new classrooms and hearing all of their summer tales.
During the 2012-13 school year, the Encinitas Union School District has been awarded a grant from the KP Jois Foundation in the amount of $533,720 to support Yoga Instruction at its nine sites for grades K-6. The grant also provides for the development of a corresponding health and wellness curriculum with a focus on life skills. The University of Virginia and The University of San Diego have partnered to design and implement a research study to measure the impact of system-wide implementation of yoga, health, and wellness curriculum. At PEC the Jois Foundation grant will provide us with an opportunity to continue our yoga program that we began two years ago and will provide us with the resources to begin developing our farm to table program with our School as a Garden project. This year, our yoga instruction will be provided by Jacqueline Bergeron. Jacqueline, or Jackie, comes to us with a myriad of experiences in teaching yoga and art to children, most recently at Canyon Crest High School. I am excited about welcoming Jackie to our PEC community! Jackie will begin full time at PEC on September 10. I will be providing you with updates throughout the year as to how the grant implementation is proceeding at PEC.
I look forward to seeing you at our various PEC evening events this week, including our Back to School night and the DLI Advisory meeting.
Sincerely,
Adriana Chavarin
Principal
...but I get ahead of myself.
My main reason for getting involved in this was
Let's not treat the parents like they're idiots
-------------------------
So, re the discussion about Yoga in Schools in Encinitas.....(great idea and something the Prime Minister's wife is behind over here I believe)
The story : Joisyoga gives grant substantial to the local authority to include yoga in their schools. Some parents complain.
"Seven district parents and a lawyer spoke to the board Tuesday, saying they thought the program pushed Hinduism on children and violated religious freedom".
"Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they're religious practices," said Marsha Qualls, who has a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, calling the techniques "a kind of prayer."
Yoga community get upset, basically treats the parents like idiots because '...its only yoga, the kids are just doing exercise'.
So, I'm confused, is yoga just gymnastics, just exercise now or is it something more... profound?
"Kind of like a prayer"...that's actually a kind of nice way to describe our Ashtanga practice, no?
This is a grant from JoisYoga remember, Ashtangi's take their yoga pretty seriously.
 |
| JoisYoga openin |
 |
| Kayla Brown and other fifth-grade students take part in a yoga class at Flora Vista Elementary School in Encinitas on Friday. HAYNE PALMOUR IV | hpalmour@nctimes.com |
And what's this about the little buggers doing light pranayama and meditation, I watched the video, the kid on the left with the snotty nose, NO WAY is he doing third series yet.
Here's the full story from the Encinitas North County Times
October 10, 2012 7:00 am • By STACY BRANDT sbrandt@nctimes.com (106) Comments
Related Stories
ENCINITAS: Students now getting yoga lessons
A group of parents complained Tuesday to Encinitas Union School District trustees about a new yoga program, calling it religious indoctrination.
District officials said there is no religion involved. Still, the school board said it would look more closely at the program and revisit it at a future meeting.
District officials have started the program at half of the schools over the last couple of months with a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, an Encinitas-based group that promotes Ashtanga Yoga. The plan is to start it at the district's other schools in January.
Seven district parents and a lawyer spoke to the board Tuesday, saying they thought the program pushed Hinduism on children and violated religious freedom.
"Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they're religious practices," said Marsha Qualls, who has a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School, calling the techniques "a kind of prayer."
Some of the parents said they have already asked to have their children removed from the classes.
"I will not allow my children to be indoctrinated by this Hindu religious program," said Andy Vick, who has three daughters at Mission Estancia. "Because of this, you're forcing me to segregate my children."
Vick said some of the children who are pulled from the yoga classes are ostracized and bullied, comparing the situation to Nazi Germany.
There are no religious aspects to the lessons, which were put together by educators with the district, said Assistant Superintendent David Miyashiro.
"We strip it of anything that seems remotely religious," he said.
The trustees said they wanted to find out more about the program and the parents' concerns.
