Alabama lifts yoga ban in public schools but bars pose names over fears of rise in Hinduism

Bill still bans chanting, mantras, mudras, and the use of mandalas

Alabama passes bill that will allow yoga in public schools (Getty Images)

Alabama has lifted its decades-long ban of yoga in public schools, but instructors will still be barred from saying traditional Sanskrit names due to its connection to Hinduism.

Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the new bill into law on Thursday, overriding a yoga ban adopted by the State Board of Education in 1993 for all public schools in the state.

Despite the bill’s passage, the ancient practice will still have some restrictions when taught in public schools.

In the bill, it outlined that yoga instruction will be limited to poses, exercises, and stretching techniques without using the traditional Sanskrit names to describe the moves. The bill still bans chanting, mantras, mudras, the use of mandalas, and for instructors to say the traditional “namaste” greetings.

Some conservative groups have asked for yoga in public schools to be prohibited due to its connections to Hinduism and Buddhism, as they claim the practice is a religious activity.

“With the evangelicals and this being a Bible state, they felt it was like a threat to Christianity. Even 30 years later, you still have those same sentiments,” said Representative Jeremy Gray, a Democrat, on Thursday.

The state congressman sponsored the bill three years in a row before it finally passed this year.

Mr Gray, a former football player, discovered yoga during his athletic career at North Carolina State. He hoped allowing the practice at public schools would assist students in coping with personal difficulties and mental health issues.

“This is a great way to help with mental health, being able to concentrate,” Mr Gray said. “Find clarity. Stress relievers, those self-help tips you need dealing with anger and anxiety.”

Several public schools were already providing yoga-like instruction for students, but the activity was described with different names, such as mindfulness movement, AL.com reported.

The bill will go into effect on 1 August, but public school districts will still have final say on whether they will allow yoga for their K-12 students. Participation will be optional for students and not required, according to the legislation.

When passing the bill, several amendments were introduced by the state’s Senate, including having the legislation state that “school personnel may not use any techniques that involve hypnosis, the induction of a dissociative mental state, guided imagery, meditation, or any aspect of Eastern philosophy and religious training.”

The legislation also requires parents to sign a permission slip allowing for their student to practice yoga with the understanding that it is connected to Hinduism.