ATLANTA — Across Alabama, yoga is freely taught at dozens of studios, in Christian churches and inside prisons.

But for nearly three decades, it has been illegal to teach yoga — a combination of breathing exercises and stretches with connections to Hinduism and Buddhism — inside the state’s public school classrooms, with detractors warning it would amount to a tacit endorsement of a “non-Christian” belief.

That could soon change if lawmakers have their way. One proposal, scheduled for debate in the State House on Tuesday, would allow teachers to guide students during school hours through various stretches.

The legislation would permit students to stretch themselves into Child’s Pose or Downward Facing Dog, among other moves. Still off-limits, though: chants, mantras and “Namaste,” which essentially means “I bow to you.”