"I thought the parents brought up a lot of good points," Trustee Maureen Muir said.
Trustee Carol Skiljan said she has done yoga for years and has never encountered any religious teaching through it.
The yoga lessons are part of a bigger push to encourage students to keep active and eat healthy meals, Miyashiro said.
Students in all grades get the classes twice a week for 30 minutes at a time.
Researchers with the University of San Diego will study the program to monitor its effects on students.
The effort started last year with a pilot program at Capri Elementary School.
View the 108 comments
-----------------------------------------
The comments are interesting, ( OK, not all of them, some reactionary ut then it's often good to focus to try and get behind what's being said) on the whole these are local comments, local mums often with reasonable concerns that need addressing.
Rather than suggesting they're idiots (not very yogic of us) it might be worth taking this on board and looking at how best to address their worries to put their minds at rest. We are constantly saying that yoga isn't just exercise so lets not all of a sudden change our tune when it suits us. There can be a spiritual, religious aspect to yoga. In Ashtanga we're encouraged to read the Yoga Sutras, the Gita, Hatha Yoga pradipka and that's just for starters, and we're invited to explore mantra and chanting as well. Many of us do explore these areas, others just do the postures and get fit and leave it that (especially in the beginning although that often changes after a couple of years).
The comments start to lose focus half way through as some get all riled up but then a couple of interesting comments that start to look at the nature of the grant from Joisyoga and how it connects with their Ashtanga research programs, now this is interesting and would be worth looking into.
I do not think people are debating any physical health benefits of yoga. I do not believe that they are condemning adults for choosing to do yoga. As adults and parents we all have the right to study in, participate in, and teach our children about the things we feel will they should know. If you choose to participate in yoga and you choose to have your child participate, that is fine. The problem lies in building this technique into our school curriculum. This does force this practice on children for their entire elementary career. It is not the place of the school to teach our children eastern philosophy as a means to relax or exercise. If this was offered as an opt in after or before school enrichment program, there would be no problem.
I would encourage people to research Ashtanga Yoga and it's founder Sri K Pattabhi Jois. Some direct quotes from Guruji Jois are:
"There is no Ashtanga Yoga without surya namaskara, which is the ultimate salutation to the sun god."
"Yoga is one. God is one. Yoga means, knowing God inside you. But using it only for the physical practice is not good, of no use. The spiritual aspect, which is beyond the physical, is the purpose of yoga."
I don't see anger from those opposed to having this yoga as curriculum in our schools, but rather, concern for the reality of what this truly is.
Perhaps it would help to understand some specifics about the grant, and what it contains:
- The grant explicitly states that the yoga to be taught at our schools be Ashtanga yoga.
- The grant also requires that the teachers who are hired by the district be trained by the JOIS Foundation in their own form of certification.
- The JOIS Foundation specified in this grant and related MOUs as well as its ad for teachers (they have been posting the teacher job ads on their facebook page) that they prefer those with established Ashtanga practices.
In addition, the terms of the grant extend well beyond the ideas of mere exercise. The wording stipulates life skills training, and the development of a curricular model that includes "life skills built around key themes of yoga instruction." These are two phrases of many that do bring up some questions about what else will be taught. Especially because JOIS also has a stipulated right to review the curriculum developed and have input into it through the Regur Development Group.
These aren't rumors started by those of us concerned. They are laid out in no uncertain terms in the grant proposal, and stipulated as objectives by the two Memos of Understanding finalizing the grant between the JOIS Foundation, EUSD, and the Regur Development Group, which is helping to administrate the grant.
What is additionally interesting to note is that the study that keeps being referred to by the district as it lauds this program is also coming through funding by the Tudor Jones family, who are intimately involved with JOIS and financial backers of the grant that we've been discussing. The center they've established is called the Contemplative Sciences Center.
Here is an interesting set of paragraphs containing quotes about the Center from its newly hired head:
“One of the interesting questions for the center to be engaging in is the degree to which any contemplative practice by definition involves somebody’s way of thinking,” Campbell said. “It taps into and addresses the areas of life which have certain overlap with their belief systems. How do they feel about themselves? How do they view their role in the world? What are their ethical guidelines?”
