Before coming to the subject- why the yoga competition is essential, we need to understand a brief history of Yoga in India. I am mentioning India , because India is the birth place of Yoga and it is where Yoga has been nourished . We can find the presence of Yoga culture even during the Indus Valley civilisation, which is over five thousand years old. But this Yoga knowledge was evolved and cultured only by a special group of people. Usually saints, take renunciation, hide themselves from the social life and go to the lonely caves to understand the real meaning of life and engage themselves to be united with the supreme , through the knowledge and path of Yoga . Yogis are least interested to promote Yoga. Their only aim is to be united with the Supreme. So this hidden knowledge lied in the cave . Thousands of years the situation remains unchanged . With the flow of time and the reformation of the society, the things started changing. Yoga remain shuttered among the high class people of the society. The cast system in India encouraged only Brahmins ( the intellectual group of the society) to practice Yoga, that too inherited to the predecessors. So the Yoga knowledge only remain in the same Brahmin families. Other cast people were not allowed to practice this subject, even were not allowed to question about it. Yoga knowledge was being passed from forefather to the father and to the son n then grandson and so on. So Yoga was very much confined among the Brahmin society and slowly a part of that society got corrupted and started misusing the power . Diverted from their path , suppressed and misguided the common people of other casts and slowly started losing the respect. Talents from other casts revolt and made a change in the system by working hard to practice Yoga. And thus we got Lord Buddha, almost three thousand years back. Since then Yoga become partly for common people, better to say - non Brahmins ( other cast people ) started practicing Yoga. But actually it was still not for the common people. Only the master Yogi , by his great experienced eyes, will chose the talented people and make him his disciple, who needs to follow the master for rest of his life and pass the same linage, received from ancestors to his predecessors. But three thousand years back since Buddha, Yoga started spreading out of India, especially in east and south east Asia. Also along with the essence of spirituality, Yoga became a part of physical fitness.
Again come back to India - the whole eighteenth century and half of nineteenth century , India was ruled by British. Health conscious British rulers used to do some physical exercises. Sometimes they will invite some local Indian physical teachers to guide and motivate themselves. Also these local physical teachers were invited by the kings, landlords or rich business class people. These are the places, where the teachers or Yoga gurus got chance to explore Yoga in a different perspective. They started mixing Yogasana postures with some western exercises, to make it easy acceptable . And slowly that started getting popular in the British society in India and also in kings' courtyards. That style of learning Yoga was not that rigid and tough like authentic traditional way of learning Yoga. Still the practitioners started getting benefits out of it. As they were the leaders group in the society, their extended hands helped Yoga to be known commonly. This is the way , how Yoga first got the promotion in the common society and also in abroad. Outer world had no idea about Indian Yoga or Yogis. They used to think that India is a country of black magic and Yoga itself is a black magic and Yogis are magicians. Their understanding and perception changed when they found Yoga has also a different perspective , which is logical and based on science and philosophy . Practicing which can see the practical change in one’s life and body. That is the turning point of the promotion of Yoga in all over India and in abroad. Swami Vivekananda was the first person, who promoted the spiritual side of Yoga to the modern western world. After him Paramhansa Yogananda, Mahesh Yogi etc followed his footsteps and made common people to get the flavour of Yoga easily . But remember, the physical side of Yoga was still neglected.
Start from early nineteenth century, some Yoga expert masters, like Krishnamachary, Kuvalayananda, Swami Shivananda Saraswati, Bishnucharan Ghosh, BKS Iynger, Pattavijoice etc. they toiled very hard to establish the physical side of Yoga to the society. In order to do that ,they tried to find many different ways , such as Yogasana posture demonstrations in interior villages, yoga rallies, introductory speech and demonstration in schools and colleges. Sometimes to create bigger crowd or attraction, they will combine some stunt games or body building shows along with Yogasana demonstrations. But for the active participation of the common people, they created a very popular and effective way to promote, propagate and popularise Yoga, which is Yoga competition. In last fifty to sixty years , Yoga competition recognised itself as the biggest promoter of Yoga. Even many people , they never participate in Yoga competition, but they became interested in Yoga because they watched Yoga competition and started Yoga practice and also enjoying the benefits out of it.
