{"id":779,"date":"2012-03-02T16:05:11","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T21:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/?p=779"},"modified":"2012-03-05T13:51:28","modified_gmt":"2012-03-05T18:51:28","slug":"competition-beats-yoga-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2012\/03\/competition-beats-yoga-down.html","title":{"rendered":"Competition Beats Yoga Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahh, the Choudhury\u2019s are still at it. \u00a0First, Bikram wanted to patent \u201chis\u201d sequence of asanas. \u00a0And now, his wife, Rajashree, is out to make yoga a competitive sport. \u00a0Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> that an organization called USA Yoga, founded by Rajashree, is hosting a national yoga competition this weekend in New York where participants will be judged on seven different poses. \u00a0According to Rajashree, no spirituality will be judged. \u00a0Well, thank God she clarified that!<\/p>\n

In the article, Rajashree said that competitive yoga has existed in India for quite sometime. \u00a0Not being an expert on the evolution of yoga, I first did a quick google search of \u201cyoga competitions India\u201d and noticed that while they exist, they seem to be far newer than the \u201ccentury\u201d old competitions Rajashree mentioned. \u00a0And then, I asked my yoga teacher, student of the revered Pattabhi Jois, if there was any truth to Rajashree\u2019s statement. He mentioned being aware of \u201casana competitions in the south for at least 40 years.\u201d \u00a0Note the marked distinction in his response – \u201casana\u201d competitions. \u00a0Not \u201cyoga\u201d competitions.<\/p>\n

And thus, we go back to the Hindu American Foundation\u2019s tireless efforts<\/a> to remind everyone that yoga is a combination of both spiritual and physical exercises. \u00a0Yoga is a holistic practice that cannot be judged by a panel over the course of a weekend. \u00a0To simplify yoga into a series of asanas – actually just seven asanas in this case – is a charade that only devalues the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and insight imparted to us by the great gurus. \u00a0The Bhagavad Gita, which mentions \u201cyoga\u201d over 100 times, Patanjali\u2019s Yoga Sutras<\/em>, which are forever cited by the \u201cyoga world,\u201d and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika<\/em> all clearly demonstrate that yoga is \u201can inward journey, where you explore your mind, your awareness, your consciousness, your conscience\u201d (Source: Namarupa Magazine).<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s just physical, it\u2019s not yoga. \u00a0Like I\u2019ve alluded to before – just because a person can rock the forearm stand does not mean she is practicing yoga. \u00a0It just means she has mastered the ability to balance on her forearms.<\/p>\n

For such powerful players in the \u201cyoga world,\u201d the Choudhury\u2019s should have more respect for the practice and tradition that has made them so famous. \u00a0My favorite reaction to Rajashree\u2019s competition came from Phil Goldberg, author of American Veda<\/em> and friend of HAF. \u00a0\u201cMy money is on the performers at Cirque du Soleil.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahh, the Choudhury\u2019s are still at it. \u00a0First, Bikram wanted to patent \u201chis\u201d sequence of asanas. \u00a0And now, his wife, Rajashree, is out to make yoga a competitive sport. \u00a0Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that an organization called USA Yoga, founded by Rajashree, is hosting a national yoga competition this weekend in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":390,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hinduism-101","category-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCompetition Beats Yoga Down - Om Sweet Om<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2012\/03\/competition-beats-yoga-down.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Competition Beats Yoga Down - 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