When one thinks of yoga, one imagines peaceful exercises incorporating balance, strength, and flexibility. But when parents in Georgia imagined their children attending yoga classes, what they saw instead was a Satan-worshiping ceremony complete with upward-facing dog and downward facing demon, I mean, dog.
Elementary students in Georgia began practicing yoga, benefiting from the physical activity and focus on reducing stress and anxiety while their parents were experiencing their own degree of stress and anxiety over worries that yoga would lead their children astray.
Parents of the children expressed anger that their children were saying “namaste” and placing their hands at their heart at the end of the practice, worried that it would drive their children away from their Christian faith.
Luckily, the school did now bow to the pressure of the overly-paranoid parents and instead offered to slightly modify the classes to eliminate the more religious overtones from the practice. Children would no longer be directed to say, “Namaste” which is interpreted by some to be a reference to souls. Children would also no longer be directed to putting their hands in front of their hearts as another reference to peace in one’s soul.
Phew, that was a close one. Try again another time, Satan!