Contemplative science, then, is a sort of intellectual high-wire act, focusing the rigor of academic discipline on the shimmering horizon where theory meets practice in the human mind.
“One of the center’s main purposes is to approach the practice of these contemplative traditions with a truly scientific program,” he continued. “That’s not to say that somehow you can avoid or strip away elements that in other contexts you would call religious.”
You may wonder what this has at all to do with our yoga program. Our yoga program's study is through UVa, and through this center.
Here is another quote a bit further in
"Ashtanga will also be the focus of another, more far-reaching CSC project, again at the Jones’ initiation. The Jois Foundation was approached by the Encinitas School District, in San Diego County, about implementing an Ashtanga-centered K-12 program. "
I urge all of you to research these groups, the grant, and the stated intent of those behind the money and the practice. They have every right to worship and spend as they choose. But it does not belong in a public school setting, just as teaching Christian doctrine and encouraging its practices in graded curriculum would be inappropriate.
There is so much more to this than a bunch of fanatical parents overreacting to a general misconception about yoga. Indeed, that has been the conclusion jumped to by many who have only read one reporter’s partial description of what was actually being talked about that night. Not only that, we were only allowed 2 minutes apiece to try to make our points to the Board. I don’t say this to defend myself as one of those who stood to speak – I had very good reason to do so. I am saying to it try to draw a bigger picture of what many parents (many more than 7, the article does not mention that about 70 were present to support and that many more could not come who wanted to) are actually trying to address.
As another parent stated, the way that the Wheel curriculum is being implemented is also a concern. However that implementation is different at every school. It is also concerning that at least two school sites children not participating are losing 60 of 100 minutes of PE time. There are many, many things that are concerning.
Last, there have been references by Dr. Baird and a poster on here (rmstfu) to the funding given by the YMCA to our schools. This is a poor comparison to the JOIS Grant. The YMCA funds sports which are nowhere described in Christian scripture or held anywhere within Christian tradition as a rite or sacrament of our religion, and the activities are supported in a large part by parent volunteers of many various religious backgrounds (or no religious affiliation at all). The sports opportunities provided are not a part of the graded curriculum on which the school day rests. Children are not required to participate. None of these things can be said about the JOIS grant and resulting curriculum development and classes.
Those of us speaking out in concern have also been accused of being scared, stupid, and ignorant, not wanting our children to see or know about things like Fall Festival, Christmas trees and whatever else. You can learn about something without participating IN something. Yoga poses are directly rooted in and described in ancient Hindu religious text. I have no problem at all with my children being told that, or told what Hinduism is, or knowing people who practice yoga of their own volition in the forms they choose. I do have a problem with the school asking children to practice yoga, for a grade, during school time, and under school authority especially under the terms set out in the grant relationship we have now.
Oh and it seems there was yoga being taught in the school district before going by this comment
I'd like to see a copy of the grant to confirm all this, interesting stuff. Still think it's a great idea, but as ever clumsily done, bull in the china shop comes to mind.
---------------
Religion S
The kids aren't just doing a little exercise here they are being introduced to a particular kind of practice, couple of times a week. the practice of yoga is being introduced to them not just in a one off introductory talk but rather they are internalising a practice, mentally and bodily. You want teaching to stick, engage the body at the same time as you engage the mind. Two 45 minute classes a week starting at 9AM. The kids are embodying a practice. Now, personally I think it's a good thing and they will learn, I hope, tools for more body awareness in asana, calming the emotions in the breathing practices and the mind in the short meditation, they will also have an invitation an opportunity to turn inwards. They might like it, and may well decide to stick with their yoga or chances are they'll try out for the Football and cheerleaders in the Spring.
It's not religious indoctrination but it is an internalising of a practice, a first introduction perhaps to the 'world of yoga' (and as Richard might say, 'whatever that means' ...and wherever that will take them.
