The Modern-Day Crusade Against Mindfulness
Legal Battles Against Mindfulness, Yoga, and Self-Healing Practices
Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash
Over the past decade, mindfulness, yoga, and similar healing practices have become common in schools, hospitals, and wellness programs. Advocates argue these practices promote mental and physical health, focus, and emotional resilience.
My direct experience with mindfulness, yoga, and self-healing practices is profoundly transformative. I’ve never seen these practices in a religious sense, and I identify as a follower of Jesus. As a student of the Bible, I’ve found similarities to mindfulness but not yoga itself.
Despite the popularity and efficacy of yoga and mindfulness programs, some groups have launched legal battles against these practices, claiming they introduce religious elements into public institutions. These controversies highlight deep-seated biases and misunderstandings surrounding mindfulness, yoga, and their roots in spirituality.
The Lawsuits
One of the most prominent legal cases occurred in Encinitas, California, where parents sued the school district in 2013 for including yoga classes in public schools. They argued that yoga promotes Hinduism and violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits government institutions from endorsing any religion.
The parents claimed that practices such as chanting and specific poses had religious undertones that contradicted their Christian beliefs. However, the court ruled in favor of the school district, finding sufficient secularization for the program.
A similar controversy arose in Georgia when parents objected to mindfulness and yoga programs that included meditation, prayer-like gestures, and mandalas. My source is another Psychology Today article, School Sued for Banning Yoga.
Despite the school’s efforts to remove explicitly religious symbols, tensions escalated, and officials eventually altered the program. This case illustrates the ongoing resistance to incorporating practices that many still perceive as inherently religious despite scientific evidence showing their psychological benefits.
Root Causes of the Legal Battles
The legal challenges against mindfulness and yoga often stem from fears of “religious encroachment.” Conservative Christian groups are among the most vocal opponents, arguing that even secular versions of these practices contain spiritual elements.
Jay Sekulow, a legal advocate for Christian causes, has claimed that mindfulness and yoga are forms of “stealth Buddhism,” smuggling Eastern religious ideas into secular institutions. Such arguments are bolstered by some mindfulness practitioners who, despite attempts to secularize the practice, acknowledge its Buddhist roots. But, as we’ll soon see, there are plenty of similarities to mindfulness in Christianity.
“Are Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools Religious?” discusses the controversy surrounding the introduction of yoga and mindfulness in public schools. Proponents argue that these practices provide mental health benefits, helping students manage stress and improve focus.
However, critics, particularly from conservative religious groups, claim that these practices have spiritual or religious roots, specifically in Hinduism and Buddhism, which could violate the separation of church and state.
Some courts have ruled that yoga can be taught in schools as long as it is presented in a secular manner, with no overt religious symbols or language. The debate centers around whether yoga and mindfulness can be separated from their spiritual origins or if attempts to secularize them are insufficient.
Yet, these fears are rooted in cultural misunderstanding rather than mindfulness and yoga’s effects. Research shows that when offered in a secular context, these practices focus on physical and mental health — such as stress reduction and emotional regulation — rather than promoting any particular spiritual or religious worldview.
For example, Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer of mindfulness in Western medicine, explicitly designed mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) to avoid religious connotations, describing it as simply “paying attention on purpose.”
Fear and Bias Live
At the heart of the opposition to mindfulness and yoga is fear — fear of the unknown, fear of losing cultural dominance, and fear of spiritual experiences that challenge traditional religious frameworks.
From a psychological standpoint, this resistance can be understood as a cognitive bias known as the “status quo bias,” where people resist changes that disrupt their current worldview.
However, the same mindfulness practices being opposed can help people overcome this bias. By cultivating an awareness of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, mindfulness enables individuals to see beyond their habitual thinking patterns and embrace new perspectives. This self-awareness can reduce the fear and hostility often driving opposition to unfamiliar practices.
Overcoming Bias and Ignorance
The legal battles against mindfulness, yoga, and similar practices reveal cultural and religious divisions and a profound misunderstanding of these practices’ nature and purpose. Despite evidence to the contrary, the perception that these practices are religious underscores the importance of education and open-mindedness in overcoming bias.
