Going for the gold…in yoga

Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times

The ninth New York National Yoga Asana Championship was held March 2-4 in New York City. Competitors were judged based on their presentation and execution of seven postures in three minutes, with a potential total score of 80 points.

Hosted by the United States Yoga Federation, or USA Yoga, the event began on Friday night, with semifinals on Saturday and finals on Sunday. With no specific entry requirements for the initial regional competition, yogis of all ages and experience levels were welcome to compete on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, participants were narrowed down and serious competition began.

The idea of yoga as a competitive sport has come under heavy debate following the championship, and many believe it undermines the founding principles of yoga as a practice.

In an article for TODAY Health (MSNBC), medical editor of Yoga Journal Dr. Timothy McCall said, “I think the true spirit of yoga is non-competitive. Trying to be better than other people and win is kind of missing the point,”

The average consensus concludes that the core values of yoga do not include competition. Value lies in perseverance, patience, and inner focus – not in the comparison to other yogis. However, some claim that yoga as a sport is uncommon only in the western world.

“Yoga competitions are new to Western countries, but they’re not new to India,” said Rajashree Choudhury, founder of USA Yoga.

Choudhury was a five-time champion in India, and organized the first American championship in 2003. The organization even has the long-term goal of yoga eventually qualifying as an Olympic sport.

Choudhury says the focus is not on the spiritual aspect of yoga, but rather athletic ability.

“I’m not trying to measure anybody’s ‘eight states,’ ” she said. “The posture can be competitive,”

To achieve a high score, participants had to complete five required postures, and two of their own choice. The compulsory asanas were standing head-to-knee, standing bow, bow, rabbit, and forward stretching pose. Judges looked for strength, fluidity, and flexibility entering and exiting the postures, with a calmness of the mind and connection to the body. Even smiling in a pose brought more points.

Despite controversy over the integrity of yogic competition, the championship brought in 130 semifinalists. The winning finalists will compete in the Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup, an international championship held in Los Angeles in June.

Chakras? What are those?

Ah, chakras. Commonly assumed to be eclectic neo-hippie nonsense involving healing crystals and solstice celebrations (not that there’s anything wrong with that approach), chakras are actually rooted in the Hindu religion, which in turn integrates them into yoga.

Simply put, chakras are points of life-force that receive and transmit energy in the physical body. They can be used as “spiritual indicators” of the balance or imbalance of mind, body, and soul – and we all know the importance of balance in yoga.

I briefly touched on chakras here in an earlier post.

As with the rest of these blog entries, I am here to offer a condensed overview of each chakra and its function, along with it’s relation to yoga and the asanas.

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Modern yoga strays too far from Hindu origins

Yoga as a health practice is quickly gaining popularity and momentum in the United States, and has been doing so for decades. Today, around 20 million Americans participate in some form of yoga.

However, groups in the Hindu community are displeased with western yoga and the ominous indication of a separation from Hindu roots.

For the average fan, yoga is an exercise in physiological strength, flexibility, and relaxation. Western practice places emphasis on proper body alignment, breathing exercises and a mild degree of meditation.

According to ancient tradition, however, there is far more to yoga than physical health and mindfulness. Genuine yoga is seen as a lifestyle, not a method of physical activity.

American yoga culture is also adding fuel to the fire with its habit of refraining from referencing the Hindu when using yoga terminology. Words such as “vedic,” “eastern” and “tantric” are commonly used as a replacement for “Hindu” when describing the practice. These omissions are disquieting to the Hindu, who feel that the core spirituality of yoga is being ignored.

The Hindu American Foundation has launched the “Take Back Yoga” campaign in attempt to raise western awareness of the historical and religious essence of modern yoga, which is firmly rooted in Hindu belief.

In an article for National Public Radio, senior director of the foundation Sheetal Shah said, “What we’re trying to say is that the holistic practice of yoga goes beyond just a couple of asanas [postures] on a mat. It is a lifestyle, and it’s a philosophy.”

Further efforts to bring light to the cause include the short animated film compiled by the Hindu Student Association (HSA) titled “What is Yoga?”
The film explains the different types of yoga in Hindu religion and the importance of yoga’s spiritual foundation.

Fortunately, blossoming awareness of the Hindu aspect of yoga tradition does not exclude those of a different belief from getting their yoga on. Equality, truthfulness, non-violence and peace remain essential values.

As the yogi’s say, “Yoga welcomes everyone.”

Read the full NPR article here.

Exploring Poses: Sun Salutation

The Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit) is a sequence of 12 yoga postures that are meant to be performed in a single, flowing, graceful movement. I like to think of the Sun Salutation as “Yoga Breathing 101,” due to each movement in the sequence being accompanied by either an inhale or an exhale. This pattern of breath can help yogis who catch themselves not breathing while holding a posture.
Not only is this sequence helpful for beginners, it’s also the perfect length for a quick yoga fix in the midst of an otherwise busy schedule.

Fortunately, unless you’re holding your breath, there is no incorrect way to practice yoga. For this very reason, the Sun Salutation is a great place to start your journey. Keep in mind that maintaining rhythmic breathing is far more important than correct execution of postures. Yoga (on a basic level) is all about forgetting troublesome technicalities. Instead, you’re moving and stretching in the way your body naturally flows.
As long as you’re simply doing it, you’re 100% right!

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Yoga Lingo

Practicing yoga means becoming acclimated with a wide array of terminology, and standing in the middle of your class with a confused look on your face is probably not going to help you relax.
Yoga vocabulary varies from person to person, and region to region, so it can be hard to figure out exactly what you’re supposed to be doing when your instructor tells you to move into Savasana.
This is a brief overview of some of the most common words in the yoga dictionary (for you to impress your friends with, of course).

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Sh*t Yogis Say

This video pretty much speaks for itself. Happy Thursday!