7 comments:
Apologies for the clumsy cut and paste quality of this post ( yeah I know, what else is new) it was a slapdash, spur of the moment, off hand, comment or two on the previous post that just grew. Hope it makes some sense.
Very nice post, Grimmly. I see you also put in an admirable amount of homework into this; I didn't actually read the 108 comments (or however many there are now).
As I wrote in my recent post on this issue, it's crazy and naive of Jois Yoga (not to mention morally flat-footed) to think that they can go into a school district and teach Ashtanga with all its spiritual trappings without encountering a backlash.
Having said this, however, I also think that even Ashtanga yoga has a spiritual/religious bent, it is possible to be spiritual without necessarily subscribing to any particular religion. Hence it is possible to practice Ashtanga without being a Hindu. I also agree with you that a respectful conversation about religion and spirituality between all parties concerned is what is really needed here. Name-calling by both parties (yoga people calling these parents "idiots", and the parents calling these yoga people "Hindus") isn't going to help anything. If anything, it will only further entrench all these deeply-seated and unproductive divisions that already exist in America.
But as you probably know, it is not easy to have this conversation in this country. Many people don't even think there is a distinction between spirituality and religion. Hopefully things are better on your side of the Atlantic...
thanks Noble, had seen your Kabbashtanga post yesterday but planned on writing on it. got irritated with the way everyone seemed to be dismissing the parents and community as idiots. I don't think many of the parents really knew what it was that was troubling them about this but just that there was something that was making them uncomfortable. reminds me of when Jois yoga moved into Encinitas like the mentioned Bull in a China shop, they need better PR. Seems there was yoga there before but then the grant makes all these stipulations and the kids are coming home with questionnaires relating to this study and stories....clumsy very clumsy. hope they sort it out and the kids get to keep the yoga.
No not so bad here.....we worked out our religious differences four hundred years ago ; )
Yes, Grimmly, Bull in a China shop is a good image of what is probably going on here. I hope the kids get to keep the yoga too; they look like they are enjoying it, at least in the videos that you posted :-)
Anyway, I think you're right that they sure look like they could use some good PR. Maybe I'll send my resume over to them, and see if they might want to hire me as their PR/fruitful conversation person. Then again, this is probably a long shot, given the rather critical things I have been saying about their projects lately :-)
....and I was so hoping for the JoisYoga Tahiti gig.
Hi Grimmly, as always I appreciate your balanced approach to this issue. It is not black and white and we as yogis can't have it both ways.
As I posted on the Confluence site, I am a first generation Indian who grew up in North America at the time that the Lord's Prayer was said every morning (public elementary school). I did not want to stick out so I said it, though my (immigrant) parents were horrified that I was being indoctrinated into the Christian religion (I did not become Christian!).
To me, any chants and any mantras are inseparable from Hinduism. That is not to say one must be Hindu or believe in Hinduism to say the Ashtanga opening and closing chants, but the chants are hardly secular. In India, religion is interwoven into the fabric of daily life. After all, Om=god=the universe=omnipotence/omnipresence.
If my parents can be worried about my chanting the Lord's prayer in public school, then I can see that secular or Christian parents would not be happy that their children were chanting Sanskrit chants in public school. Teach yoga, but leave the chants as something for the children to learn at their own initiative. It is OK to start teaching yoga as a mind-body unifying practice, perhaps even a spiritual practice, but in a way that respects the separation of church and state.
Thank you Omiya for sharing your perspective. I remember in school assemblies when I was pretty young, we too were supposed to say the lords prayer. Most of my friends would just move their lips, I remember refusing to do even that.
Seems it's not so much about simple yoga as exercise in the classroom ( and there are some excellent kids yoga teachers with a lot of experience of that) but a simplified form of Ashtanga that is also part of a research study as part of the condition of the grant by the Jois yoga Foundation. I don't think it is religious indoctrination but as you say it's not as black and white as some try to make it.
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