The action was filed by The National Center for Law & Policy, an Escondido, Calif.-based nonprofit legal defense organization focusing on protection and promotion of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, parental rights and other civil liberties.

NCLP attorney Dean R. Broyles filed the lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs Stephen and Jennifer Sedlock, parents whose children attend schools in the district.

EUSDs Ashtanga yoga program represents a serious breach of the public trust, Broyles said in a press release.

The program is extremely divisive and has unfortunately led to the harassment, discrimination, bullying and segregation of children who, for good reasons, opt out of the program, he added.

The complaint alleges that the school district used state resources to endorse Ashtanga yoga thereby unlawfully promoting religious beliefs, and failed to suspend the Ashtanga yoga program.

The lawsuit points out that in September 2012, EUSD gave parents the option to opt out of the program, which provides 60 minutes of weekly yoga instruction. Students who dropped the class were placed in non physical education classes or independent study.

Ashtanga is a yoga technique developed by K. Pattabhi Jois. It employs yoga breathing techniques to alleviate stress and increase body circulation.

Some parents in the district strongly opposed yoga inclusion in EUSDs health and wellness program. EUSD received a $533,720 grant from the KP Jois Foundation to fund the programs for students K-6 for the 2012-2013 school year (I-W, Jan. 11, 2013).

According to the NCLP press release, the lawsuit doesnt seek monetary damages, but wants EUSD to suspend the Ashtanga yoga program and restore traditional physical education to the district.

EUSD superintendent Timothy Baird told India-West in a phone interview Feb. 22 that he is disappointed by the lawsuit and that EUSD stands behind the program and will continue to offer it to students because of its health benefits and support from parents, students and teachers.

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Parents Sue to Remove Yoga from Calif. School District

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Army veterans Andy Williams, left, and Chris Rivera, right, take part in a yoga class at Los Positas College on Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Livermore, Calif. The Warrior One yoga program was designed specifically for military veterans, student veterans, and their families. Students learn and practice yoga postures, and ways to modify them for healing injuries, anxiety and PTSD. (Aric Crabb/Staff)

LIVERMORE -- Pleasanton resident Andy Williams put his body through the ringer during his 12-year Army career, including a stint in Iraq in the first Gulf War.

In 1993, he was hit by a drunken driver, causing injuries to his neck and back. However, he continued jumping out of planes as a paratrooper and Airborne Division sergeant. The work took its toll.

"I'm constantly in pain," Williams said. "Everyday activities are very difficult for me, but I get through it."

Seeking relief for her husband's injuries, Andy's wife, Denise, discovered WarriorsOne Yoga, a new yoga class exclusively for veterans and their spouses at Las Positas College. The three-month class began Feb. 21 and is held every Thursday in the college's Athletic Center. Offered through the schools' Community Education program, it's free for veterans enrolled at Las Positas, the $10 charge reimbursed by the Veterans First program. Nonstudent veterans and their spouses can sign up for $30.

After just two sessions, Williams said he's already benefiting from the stretching exercises. Also diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Williams says the relaxation he gets in the yoga room is a welcome relief from his symptoms.

"I don't like large groups. I don't like loud noises," he said. "So being in there with the calming music -- it just seems peaceful."

Taking Williams and a handful of veterans through the breathing exercises and poses is instructor Suzanna

"It's a motivated group," Spring said. "They're used to working hard. If anything I have to tell them to not work so hard."

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WarriorsOne yoga course at Las Positas College helps veterans heal

Ranchi University has introduced its journalism students to a basic course in Sahaj Yoga to help the to-be professionals breathe easy and not gasp later at work.

Taking a cue from what is a common practice among bar outfits of Supreme Court and Delhi High Court as well as telecom firms, the varsity's department of journalism and mass communication conducted a lesson for students to strike a balance between body and mind through meditation on Saturday.

Director of the department Sushil Ankan said that growing stress and inability to handle the same adversely affected one's performance.

As a result, people who were trained in executing special tasks, too, fail to perform and at times get frustrated.

The journalism students would soon enter a professional arena that is known for high degrees of stress, he added.

"When we are teaching them the subjects, practically exposing them to print and electronic journalism, it is our moral responsibility to help them handle stress, too."

Sahaj Yoga is a process of inner awakening that helps in stress management and improves intelligence quotient (IQ), emotional quotient (EQ) and spiritual quotient (SQ).

The meditation style enhances an individual's physical and psychological well-being and improves balance, equanimity and self-control.

Brij Mishra, a software engineer, explained the process of Sahaj Yoga to around 100 students. He said there are seven chakras (energy centres) in the human body. The chakras are responsible for our physical, emotional and mental well-being.

