Can we get an "ohm" with this, folks? USA Yoga association is campaigning to get yoga asana (or posture yoga) recognized as an Olympic sport:
Wait, competitive yoga? Isn’t that counterintuitive to something that’s usually presented as a spiritual, meditative discipline? Not according to Rajashree Choudhury, who founded USA Yoga, which is holding the competition.
First of all, she says, the focus is on yoga postures. “I’m not trying to measure anybody’s ‘eight states,’” she said, referring the meditative and spiritual aspect of yoga practice. “The posture can be competitive.”
Participants must do a series of seven yoga poses in three minutes. Five are compulsory — standing head-to-knee pose, standing bow-pulling pose, bow pose, rabbit pose, and stretching pose. The participants are allowed to pick the last two poses themselves.
The poses show “how someone can have perfect strength, balance, flexibility in the body,” Choudhury said.
It's not easy, and I can't do it.