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Bend it for the Olympics
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The Yoga Federation of India wants competitive yoga to be included in 2012 Olympics, but practitioners are sceptical
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Photo: T.A. Hafeez
Flex it Practice of yoga demands mind-body coordination
Archery and sword fighting, essentially Indian sports, were introduced to the Olympics by the West. Italy introduced sword fighting as fencing and Germany introduced archery in 1972. And we, in India, accepted them. Similarly, the West is keen that yoga be included in Olympics; we have nothing to lose by putting in our efforts to make this happen,” argues Dr. Gopalji, president of the International Yoga Sport Federation, the Yoga Confederation of India.
Also serving as a deputy programme advisor of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, he says, “We have submitted a proposal to the International Olympic Committee. In India, we are trying to gather support and popularise yoga in schools and colleges.”
The yoga-teaching fraternity is weighing the pros and cons. “I’d support any move that will get more Indians to learn and benefit from yoga,” says yoga practitioner Deepika Mehta. But she fears that “the spiritual part of yoga might be lost if people do yoga merely for the asanas. Yoga needs to be approached differently from gymnastics. It is a spiritual art form that cannot be judged. ” she says.
Bharat Thakur, who popularised artistic yoga, concurs with her view. “Children will enrol into yoga classes at a younger age and imagine how many more yoga classes will open up in India. But then, the philosophy of yoga should also help you awaken your inner self. It should not be reduced to a physical practice,” he says.
Meanwhile, Worldwide Yoga Championships have been held for more than a decade. The competition held in Mexico City in 2007 saw an Indian bag the Worldwide Yoga Cup demonstrating athletic, artistic and rhythmic yoga postures.
“Even in India, yoga as a sport isn’t new. Such contests have been held during Kumbh Melas,” Gopalji points out. He cites the case of Taekwondo, a Korean martial art, which was introduced in the 1988 Seoul Olympics has grown to be a competitive sport today.
Lawyer and yoga practitioner Hirendernath put things in perspective: “The more you practice, the better your asanas are and in turn your meditation. Making yoga a contest can trivialise it. Hypothetically speaking, how do you judge a yoga contest when there is no standardisation of the practice? Each school of yoga teaches differently and in India, there has always been a rift among the gurus as to which method is the best. Yoga teachers abroad are better equipped to teach Ashtanga Yoga, which is physically challenging. If at all yoga goes to Olympics, I wonder if Indians will make it to the top 20.”
The diversity in practice among the different schools has always raised concern.
Yoga teacher Dr. Rita Khanna agrees saying, “Yoga has been hijacked by the West and there are modified forms of practice all over the world.
The Yoga Confederation has to see that the original disciplines are included for the competition else it may turn out to be a contest of physical acumen and gymnastics.
SANGEETHA DEVI DUNDOO
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