Did I Violate the U.S. Constitution By Teaching Yoga?

I Think I Put Together Healthy Classes For Kids in L.A. Schools. Some Parents Don’t Agree.

Is teaching yoga to kids a form of religious indoctrination? About a month ago, a California judge ruled that yoga could be taught at the Encinitas Union School District without violating the constitutional separation of church and state. But the plaintiffs will probably appeal the decision. The story hit home for me, because I’ve been one of those skeptics of yoga—and I’ve also been a yoga instructor.

My grandparents were ministers in a Pentecostal church, and I grew up in a very conservative household. I never went trick-or-treating. (I was told …