Education
Education

Some get exercised over yoga in Georgia classrooms

Kindergarten students at Bob Mathis Elementary School do yoga with instructor Sedef Dion earlier this month. Students at the school in DeKalb County get yoga as part of their unstructured time during the day. Administrators and teachers say their students exposed to yoga are more focused, and some students themselves have found it helps with their classwork. A small but growing number of metro Atlanta schools have embraced yoga, though it triggered litigation in Cobb County, where a lawsuit says Christian parents at one school complained that it endorses a non-Christian belief system. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC

Credit: Kent Johnson

Credit: Kent Johnson

Kindergarten students at Bob Mathis Elementary School do yoga with instructor Sedef Dion earlier this month. Students at the school in DeKalb County get yoga as part of their unstructured time during the day. Administrators and teachers say their students exposed to yoga are more focused, and some students themselves have found it helps with their classwork. A small but growing number of metro Atlanta schools have embraced yoga, though it triggered litigation in Cobb County, where a lawsuit says Christian parents at one school complained that it endorses a non-Christian belief system. KENT D. JOHNSON / AJC
By Ty Tagami
May 26, 2017

Despite a backlash last year by some parents against yoga being taught in a Cobb County elementary school, the ancient Eastern practice has been quietly embraced as a teaching aid by other metro Atlanta school districts.

Those who use it say it is a healthy way for students to release tension and relax their minds.

Bob Mathis elementary school principal, Dawn Blackwell, introduced yoga into her Cobb County school to calm down disruptive student

Those who have concerns have cited the fact that yoga is rooted in religion and say you can’t separate the religion from the practice.

The Cobb County School District event led to a lawsuit, but many other schools are quieting incorporating the slow exercise and stretching routines into classes.

“If it helps our children in some way, I’m very much in favor of it,” DeKalb Superintendent Steve Green said in an interview in early May.

>> You can read the full story on what is happening and where it is working at myAJC.com, and view a video of students and their teacher.

About the Author

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

Follow Ty Tagami on facebookFollow Ty Tagami on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Private colleges like Emory University could see a significant tax on their multibillion dollar endowments due to the passage of President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. (Courtesy of Kay Hinton)

Credit: Kay Hinton

Trump’s big bill brings big changes for higher education

The bill eliminates Grad PLUS loans, a popular loan program for graduate students. And it puts a cap on Parent PLUS loans, limiting them to $65,000 per student.

Georgia schools could be impacted by federal funding delay

Georgia schools are waiting on $200 million in federal grants used to fund after school and other programs. The Trump administration says the money is under review.

Georgia student going to court after being expelled for warning of threat

The middle school student was expelled after he sent messages to friends about a video he'd seen with someone threatening to shoot up area schools.

The Latest

Private colleges like Emory University could see a significant tax on their multibillion dollar endowments due to the passage of President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. (Courtesy of Kay Hinton)

Credit: Kay Hinton

Trump’s big bill brings big changes for higher education

Georgia schools could be impacted by federal funding delay

Georgia student going to court after being expelled for warning of threat

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS

Amid UPS struggles, shipper makes first-ever plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

Kneeling man impaled by giant straw? Towering mural leaves public mystified.

A towering mural on the side of the Connally Hotel has mystified Atlanta since 2011. Who is the kneeling man, and what's piercing him? Is it a beam of light? A drinking straw?

OPINION

I just graduated college. Will I be able to buy a house like my parents did?

A recent college grad asks: Am I going to be able to buy a home like my parents did less than 30 years ago?