Austrian primary school bans yoga for religious reasons

[Syt]

http://www.thelocal.at/20141008/austrian-primary-school-bans-yoga

How provincial. Instead of taking their kid out of class, let's ruin it for everyone!

Austrian primary school bans yoga

A primary school in the town of Dechantskirchen in Styria has banned yoga from gym classes after a mother of one of the students protested against it for religious reasons.

"All I heard was that according to the Bible yoga should not be allowed and it would lead the children in the wrong direction," yoga teacher Ingrid Karner told the Kleine Zeitung.

She was disappointed as her monthly yoga classes had proved to be a success with both parents and children.

"We introduced children's yoga and concentration exercises into gym classes. I presented the project to the headmistress and the district school inspector in advance and they were both happy with it," Karner said.

"In Germany yoga has long been a part of the curriculum for children," she added.

Headmistress Maria Hofer confirmed that she and other parents had been happy with the inclusion of yoga exercises in gym classes but that since one mother had complained and said that "she did not want her child coming into contact with yoga for religious reasons" it has had to be stopped.

Many parents are outraged that their children can no longer do yoga. "What happened to tolerance and democracy?" Siegfried Kogler said. He added that his daughter's performance at school had improved after doing the yoga exercises.

District school inspector Helga Thomann said that in principle she thought children's yoga was a good idea but said that "anything from the Far East that touches on the esoteric has no place in schools".

She said that drawing and painting Tibetan mandalas had also led to protests from parents.

Historically yoga was an ancient spiritual practice with connections to Hinduism and Buddhism, but there are many different forms of yoga, some of which are more overtly religious than others.

[Liep]

It's never about the kids.

[Razgovory]

I guess it's just not free market enough.

[Duque de Bragança]

So Styria claims back the title of most retarded Austrian region to Carinthia?
Alles in Ordnung.

[Viking]

http://www.thelocal.at/20141008/austrian-primary-school-bans-yoga

How provincial. Instead of taking their kid out of class, let's ruin it for everyone!

Austrian primary school bans yoga
District school inspector Helga Thomann said that in principle she thought children's yoga was a good idea but said that "anything from the Far East that touches on the esoteric has no place in schools".

She said that drawing and painting Tibetan mandalas had also led to protests from parents.

Historically yoga was an ancient spiritual practice with connections to Hinduism and Buddhism, but there are many different forms of yoga, some of which are more overtly religious than others.

Well the question is, was the religious claptrap being taught as part of the stretching exercises?

[Martinus]

This being Austria, I bet they can find another way of teaching concentration to kids. Perhaps it would make sense to even organise a camp for that purpose. 

[Malthus]

This being Austria, I bet they can find another way of teaching concentration to kids. Perhaps it would make sense to even organise a camp for that purpose. 

[garbon]

http://www.thelocal.at/20141008/austrian-primary-school-bans-yoga

How provincial. Instead of taking their kid out of class, let's ruin it for everyone!

Austrian primary school bans yoga
District school inspector Helga Thomann said that in principle she thought children's yoga was a good idea but said that "anything from the Far East that touches on the esoteric has no place in schools".

She said that drawing and painting Tibetan mandalas had also led to protests from parents.

Historically yoga was an ancient spiritual practice with connections to Hinduism and Buddhism, but there are many different forms of yoga, some of which are more overtly religious than others.

Well the question is, was the religious claptrap being taught as part of the stretching exercises?

I don't really think that's the question.

[derspiess]

In a vacuum, I think this is quite silly. 

However if (as Western society) we're going to throw a huge shit-fit every time some semblance of Christian religion appears in school grounds, then I'm kind of okay with this.

[crazy canuck]

Another one of those 15 commandments that was lost to the mists of time - thou shalt not practice healthy exercise before me.


@ Marti, 

[derspiess]

Another one of those 15 commandments that was lost to the mists of time - thou shalt not practice healthy exercise before me.


@ Marti, 

If Moses hadn't been such a klutz, we'd know those extra 5 really well.

[crazy canuck]

Glad you got the reference 

[Sheilbh]

However if (as Western society) we're going to throw a huge shit-fit every time some semblance of Christian religion appears in school grounds, then I'm kind of okay with this.

Isn't Austria one of those countries that still have crucifixes in every classroom?

[Malthus]

However if (as Western society) we're going to throw a huge shit-fit every time some semblance of Christian religion appears in school grounds, then I'm kind of okay with this.

Isn't Austria one of those countries that still have crucifixes in every classroom?

And those are just the ones they use on the students.

[celedhring]

When I was a kid we used to turn the crucifixes in class upside down. Silly kids

Reading the article it seems clear to me that there was more than just stretching exercises at those yoga classes, which is out of place in a public school. It would have been easier to just drop the whole esoteric mumbo-jumbo than cancelling the classes altogether though, yoga is pretty great and certainly not out of place in a gym class.