Yoga competition is a total game. A champion not only needs flexibility to win a championship, also he or she needs power, stamina, balance, graceful appearance, an artistic sense of demonstration, stage freeness and also needs to be a good orator with profound knowledge on Yoga. So the lack of one of those qualities can be the disqualification for a Yoga competitor. So a Yoga champion is expected to be a total person of the society. Thus we cannot ignore the promotional contribution of Yoga competition in the field of Yoga. Many people they criticise Yoga competition, because they don't know the history. Many of them may be came to the Yoga world- directly or indirectly because of Competitions. Yoga is a complete subject. As it is enriched with its spiritual assets, also it has got social , physical, aesthetic, commercial sides. As Yoga has started becoming more and more popular in all over the world, people started relating their different walks of life with Yoga. And thus they are being benefited . So, let's respect the Yoga competition organisers, competitors, competition promoters, guardians , whose constant joint contribution brought Yoga what it is today. But at the same time we have to be more and more conscious about maintaining the real essence of Yoga. By no means the principle ethics of Yoga, that is the spirituality, should not be abolished or destroyed from self practice. I would rather say - even in competition field, make yourself a different person. Be positive and see your competitors as target and not as rivals. Reach the target, overcome the target, go beyond and enjoy the fulfilment.
Oum Shanti Shanti Shanti
Debdatta Biswas ( Deva )
Working President,
Hong Kong Yoga Federation
Again come back to India - the whole eighteenth century and half of nineteenth century , India was ruled by British. Health conscious British rulers used to do some physical exercises. Sometimes they will invite some local Indian physical teachers to guide and motivate themselves. Also these local physical teachers were invited by the kings, landlords or rich business class people. These are the places, where the teachers or Yoga gurus got chance to explore Yoga in a different perspective. They started mixing Yogasana postures with some western exercises, to make it easy acceptable . And slowly that started getting popular in the British society in India and also in kings' courtyards. That style of learning Yoga was not that rigid and tough like authentic traditional way of learning Yoga. Still the practitioners started getting benefits out of it. As they were the leaders group in the society, their extended hands helped Yoga to be known commonly. This is the way , how Yoga first got the promotion in the common society and also in abroad. Outer world had no idea about Indian Yoga or Yogis. They used to think that India is a country of black magic and Yoga itself is a black magic and Yogis are magicians. Their understanding and perception changed when they found Yoga has also a different perspective , which is logical and based on science and philosophy . Practicing which can see the practical change in one’s life and body. That is the turning point of the promotion of Yoga in all over India and in abroad. Swami Vivekananda was the first person, who promoted the spiritual side of Yoga to the modern western world. After him Paramhansa Yogananda, Mahesh Yogi etc followed his footsteps and made common people to get the flavour of Yoga easily . But remember, the physical side of Yoga was still neglected.
Start from early nineteenth century, some Yoga expert masters, like Krishnamachary, Kuvalayananda, Swami Shivananda Saraswati, Bishnucharan Ghosh, BKS Iynger, Pattavijoice etc. they toiled very hard to establish the physical side of Yoga to the society. In order to do that ,they tried to find many different ways , such as Yogasana posture demonstrations in interior villages, yoga rallies, introductory speech and demonstration in schools and colleges. Sometimes to create bigger crowd or attraction, they will combine some stunt games or body building shows along with Yogasana demonstrations. But for the active participation of the common people, they created a very popular and effective way to promote, propagate and popularise Yoga, which is Yoga competition. In last fifty to sixty years , Yoga competition recognised itself as the biggest promoter of Yoga. Even many people , they never participate in Yoga competition, but they became interested in Yoga because they watched Yoga competition and started Yoga practice and also enjoying the benefits out of it.
Yoga competition is a total game. A champion not only needs flexibility to win a championship, also he or she needs power, stamina, balance, graceful appearance, an artistic sense of demonstration, stage freeness and also needs to be a good orator with profound knowledge on Yoga. So the lack of one of those qualities can be the disqualification for a Yoga competitor. So a Yoga champion is expected to be a total person of the society. Thus we cannot ignore the promotional contribution of Yoga competition in the field of Yoga. Many people they criticise Yoga competition, because they don't know the history. Many of them may be came to the Yoga world- directly or indirectly because of Competitions. Yoga is a complete subject. As it is enriched with its spiritual assets, also it has got social , physical, aesthetic, commercial sides. As Yoga has started becoming more and more popular in all over the world, people started relating their different walks of life with Yoga. And thus they are being benefited . So, let's respect the Yoga competition organisers, competitors, competition promoters, guardians , whose constant joint contribution brought Yoga what it is today. But at the same time we have to be more and more conscious about maintaining the real essence of Yoga. By no means the principle ethics of Yoga, that is the spirituality, should not be abolished or destroyed from self practice. I would rather say - even in competition field, make yourself a different person. Be positive and see your competitors as target and not as rivals. Reach the target, overcome the target, go beyond and enjoy the fulfilment.
Oum Shanti Shanti Shanti
Debdatta Biswas ( Deva )
Working President,
Hong Kong Yoga Federation
Studies have shown that incorporating yoga into your routine can help promote better sleep. Yoga can help you relax and unwind, helping you to fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and feel more rested when you wake up. Yoga has also been shown to increase the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness.
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