MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed House Bill 246 into law, which allows local boards of education to determine whether to allow yoga to be taught as an elective in grades K-12.
According to the bill, students will still have the option to opt-out of yoga in favor of an alternative activity.
The bill limits the instruction of yoga to exclusively "poses, exercises, and stretching techniques," and all "poses, exercises, and stretching techniques shall have exclusively English descriptive names."
The bill strictly prohibits "chanting, mantras, mudras, use of mandalas, induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, and namaste greetings."
The President of Universal Society of Hinduism says this is a step forward for Alabama and that Alabamans should not be scared of yoga. The activity was initially banned from schools in Alabama back in 1993 due to its ties to Hinduism.
"Many churches have offered yoga classes in Alabama and many Parks and Recreation Departments have offered yoga, so it was already there just not in the schools. I think it will be very helpful for the overall growth of the students in the schools," said Rajan Zed, president of Universal Society of Hinduism.
The bill goes into effect on the first day of the third month after it was signed, August 1, 2021.
Read the full text of the bill below:
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