Olympic Committee) agrees, yoga could be an event at the 2020 games.My initial response to hearing this news was - that's just wrong, "competitive yoga" is a contradiction. One of the many reasons to love yoga is feeling safe and accepted exactly where you are while in class - mentally, physically and emotionally. It is the opposite of competition. Can't we keep one place that is free from the judgment we face outside the studio walls?
On the other hand, anybody who practices yoga (especially any form of ashtanga) knows it requires the physical conditioning, mental rigor and nuanced skill to match any other sport. And there's no denying that all yoga is not equal - there is an elite level of practice to be reached. So maybe it would be right for yoga to be recognized and given the exposure of an Olympic sport.
Feeling torn, I investigated further and decided that I have a narrow, American view of what yoga is and is not. In India, the birthplace of yoga, there have been "yoga championships" for 1200 years and yoga is a popular sport in their high schools and colleges. That makes the non-competition argument seem silly. Are we putting a significance on yoga that doesn't need to be there? My conclusion is that the general American interpretation (i.e. mine) of yoga is still young and incomplete.
There are doubters who, beliefs aside, see yoga as too subjective and think the IOC is looking for sports that are objectively decided, such as who crosses the finish line first, and they want action packed events that will play well on TV. If you have a hard time picturing how yoga would work as a competition, take a look at this video from the 2008 yoga championships in New York. As someone who loves yoga, I find this beautiful and amazing.
I believe the truth about yoga is that your practice can be exactly what you want it to be - competition on the world stage or personal experience. And I also believe it is inevitable, as the worldwide popularity of yoga grows, if not in 2020, yoga will one day be an Olympic sport. Do you agree?
3 comments:
Wow, how interesting, I am not sure what I think. I am not a yoga fan in general but have nothing against it. I think it feels contradictory. Isn't yoga about self? And peace?
OMMMMMMMM.......I don't think I've ever seen the full expression of some of those poses, many of which I've done for years! Yikes! how interesting. I agree, it might just become a sport in 2020...here in the USA, that is.
At the same time, the competition seems to contradict the ego-less nature of the practice. Interesting.
What are we teaching people if it turns into a worldwide competitive sport? Students will go to yoga class to achieve the "asana", taking their cues from how the culture grows. Young yoga students will aspire to win, to perfect the asana, and although we are doing good for our body, we are missing the point of yoga all together. Yoga has always been a personal experience, to increase your capacity to understand yourself and then live life with as much fullness as possible. Asana is one path into this journey. We are missing the target here by promoting yoga as a legitimate form of external awareness, when the poses were always intended to be for internal introspection.
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