Yoga

March 31, 2002

>"Ashwini Kumar"

>Yoga >Wed, 27 Mar 2002 21:12:07 -0500 > > > >. Yoga Gains

Popularity in US Schools >Source:

FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, March 24, 2002: Sixty San Francisco >classroom >teachers

make yoga an integral part of physical education as well as >regular >classes.

At seven public schools here -- with more on the way -- the >"yoga >break" has

taken its place beside typical school rituals. Yoga >Journal, a >Berkeley-based

bimonthly, calls it "Om Schooling." Besieged by >budget cuts, >most of

California's elementary schools no longer have a physical >education >teacher.

With free teacher training by Tony Sanchez, a yoga master, >yoga is >becoming

an integral part of the physical education classes and the >regular >classroom

as well. Sanchez founded the United States Yoga >Association, a >nonprofit

organization. Sanchez has trained 60 classroom teachers >citywide >in Hatha

yoga, which concentrates on athletic postures and breathing >techniques. Yoga

is not common in the American classroom yet. But it >is >increasingly becoming

part of the physical education curriculum >nationwide. >In Seattle, 15 of 97

public schools have yoga as a warm-up in gym >class, and >it is an elective for

high school students, said Bud Turner, the >physical >education coordinator.

"Physical education is moving in the >direction of >lifetime activities like

toning, swimming and yoga," Turner said. >"We're >getting away from traditional

team sports dominated by three kids in >the >athletic elite." San Francisco's

yoga-in-the-schools program was >prompted by >the failure of 74 percent of

California public school students to >meet state >fitness requirements, said

Gloria Siech, a physical education >content >specialist for the San Francisco

Public schools. To avoid potential >controversy, she said, the program focuses

solely on the physical >aspects of >yoga. There is no Sanskrit or mention of

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