Yoga wars
Yoga wars: Experts train to sweat it out at the British championships
| By Andy Dangerfield BBC News |
You might think yoga is all about discovering inner strength and peace in your own time. But many of those at today's British yoga championships have a different view and it's threatening to split the world of yoga in two.
Those of us who've never done any yoga probably have misty notions of a mostly female crowd attempting to become more supple and promote inner tranquillity in a room smelling faintly of patchouli.
 Bikram yoga poses include the guillotine, crane and standing bow |
But there is a school of yoga that is all about intensity and competition, and they are causing concern among traditional yoga devotees.
Bikram yoga, where participants exercise in 40C heat, has seen phenomenal growth in recent years. Schools are opening every week adding to more than 600 across more than 40 countries.
Twenty contenders are due to sweat it out at the British championships held in London this weekend. Within three minutes, each contestant must perform five compulsory postures followed by two optional poses before a panel of judges.
But there is a growing divide between yoga traditionalists, who think competition is not part of yoga's philosophical framework, and radicals who want to jockey for pole position.
And this is not the first time there has been controversy in yoga circles. In the past, offence has been caused by everything from exercise classes and celebrity DVDs to clothing ranges and diets.
 |  If all you see is a 20-something girl bent into a pretzel shape, you may decide it's not for you  Tara Fraser, Yoga Junction |
The creator of this latest controversial yoga craze is Bikram Choudhury, who started practising as a three-year-old and became Indian champion aged 11. At 17, following a weight lifting accident that shattered his knee, Mr Choudhury was told by doctors he would never walk again.
But he devised a 26-step sequence of postures and through daily practice restored his mobility in six months.
"Anybody, any age, any sex, with any chronic disease can practise the sequence," he says.
Celebrity clientele
Bikram yoga has since gained popularity worldwide, and had celebrity clientele from George Harrison to Madonna.
And while the British championships may feel a little amateur, with even the competition's date fluctuating in recent weeks, the world showdown in LA next month should be a grander affair.
|  As a child, the possibility of winning a competition was the only way to motivate myself Rajashree Choudhury, former yoga champion |
Representatives are even crossing their fingers (among other limbs) for yoga in the London 2012 Olympics, having already had discussions with Olympic committee chairman Sebastian Coe.
But some teachers are against yogis - yoga practitioners - battling out their gravity-defying postures.
"I don't think it should be competitive," says Tara Fraser, from London's Yoga Junction. "Competing is not embedded in yoga's philosophical framework and makes no sense if you want to achieve self-realisation."
But in India, the birthplace of yoga, it has had a competitive dimension for more than 2,000 years.
"Yoga competition is an old Indian tradition," says Mr Choudhury. "It's a tremendous discipline - a hundred times harder than any other competition," he boasts.
Circus contortionists
Mr Choudhury's wife, Rajashree, also a former yoga champion, says the spiritual side is important even in a yoga face off.
"The only way to win is to be balanced, calm and concentrate. If you think you are competing against others, you won't win."
| BRIEF HISTORY OF YOGA 3000-1700 BC: The first pictures depicting meditation 900 BC: The first texts describing meditation 100-200 AD: Classical yoga text written Post 200 AD: Independent yoga schools begin to develop 1893: Modern yoga is said to have begun at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago 1950s: Selvarajan Yesudian writes book Sport and Yoga 1960s: Maharishi Mahesh teaches Yoga to the Beatles Today: 30 million people reguarly practice yoga worldwide |
Ms Fraser thinks seeing experts perform against each other like circus contortionists might put some people off taking up yoga.
"If all you see is a 20-something girl bent into a pretzel shape, you may decide it's not for you," she says. "If you're body doesn't bend a certain way, it doesn't matter. It's like being blonde or brunette. You have to work with what you've got."
But Mrs Choudhury says competition can actually encourage people, particularly children, to take up yoga.
"As a child, the possibility of winning a competition was the only way to motivate myself. Yoga is very boring for children. They need motivation to win."
British School of Yoga teacher Danielle Kirby, who has taught in schools, thinks children enjoy yoga because it is not competitive.
"It was the favourite PE class of larger children, who had been pushed behind in competitive sport," she says. "Larger children balance better, and the fact it wasn't competitive was appealing to them as there were no goals."
Gory fascination
Competitive yoga may also increase the risk of injury, Ms Kirby thinks.
"Rushing into positions could damage your body. They won't realise until someone gets injured," she says.
The Bikram organisation dismisses such suggestions. "Bikram is a healing yoga. Competitors are sufficiently warmed up to avoid risk of injury."
Competitive yoga certainly looks set to remain controversial, as will other yoga trends that come and go. Anyone for laughter yoga? Or how about a quick session of disco yoga?
Each trend may raise a few eyebrows, but may also raise a few more legs and arms as yoga gains exposure.
"There is some sort of gory fascination with yoga competitions. A really bendy person looks quite amazing," says Ms Fraser. "But something is better than nothing at all, so it's not necessarily a bad thing if it introduces people yoga."
Send us your comments using the form below.
The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment