The Hindu Council UK (HCUK) believes the refusal to allow yoga in the church premises in Taunton breaches the Equality Act of 2006, and have ordered their lawyers to investigate the situation.

They are also looking into comments made by the Rev Tim Jones, vicar of St James, Taunton, and the Rev Simon Farrar, of the town’s Silver Street Baptist Church, for labelling yoga a ‘sham’, ‘false philosophy’ and ‘un-Christian’, comments they believe may be discriminatory against Hinduism.

HCUK General Secretary Anil Bhanot criticised the bans, and said: “These priests might appear to be advising Christians not to practise yoga because they believe it is based on a ‘sham’ and a ‘false philosophy’, but what in effect they mean is that Hinduism is a false religion.

“The yoga teacher concerned left religion out of the equation; they with their alarmist, uninformed, fundamentalist version of Christianity that lives in fear of and therefore clamps down on any perceived unorthodoxy, dragged religion in.

“In doing so, they have demonstrated the kind of bigotry that is precisely the cause of religious strife in this world.”

But Mr Jones defended his decision not to allow local resident Louise Woodcock’s Yum Yum yoga group for pre-school children use the church hall.

He explained the principles behind yoga are contrary to the Christian gospel, and said the policy had been in place for a long time.

He added: “From a Christian perspective we feel that alternative activities like yoga are not the real thing, they’re a sham.

“Yoga has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism and attempts to use human techniques, such as breathing, to put a person into a calm frame of mind in order to be in touch with some sort of impersonal spiritual reality.

“This runs contrary to the Christian gospel as we believe in a personal God who has revealed himself to us.

“Yoga encourages people to think there’s a way to wholeness through human techniques, whereas the Christian gospel says it’s through the person of Jesus Christ.”

While admitting there was nothing wrong with the exercises parents would take part in with the children during the classes, Mr Jones stressed that it was impossible to separate the philosophy of yoga from the practice.

Miss Woodcock said she could believe the churches’ position which she described as ‘ridiculous’.