The US state of Alabama has lifted a ban on teaching yoga in schools after nearly 30 years, but instructors will have to use English names for poses and the salutation “namaste” would be forbidden.
The state’s Governor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the bill (PDF) on Thursday, on the last day of the session, overturning a decision (PDF) put in place in 1993 which prohibited yoga, hypnosis and meditation in public schools in the state.
The new bill was introduced by Representative Jeremy Gray, a Democrat and former American football player.
Former First Lady Melania Trump watching children practising yoga at the Sarvodaya Co-Education Senior Secondary School in Moti Bagh, in New Delhi, during a visit to India [File: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters]He said he was introduced to yoga years ago, and it can provide mental and physical benefits to students.