Will we ever see yoga featured at the Olympics? Should it be?

Yoga is fondly considered to be one of the least competitive activities we can engage in. And most people want to keep it that way. Yet asana (posture) competitions already take place – historically in India, and more recently in the US. Earlier this year the American National Yoga Asana Championship garnered a lot of publicity. The competitors each performed seven poses in three minutes while being judged on their strength, flexibility, breathing, timing, and ‘grace’. The championship organisers, USA Yoga, are aiming to see ‘Asana’ qualify as an Olympic sport for the 2016 games.

This year there were competitors from 15 countries. But that still leaves 60 countries to go to reach the Olympic qualifying number. Plus, there are more major hurdles (no pun intended) after that. Not least that the new sport must be voted for by two thirds of the International Olympic Committee.

Not all yogis appreciate this increasing focus on the athletic aspect of this ancient practice. The idea of it as a sport seems at odds with its inherent meditative and non-competitive nature. It teaches you to respect your body and its limits. But the Olympics are about pushing past your limits, often resulting in physical injury. Do we really want to see yoga become even less of a spiritual practice than it is now, in much of the West? It’s worth thinking about the implications of USA’s project on the future of yoga as practised by you and me, should it ever come to fruition.

For those of you whose practice isn’t quite yet Olympic standard, and who enjoy it less as a sport and more as a nurturing, enlightening, fun way to find connection and union, why not join a retreat? Practising in company with others, and having a bit of a holiday at the same time, is a great way to learn more about yoga. There is also so much to choose from at this time of year: from short weekend yoga breaks in the country to week-long retreats by the sea.

Or, if you’d like to take your practice even further, there is a wealth of wonderful yoga teacher trainings to choose from. You don’t even have to be planning to teach students afterwards; it can just be the next step in your exciting personal yoga journey. Om Shanti!

Updated 22 July 2018.