From the NY Times article… “This is what is known as mindfulness training, in which stress-reducing techniques drawn from Buddhist meditation are wedged between reading and spelling tests.”

(snip)

“Midge Kinder, a yoga teacher, and her husband, Rick, started the program” in Lancaster, PA. People don’t think the program is doing something “religious” because hey, doesn’t everyone take yoga at the local gym? It’s not like 24-Hour Fitness has a Christian prayer class. :snort:

You get a lot more buy-in from parents and administrators when you tell them it’s all about helping kids get along, as opposed to saying, “We’re going to train your kids in Hindu and Buddhist practices twice a week.” Let’s see how far an evangelical pastor gets with a character ed program based on New Testament ideas. The powers that be wouldn’t let his shadow darken the schoolhouse doorway.

Did you see the picture of the “instruments” the kids are given to use during these sessions? Are you gonna tell me that those tools are secular inventions? Puh-leeze.

(Believe me, I’m just kidding. My state is certainly not the model of cultural ascension.)

On the other hand, school sponsored prayer to the Christian God, or indeed to any god or gods, is religion.

There are some ambiguous cases, but this isn’t one of them.

That’s always the advice given by Jedi & Sith to their apprentices.

“Be mindful of your feelings, young Skywalker”

“Lord Maul, be mindful. Let them make the first move”

“Be mindful, Billy. Truancy; not studying; the path to welfare, that is!”