There was a person in my neighborhood who liked to collect kids and took them to the playground near my home for morning gathering. He also approached me. I was around 7 or 8 years old. Me and my brother started going in the morning for the
activity. It was really fun to chant prayers and mantras, practice sun-salutation and then had some fun play. Later I knew it was the activity of R.S.S, an organization in India whose objective is to promote Indian culture and history, moral values and
nationalism among the kids and youth. My first yoga practice began with them. Few months later I found one of my friends started going to learn yoga with her aunt. She was a yoga teacher for St. Anne’s girl’s School. I requested him if his aunt can
also teach us. She agreed and every Saturday we started going to her classes at her home. We were not able to pay any fees to her, but she still agreed to continue teach us.
Almost 5 months later, the teacher asked us to join yoga competition. At that time I didn’t know about yoga competition. Out of curiosity I decided to participate in the competition. I was always a shy guy, avoid to talk with girls, very introvert and had
inferiority complex. My confidence level always very low and find difficult to face challenges. I seldom attend wedding ceremony or birthday party’s as I felt uncomfortable in the crowd.
Whatever, we arrived at the venue of the competition. It was an inter school yoga championship. Around three hundred students were present at the venue. It was the first experience for me to watch students performing yoga postures in shorts and costumes. I felt very nervous. I observed, students appeared on the stage once their name announced and performing their poses mentioned on the circular. I watched for an hour and tried to make up my mind for my performance, but the stage fear and lack of confidence was one of the big factors that I decided to withdraw. I went to my teacher and said “I cannot participate and I want to go home”. She asked me the reason. I mentioned I feel uncomfortable to wear just one short and perform poses on the stage while hundreds of people watching me. She understand my problem and convinced me to finally show up. I gathered all my courage to be on the stage when my turn came. I started doing my poses avoiding eye contact with
the audience and judges. I stood 5 th out of 40 students in my age group. It was an unforgettable moment in life. That five minutes on the stage was like an age for me but because of that 5 minutes I pursue learning yoga more seriously. Last 35 years of my life has been dedicated to promote yoga in its different forms.
The yoga competition created a sheer interest in me about yoga. In coming years with every competition I learnt various new postures. I might have never known and tried the poses if I don’t attend yoga competitions. I began to practice intermediate and advance poses. Yoga competitions test the asana, or physical movement, with
balance, stillness, breathing, and concentration factored into the final score. The easier you make a difficult pose look, the more points you'll receive. Some poses are also worth more points than others: advanced poses like Pincha Mayurasana
(forearm stand) and Tittibhasana (firefly pose) are worth more points than, say, Ardha Bhujangasana (baby cobra).
There were poses I couldn't do that were required. And yes, a lot of yoga instructors will tell you not to push yourself, and yes, you should never push yourself to injury, but when you actually set a goal and work to it, it's amazing to see what you can do.
It was mind-blowing to see how much more progress, I made in three months getting ready for a competition than in a year practicing yoga. I used to practice every day two hours in the evening to maintain my postures and also practiced new and difficult poses.
Many times while I practiced I had fallen but I never gave up and strengthen my will power to accomplish the challenging poses. My first phase of intensive yoga practice for the competition level was a bit painful and I can still feel that immense feeling up to this day. It was a really hard time when I had a feeling of souring body for many days. As the days and months passed with my self-practice, I was more comfortable and slowly the poses came to me as a gift, flawless and easy to me.
By the time passed, I could see a great change in my personality and the way to look at life. My inferiority complex and stage fear gone. I could feel a great deal of confidence, courage and will power. There was never in my mind to win or lose. I was simply happy to perform. As far as asana was concern, I was quite good now I wanted to know other dimensions of yoga. At the age of 16 I decided to attend one month short teacher training course in Shivananda Ashram. It was my first teacher training course. That training changed my whole perception about yoga.
Philosophy, history, meditation, therapeutic aspect of yoga and other studies were . My local view changed to global. Now I could feel the essence of each asana I practice. I started teaching yoga in schools after the training. At the age of 14 years usually students like to play and enjoy their life. My life has changed to be a yoga
teacher and I could financially help my family as well.
In India, there are inter school yoga championship, district yoga championship, state yoga championship, inter college yoga championship, inter university yoga championship and national yoga championship. I had participated in all of them multiple times in my 15 years tenure of participating in yoga championships. After
receiving the “Yoga Shree” and “Yoga King” I left participating in competitions and became a jury member.
The yoga championship is just one small dimension of yoga. But I can say it can be first door of yoga king-dome. As it sharpens interest in you, the other doors will open. Yoga has become popular among the people in Asia around 20 years back. There were many big yoga companies started opening in many countries. Many of the
Indian yoga teachers joined these companies and most of them are from competition background. People like to watch their yoga postures. The classes you practice, all designed by them. Your favorite yoga teacher may also from the competition background. So he can teach you intense poses as he practiced those poses to attend the competitions. In normal yoga practice, no one wants to do the intense postures such as full wheel pose, forearm balance, handstand and full locust pose. If there were no yoga competitions, may be the world are limited to practice only 50-60 yoga poses. The world will never know there can be firefly pose, flying
dragon pose or full camel pose or a person can stand on his head.
We should appreciate those teachers who can teach you advance poses they learnt from the competitions, not to curse the people who organize yoga championships. The diamond of yoga has different shades and from each shade the light reflects with
the same intensity. Yoga competitions can be considered just as authentic as practice rooted in Hindu mythology. As much as people want to fight the rise of competition, history has shown there is room for all manners of yoga. A competition approach, as
well as a transcendent one can coexist.
We should appreciate and value each and every dimension of yoga. The active and the passive, outer and inner, relaxing and dynamic, yin and yang, health and fitness, meditative and sport.
Nilesh Karmakar
Taiwan Yoga Federation
