A three-year grant from a nonprofit group promoting Ashtanga yoga, provides twice-weekly, 30-minute classes to the district's 5,600 students. They argued the school yoga programme was inherently spiritual and, therefore, unconstitutional. According to court documents, the court had to determine whether the school district's institution of the Yoga programme as a component of its physical education curriculum "constitutes an impermissible establishment of religion in violation of the California Constitution".
Yoga – An Ancient Blessing
Upholding a lower court ruling, the San Diego court ruled: "While the practice of yoga may be religious in some contexts, yoga classes as taught in the district are, as the trial court determined, 'devoid of any religious, mystical, or spiritual trappings'."
Yoga, the 5,000-year-old Indian physical, mental and spiritual practice that aims to transform body and mind, is being taught at schools across the US. The court also viewed videos of excerpts of the Yoga classes that were being taught as an alternative to the traditional gym classes. "We conclude that the programme is secular in purpose, does not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion, and does not excessively entangle the school district in religion.
