For the past seven years, the United States Yoga Federation has been holding Yoga Asana competitions in the United States, working to build awareness of yoga and bring a healthy spirit of competition to the popular practice.
Brandy Winfield, 2010 United States Yoga Asana champion
Photo: USAYoga. Used with permission
The idea of yoga as a competitive sport might seem counter to yoga’s commonly accepted purpose as an individual practice of spiritual enlightenment and personal growth, but yoga competitions have been held in India for hundreds of years. According to Rajashree Choudhury, founder of the United States Yoga Federation, competitive yoga encourages contestants to deepen their yoga practices and also helps attract newcomers to yoga. Choudhury developed the non-profit organization to promote yoga as a sport in the Western world, with the goal of qualifying yoga as an Olympic sport by the year 2020.
Though Rajashree is the wife of Bikram Yoga founder Bikram Choudhury, USA Yoga is not associated with Bikram Yoga. Competitions are also not held in heated rooms, which is a distinctive element of a Bikram Yoga practice.
Yoga competitions have been met with resistance by some members of the national yoga community, who maintain that competitive yoga is contradictory to the basic teachings of yoga. In yoga classes, students are typically taught that there is no competition in yoga, that true yoga honors the body’s physical limitations as well as its abilities, and that the aim of yoga is enlightenment, not physical mastery. Critics say competitive yoga perpetuates the idea that yoga is only for the extremely flexible, and worry that those with greater athletic ability will be perceived as “better” yogis.
Others, however, believe that yoga competitions provide a healthy challenge and motivating atmosphere for those who wish to take their practice further. “The purpose of the competition is not to beat your opponent, but to improve yourself,” says Choudhury, herself a five-time winner of the All-India Yoga Championship.
Angela Sinclair Moulin, Director of Kansas City Bikram Yoga, states that many yogis are just as devoted to their practice as other athletes are to their respective sports; competitions give them an opportunity to take their practice to the next level. They also provide a welcome alternative for those who have not felt at home in the traditional sports culture. When Sinclair Moulin spoke to one student about her interest in the competition, the student stated that the culture of other competitive sports often involved alcohol. She wanted a sport that was challenging and competitive but did not involve an atmosphere where she felt expected to drink. The idea of a yoga competition represented a healthy competitive atmosphere with a culture that was more comfortable to her.
Hosted by Kansas City Bikram Yoga, the Midwest Regional Yoga Asana Competition will be held August 7, 2010. For more information, please visit Kansas City Bikram Yoga to host Midwest Regional Yoga Asana Competition.
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