# Introducting Yoga into the School System as part of Curriculum **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 18, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544 "2018-09-18T18:04:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cabetz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@cabetz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabetz)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/1 "2018-09-18T18:04:10Z")
Hello, Does anyone have any good ideas regarding what to name a not-for-profit that aims to bring yoga into the middle and high school curriculum.? Mind Body Balance? Trust Yoga? Be Yoga? True Self Yoga? I tried these on my teenagers and they all had thumbs down…ut could not offer any creative alternatives. Any ideas would be appreciated. I hear this is the place to gather lots of options. Thx ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/2 "2018-09-18T18:07:35Z")
reported for forum change ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/3 "2018-09-18T18:08:49Z")
> [@cabetz](#): > > Hello,Does anyone have any good ideas regarding what to name a not-for-profit that aims to bring yoga into the middle and high school curriculum.? Howabout “After School Activity”? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/4 "2018-09-18T18:10:08Z")
Are you more interested in promoting to the schools or to the students? I would expect something like this to have a name associated with education, like Yoga Academy, Yoga Resource or Achieve with Yoga. But that’s more if you’re trying to gain interest from the schools. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/5 "2018-09-18T18:15:09Z")
I’ll just move this to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/6 "2018-09-18T18:17:01Z")
Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/7 "2018-09-18T18:17:17Z")
I wouldn’t emphasize the spiritual aspects of yoga with names like Be Yoga or True Self Yoga or even Mind Body Balance. That may cause resistance from people who feel you’re trying to introduce a religious activity into the school system. You’d be better off with a name that highlights the physical aspect of yoga. Something like Flex Appeal or Stretching 101 (which are intended as examples not good suggestions). ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/8 "2018-09-18T18:21:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Howabout “After School Activity”? Yeah, I could get on board teaching swimming to elementary school kids, since it could save their lives at some point, but yoga to middle school and high school age kids? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/9 "2018-09-18T18:30:17Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Don’t you think that’s a bit of a stretch? True. I don’t think anyone is going to be bending over backwards to get this implemented in schools. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/10 "2018-09-18T18:35:33Z")
I’m not sure how this would fit in with school programs. Would it be like a PE class taught on campus? I know some schools allow PE alternatives outside school (like swimming with a club). Would it be more like that where it’s taught at a studio and kids go to get PE alternative credit? It will help if you can give more info about the class, its purpose, and how it will be offered. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/11 "2018-09-18T18:38:35Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > True. I don’t think anyone is going to be bending over backwards to get this implemented in schools. You never know. Get some downward dirt on a dog of a school board member it might just slip in. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/12 "2018-09-18T20:20:43Z")
I like the Achieve with Yoga or something like that. And I think its a great idea. My kids had way too much PE and Health, but none of it was yoga or meditation or stress reduction skills. I’d trade field hockey for a lifelong skill of learning to “center” yourself and build and retain flexibility any day. Then again, I’m 52, so knowing how to stretch is an important part of adult life at this point in time - as is knowing how to breathe. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/13 "2018-09-18T20:25:03Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Then again, I’m 52, so knowing how to stretch is an important part of adult life at this point in time - as is knowing how to breathe. I’m 45 and I wasn’t aware that knowing how to stretch and breathe was important. Can you explain why it is important? (I know why breathing is important. Didn’t know there were different ways to do it). ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/14 "2018-09-18T21:10:06Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Howabout “After School Activity”? to which I would add “taught by unpaid volunteers.” ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/15 "2018-09-18T21:51:58Z")
No great ideas on the name, but I think yoga is perfect for high school kids. They have way to much stress & yoga is a great stress reliever. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/16 "2018-09-18T22:07:01Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > No great ideas on the name, but I think yoga is perfect for high school kids. They have way to much stress & yoga is a great stress reliever. A better stress reliever would be starting school later in the day so they can get enough sleep, as opposed to spending that time constantly sleep-deprived. [National Sleep Foundation](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/backgrounder-later-school-start-times): > [@](#): > > The roots of the problem include poor teen sleep habits that do not allow for enough hours of quality sleep; hectic schedules with afterschool activities and jobs, homework hours and family obligations; and a clash between societal demands, such as early school start times , and biological changes that put most teens on a later sleep-wake clock. As a result, when it is time to wake up for school, the adolescent’s body says it is still the middle of the night, and he or she has had too little sleep to feel rested and alert. Aside from that, the problem with getting yoga into schools is that it often comes freighted with bullshit health woo like “chakras” and “essential oils” and other crap, and we do not need to be putting that anywhere near our educational institutions. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/17 "2018-09-18T22:08:50Z")
Call it “Glutton For Punishment”, because you are going to be attacked from the right for being satanic and from the left for being cultural appropriation. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/18 "2018-09-18T22:15:25Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > No great ideas on the name, but I think yoga is perfect for high school kids. They have way to much stress & yoga is a great stress reliever. For the kids who are healthy/fit enough to achieve and mantain the poses, who are have a good enough self-image to be comfortable doing it, and who aren’t going to be mocked for it by the dregs of the class. For the rest of them, it would be hell on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/19 "2018-09-18T22:29:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > For the kids who are healthy/fit enough to achieve and mantain the poses, who are have a good enough self-image to be comfortable doing it, and who aren’t going to be mocked for it by the dregs of the class. For the rest of them, it would be hell on Earth. Yea, it sounds like an unholy nightmare. The only upside is that this would be pretty much guaranteed to be an optional elective, which only the people who don’t need it would be even tempted to attend. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544/20 "2018-09-18T23:43:47Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > Yea, it sounds like an unholy nightmare. The only upside is that this would be pretty much guaranteed to be an optional elective, which only the people who don’t need it would be even tempted to attend. But in many schools, P.E. is required. I was very happy to have had some alternatives to traditional P.E. activities at my school. I was neither competitive nor good at competitive sports, and being able to fill my P.E. schedule with weightlifting and self defense classes was a great benefit to me. I would have loved to have the option to take yoga, which I did by myself during high school using a book. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/introducting-yoga-into-the-school-system-as-part-of-curriculum/821544.md?page=2)