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.