By Sophia Rosenbaum, NBC News

A San Diego judge ruled Monday that yoga poses like downward dog and criss-cross applesauce are not religious, allowing a yoga program to continue in a Southern California school district.

Parents of two children in the Encinitas Union School district in San Diego County sued the district because they claim the Ashtanga yoga classes being offered in place of more traditional physical education instruction indoctrinate the children. But on Monday afternoon, Judge John S. Meyer ruled in favor of the school district.

The couples lawyer, Attorney Dean Broyles, told NBC News 7 in San Diego that the practice is inherently religious and is a violation of church and state.

All nine schools in the district participate in the yoga program, which launched last fall, during gym class. The program is funded completely by a $500,000 grant from the K.P. Jois Foundation.

The foundations website says it is looking to promote wellness, health and achievement for youth, especially those in under-served communities.

We want them to feel that they dont need sugar and video games to fill some kind of vacancy that they might feel, said Russell Case, who helped recruit yoga instructors for the program and works for the Jois Foundation. We want them to feel that they can get that from exercise.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit company, Case said the foundation cannot promote any sort of religious affiliation.

The plantiffs dont want religion in schools and neither do we, Case said.

The schools defense, led by attorney Jack Sleeth, followed the foundations sentiment, and said the program was put in place to promote a healthy lifestyle that helps students reduce stress and align their bodies.

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Yoga poses no risk to church-state split, says judge

San Diego judge rules yoga poses no religious threat to schools, so downward dogs in gym class are ok.

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A San Diego judge ruled Monday that yoga poses like downward dog are not religious, allowing a yoga physical education program to continue in a Southern California school district.

The Encinitas Union School district in San Diego County established its yoga program with a $500,000 grant from the K.P. Jois Foundation. The aim was to offer yoga classes to elementary school children about breathing and stretching, with the hope that it would help students focus on studies, keep them calm and potentially curb bullying.

But parents of two children sued the district because they claimed the Ashtanga yoga classes in the place of traditional physical education would indoctrinate the children. The couples lawyer, Attorney Dean Broyles, said that yoga is inherently religious and is a violation of the separation of church and state.

Judge John S. Meyer heard testimony in May regarding the yoga curriculum established within the district, where students practice yoga during gym class.

Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Timothy Baird testified May 20 that he met with yoga instructors and changed some pose names, like "criss-cross applesauce," prior to the program starting.

"Initially, we made a conscious decision to remove some cultural context," Baird said. The program was aimed at promoting youth achievement with health and wellness.

"The plantiffs dont want religion in schools and neither do we," said Russell Case, who helped recruit yoga instructors for the program and works for the foundation, which, as a 501(c)3 non-profit company, cannot promote any religious affiliation.

On Monday afternoon, Judge John S. Meyer ruled in favor of the school district, that physical yoga poses are not inherently religious, and the curriculum does not include any background spiritual instruction.

Read more:
Judge rules yoga isn't religion in schools

By Sophia Rosenbaum, NBC News

A San Diego judge ruled Monday that yoga poses like downward dog and criss-cross applesauce are not religious, allowing a yoga program to continue in a Southern California school district.

Parents of two children in the Encinitas Union School district in San Diego County sued the district because they claim the Ashtanga yoga classes being offered in place of more traditional physical education instruction indoctrinate the children. But on Monday afternoon, Judge John S. Meyer ruled in favor of the school district.

The couples lawyer, Attorney Dean Broyles, told NBC News 7 in San Diego that the practice is inherently religious and is a violation of church and state.

All nine schools in the district participate in the yoga program, which launched last fall, during gym class. The program is funded completely by a $500,000 grant from the K.P. Jois Foundation.

The foundations website says it is looking to promote wellness, health and achievement for youth, especially those in under-served communities.

We want them to feel that they dont need sugar and video games to fill some kind of vacancy that they might feel, said Russell Case, who helped recruit yoga instructors for the program and works for the Jois Foundation. We want them to feel that they can get that from exercise.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit company, Case said the foundation cannot promote any sort of religious affiliation.

The plantiffs dont want religion in schools and neither do we, Case said.

The schools defense, led by attorney Jack Sleeth, followed the foundations sentiment, and said the program was put in place to promote a healthy lifestyle that helps students reduce stress and align their bodies.

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Yoga class a sore subject in San Diego classroom