"Once we attain self-realisation, we feel the centres in the subtle system within us. As the kundalini (corporeal energy) rises and passes through the centres (in the spinal cord) and pierces the fontanel bone area on top of the head, it nourishes and revitalises the centres (chakras) so that the person feels relaxed, calm and full of life," he said.

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Yoga tips for to-be scribes

The course offered by the Yoga retreat provides a solid foundation in the principles of Thai Yoga Massage. Level II program will be offered from March 10 - 15 whereas the level III program will be offered from March 17 - 22th, 2013.

Nassau, Bahamas (PRWEB) March 10, 2013

Thai Yoga Massage is an ancient therapy that combines Yoga postures with touch technique. It promotes deep relaxation and healing, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, balances the body energetically, and facilitates mind-body integration. As a therapeutic practice, Thai Yoga Massage is a dynamic form of Yoga for the practitioner as well as the recipient, enhancing one's sense of alignment, posture, and health.

The Level I course provides a strong foundation in the key elements of Thai Yoga Massage and prepares students to perform a full 90-minute customized Thai Yoga Massage session. It is suitable for all, including yoga practitioners and teachers. Level II covers how to perform an expanded 2 1/2 hour Thai Yoga Massage session.

Level III will introduce you to the fundamentals of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian healing system and sister science to Yoga. Learn practical methods of applying Ayurvedic knowledge to deepen the therapeutic quality of your practice & a new 60 minute session, customized according to the recipient's constitutional type (Vata, Pitta or Kapha).

Students of this course will learn how to:

Utilize key stances (practitioner postures)

Incorporate effortless, flowing transitions between postures

Use safety precautions for preventing injury

Apply energy balance through acupressure and the Thai Sen (energy line) system

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Thai Yoga Massage Course Offered by the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas

Fayetteville native Randy Boyd, 57 (right) started teaching yoga at Kula Community Yoga and Wellness Studio once he learned the health benefits it brought him after he suffered a herniated disc. Kula Yoga owner Yves Corbiere (left) and Boyd are bringing a yoga retreat to Fayetteville next month.

Twisting this way and stretching that way during a yoga class is like attending therapy, church and the gym all at once.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Twisting this way and stretching that way during a yoga class is like attending therapy, church and the gym all at once.

At least that's what Folded Leaf owner April Woody tells her yoga classes.

"Yoga is different than plain exercise and just stretching," Woody said last week. "There's a deeper spiritual component to it. The mere epidemic of people struggling with anxiety and stress ... people understand that taking a pill to try to fix whatever is wrong with them is just like putting a Band-Aid on it and it doesn't address the issue."

Woody said her Bridge Road studio that she opened in January 2008 has seen an increase in attendance each year since.

About 1,000 people a month take off their shoes, lay out a mat and focus on forms at Folded Leaf, Woody said.

"I've never really had a month since I opened where I worried about the upcoming month," she said.

More than 20 million Americans practice yoga, an increase of nearly 30 percent since 2008, according to Yoga Journal.

Employment of fitness trainers, including yoga instructors, is expected to grow by 24 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That job growth is faster than the average of all occupations, according to the BLS.

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Yoga on the rise in West Virginia

Ekhart Yoga is giving free access to online Beginner Yoga Programs for 30 days. On Monday March 11th, Ekhart Yoga will open its beginner programs to all, to encourage people new to yoga to join in.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands March 9, 2013 (PRWEB) March 11, 2013

Over the 30 days, Esther and her team hope to provide a space to enable those new to Yoga to practice and enjoy. To ensure that beginners get maximum support, there will be regular articles and tips posted along with insights by guest bloggers. These guest bloggers will post their honest opinions and experiences over the 30 days. Esther and her team of teachers will also be on hand to answer any specific questions that arise.

Esther advises those joining in to follow one yoga program at a time. Once you have finished one beginner Yoga program its a great idea to start following another one. That way, you can try out different styles and teachers to find out what suits you bestand you really can learn something wonderful from everybody.

Esther insists that getting started is easy! All you need to do is

1 Get a yoga mat and find a place to practice e.g. your living room/bedroom

2 Go to the Beginners Page on EkhartYoga.com and choose your Yoga for Beginners Program

About Ekhart Yoga

EkhartYoga.com was founded by Esther Ekhart to spread the love of yoga and to share her knowledge of yoga with the world. Esther has been the most viewed yoga teacher on YouTube for many years, and through her yoga videos shes become the inspiration for many yogis around the world to start practicing yoga.

Through EkhartYoga.com, Esther is offering high quality online yoga classes so that yogis can now enjoy streaming yoga videos at home or on the road. Ekhart Yoga offers yoga programs for beginners as well as for more advanced yoga practitioners. Full yoga classes and workouts are brought to you by some of the finest yoga teachers in Europe.

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Ekhart Yoga Launches 30 Day Beginner Yoga Challenge