MASSENA — After a three-week suspension, the yoga program at Massena High School will continue, though under a new name.

No longer called yoga, the relaxation regime has been dubbed "Raider Relaxation," and will include the same types of exercises that were proposed at the end of September.

The change was prompted after a meeting between Roger B. Clough, Massena superintendent, and several concerned community members. After hearing about the proposed program, some parents objected that yoga in the classroom would promote Hinduism and violate the separation of church and state.

At the meeting, Mr. Clough and the parents agreed to change the name of the in-class program and form an after-school club, to provide a deeper understanding of yoga for interested students.

"My understanding is they're going to be doing the same thing they've been doing," Board of Education President Julie L. Reagan said. "If a name change makes the opponents happy, I can live with that. What's in a name?"

Because of the agreement, no presentation will be made at tonight's board meeting, as had been reported previously.

The program will begin today. Teachers and students will participate on a voluntary basis.

Spanish teacher Kerry A. Perretta and special education teacher Martha C. Duchscherer launched the effort to get yoga in the classroom over the summer, attending seminars and conferences. Both are in the process of being certified by the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. After finishing their training, they will be qualified to teach yoga methods to other educators.

"Basically, what they're going to do (in class) is simple breathing," said the Rev. Colin J. Lucid of Calvary Baptist Church, one of the program's original objectors. "The breathing is just what they would do in gym."

The Rev. Mr. Lucid originally requested that other relaxation techniques be taught to students to relieve stress and help them focus. He said that simply removing the name yoga and other Sanskrit terms would not be enough for him.

The debate around Massena's yoga program is not unprecedented. In 2002 in Aspen, Colo., a group of Baptists objected to a proposed yoga program in the public school district, citing separation of church and state as well. In the end, all of the Sanskrit terms were dropped — "meditation" became "time in" and "yogic panting" became "bunny breathing." The only term that remained was yoga.

That debate prompted Lynda Guber, a former Brooklyn public school teacher who goes by the name Tara, to form YogaEd, a yoga program for all grades. In just over five years, YogaEd has been adopted in 150 schools in 27 states.

The language, Mrs. Guber says, doesn't make a difference to the effectiveness of the program.

"We don't need Sanskrit; we need tools," she said. "If you're going to build a house, you need a toolbox. If you're going to change your life, you need tools."

Yoga in schools can help children, and teachers, focus and improve their self-control and awareness, according to Mrs. Guber, who has been practicing yoga for 30 years.

"We talk about how do you deal with social responsibility, with relationships, with becoming an adult," she said. "I know that all that can be done through yoga."