Alabama Lifts 1993 Ban On Yoga In Schools

Gov. Kay Ivey (R-Alabama) signed a bill Thursday that would allow K-12 public schools to approve yoga instruction, lifting a three-decade-old ban in Alabama’s public school system. 

The state had prohibited yoga instructions and meditation in public schools in 1993 due to a “moral panic” fueled by right-wing groups. 

The bill will allow local boards of education to determine whether to offer yoga classes in public schools. The bill, however, maintained the existing ban on hypnosis and dissociative mental states. 

It limited yoga exercises to be for stretches and poses only and prohibited uses of any Sanskrit words including namaste. 

The legislation was introduced by the state Rep. Jeremy Gray (D-Alabama).

“Studies have shown that yoga helps children cope with daily stressors as well help improve behavior, concentration, mobility, flexibility, and strength,” Gray said on his Facebook back in March. “Yoga has become more prevalent than ever as we continue to move through this pandemic. Covid-19 is as much a mentally battle as it is a physical battle.”