Mindfulness and yoga have roots in ancient spiritual traditions, but their modern, secular versions are designed to be inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of religious belief. For those who feel threatened by these practices, the solution is not legal action but education and dialogue.
By learning more about the scientific benefits of mindfulness and yoga and recognizing their ability to complement rather than compete with religious beliefs, people can overcome their fears and embrace these powerful tools for healing and growth.
On a metaphysical level, yoga and mindfulness encourage a sense of interconnectedness, compassion, and inner peace. Rather than threatening religious beliefs, they can serve as complementary tools that deepen spiritual understanding.
As Trudy Goodman, a mindfulness teacher, says, mindfulness can be seen as a “bridge” between different spiritual traditions, offering universal mental and emotional healingtools.
Christian Parallels
Mindfulness, meditation, and Christian contemplative practices share many commonalities in fostering healing of mind, body, and spirit. While each has its roots in different traditions, they all center around stillness, focused awareness, and deep reflection, providing powerful secular and spiritual benefits.
Both forms of meditation foster introspection and self-awareness, encouraging participants to tune out distractions and align their inner state with a greater sense of purpose or peace. Verses like Psalm 1:2 emphasize this reflective practice, suggesting that meditating on God’s law day and night brings joy and delight.
“But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” — Psalm 1:2 (NIV)
Mindfulness involves paying nonjudgmental attention to the present moment, which helps reduce stress, enhance emotional regulation, and promote mental clarity. This is similar to Christian meditation practices like Lectio Divina, which focus on scripture, allowing believers to reflect deeply on God’s word and engage in personal spiritual transformation.
Lectio Divina is a traditional Christian practice of prayerful, meditative scripture reading. The term means “Divine Reading” and has been used since the early days of monasticism to deepen one’s relationship with God. It consists of four stages: reading (lectio), meditation (meditatio), prayer (oratio), and contemplation (contemplatio).
In this practice, individuals read a passage from the Bible, reflect on its meaning, engage in prayer based on that reflection, and finally rest in silent contemplation, allowing God to speak to them. Lectio Divina encourages a slow and rhythmic engagement with scripture, focusing more on the heart than the intellect. It’s a powerful tool for spiritual growth and a closer relationship with God through His word.
Moreover, contemplative prayer within Christianity parallels mindfulness and secular meditation by encouraging deep silence and openness. This form of worship doesn’t necessarily involve spoken words but instead fosters a connection to divine will, much like mindfulness fosters an openness to one’s present experience. Both practices facilitate a release from ego-driven thoughts, leading to healing and personal growth through inner stillness and acceptance.
Whether secular or spiritual, these practices promote mental resilience, emotional health, and spiritual growth by encouraging reflection, inner peace, and non-judgmental awareness. They help individuals find healing in body, mind, and spirit, creating pathways for self-discovery and deepened inner transformation.
The Crusade Continues
It’s as if there exists a modern-day crusade against universal practices that transcend religion. Why? Fear, I suppose, ignorance, and hidden bias. My only conclusion is that people suing others over mindfulness can’t be very mindful, loving, well-informed, or aware of their bias.
Forgiveness is paramount for humanity. My humble conclusion is, “If they knew better, they’d do better.” Mindfulness taught me the power of radical acceptance and unconditional love. Imagine if we all had it, used it, and shared these transformative powers to “let go and let the Lord run the show.”
The legal battles against mindfulness and yoga are emblematic of a broader cultural struggle over the role of spirituality in public life. But beneath the legal arguments lies an opportunity for growth. It’s sad, indeed.
By embracing mindfulness, yoga, and other healing practices, we can transcend our biases and cultivate a more inclusive and compassionate society that values science and spirituality in the pursuit of well-being.
We need that more than ever now, especially for our children and the next generation of parents, because too many of us are losing our minds and ignoring healthy, universal practices to heal ourselves.
Clifford Jones is the founder and managing partner of Clarity Strategic Coaching, LLC. He writes about mental health, consciousness, and the art of human transformation. Cliff serves company leaders as an executive coach, strategic advisor, and communications consultant. He is also a family man, writer, visual artist, and mental health advocate. Learn more at www.CliffordJones.com.