Hundreds of children bent over and twisted their bodies in a variety of postures at the opening of the 30{+t}{+h}Pondicherry State Yoga Sport Championship conducted by the Pondicherry Yogasana Association here on Friday.
Over 1,200 students from 20 institutions across the city took part in the two-day competition, which was a balance of theory and practical presentations.
The competitions were held in 13 different categories — for kindergarten children, students of classes I to VII, VIII and IX, XI to XII, 17 to 35 years of age, above 35 years, among others.
There were also Common Group Event and Special Group Event.
The first round was a theory examination followed by practical demonstration of asana s by the children, said a spokesperson of the Pondicherry Yogasana Association.
There was a separate category for special children. Around 30 children from Saday Special School showcased their skills and performed intricate asanas that they have been training for the past few years. The competitions also include Champion of Champion, Rishikesh Surya Namaskar and two asanas from each of the five different categories of forward bends, backward bends, twisting, hand balancing and non-hand balancing group of asanas .
