204 • Part III: YOGa FOr EDUCatING FOr SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt CHaPtEr 9: YOGa aS EMBODIED SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt • 205
Fourth, a secular approach to yoga is aligned with legal imperatives and secular ethics
(Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). There is a legal imperative for school-
based yoga teachers to comply with federal law. Accordingly, publicly funded schools in the
United States must practice separation of church and state (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b).
Specifically, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits public schools from
advancing any particular religious belief over another, or over non-belief (Cook-Cottone
et al., 2016b). Further, the Free Exercise clause requires public schools to accommodate the
religious beliefs and practices of teachers and students where such practices do not interfere
with the daily operation of the school. Because secularism maximizes inclusivity, this
approach is recommended for private as well as public schools (Childress & Harper, 2015;
Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a).
A secular approach to yoga aligns with secular ethics. By definition, secular ethics is a
branch of moral philosophy in which moral ethics are separated from religion and spiritual-
ity (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a). A yoga teacher using a secular approach to yoga can address
important social-emotional values that enhance emotional and relational well-being within
the context of a purely secular program (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Greenburg & Matri,
2015; Jennings, 2015). Note that secular ethics do not come from a spiritual or religious
source and include concepts such as gratitude, integrity, self-inquiry, loving-kindness,
honesty, hope, caring for others, compassion for others, self-compassion, equanimity, non-
harming, and joy (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Greenburg & Matri, 2015; Jennings, 2015).
In fact, several of the Principles of Embodied Growth and Learning reflect this approach
(see Chapter 3; e.g., compassion, principle 10 and kindness, principle 11). Aligned with a
research-based approach, many of these constructs are currently being studied in the field
of positive psychology (Bolier et al., 2013).
As well articulated by Childress and Harper (2015), yoga service providers working in
schools have an obligation to recognize and uphold the principles of secularism, and respect
the diverse religious and nonreligious beliefs of the school community, both in principle and
practice. As research shows, secular yoga practices—postures, breath exercises, relaxation,
and meditation—have effects that enhance the mind–body connection, giving students
tools for facing stress, enhancing their capacity for control over the physical body, emotions,
and thoughts, as well as supporting overall physical well-being (Butzer, et al., 2016; Felver
et al., 2015; Khalsa et al., 2012; Serwacki & Cook-Cottone, 2012). Such transformative experi-
ences have obvious merit (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). Failure to
adhere to the key components of secular yoga in publicly funded schools threatens to under-
mine the success of the field, as well as access to practices that have positive effects on young
people (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). Given the sensitivity and
complexity of this issue, it will serve you to be intentional, transparent, and collaborative
in how you plan to handle this in your teaching of yoga. Be sure that your administrators,
parents, and peers know exactly how you will handle these issues.
tHE COUrt rULES: YOGa IN SCHOOLS IS OKaY
Many had thought the tensions surrounding religion were to continue to slowly dissi-
pate only to be seen as part of the long history of yoga (Cook-Cottone, 2015). In Encinitas,
a coastal beach city in San Diego County, California, the religion debate resurfaced and
went to the court systems. The lawsuit emerged from a set of concerned parents within the