The words “yoga competition” often produce a surprised reaction from those who have never heard of this concept before. In this post, I will share a bit about what yoga competition is, why it is no different than training for any other sport, and why simultaneously it is deeply different from other sports.
What does Yoga Competition look like?
For those who are unfamiliar with this concept, here is a summary of a competition routine: when a yoga athlete goes on stage, they have 3 minutes to do 6 postures. For optimal scoring, they must demonstrate each of the following skills once: Backward Bending, Forward Compression, Traction, Twist, Lift, and Inversion. The posture must be held in stillness a minimum of 5 seconds to qualify for a full score. Athletes are divided into categories based on gender and age group. In a larger competition at a national or international level, typically everyone will demonstrate the first day, with the top 10 in each category moving onto the finals on day 2.
How Does Scoring Work?
Judges are trained to look for very specific aspects of alignment in a posture, and points are deducted when alignment is off. Although a deeper version of a posture will ultimately score higher, if one’s alignment is off in a deep posture, this could still be grounds for a deduction. Judges also watch carefully for stillness: was the athlete able to maintain the posture with normal breathing for the full 5 seconds?
The difficulty of the postures is taken into account based on a 1-10 scale. Postures with a higher difficulty rating have a higher possible score than those in a lower category. In other words, an athlete who performs a flawless routine could still score lower than an athlete who made an error if said athlete’s difficulty rating was higher.
How Does a Yoga Athlete Train?
Practicing their regular yoga class(es) daily is important for yoga athletes, as it keeps the body balanced and open enough to be able to train more deeply. From there, athletes spend hours training the specific skills involved in their chosen postures. There are many drills/homework exercises one can do in order to train postures. Athletes also spend much time simply repping their routine, which is important not only to ensure that transitions between postures are smooth, but that the routine fits into the 3 minute time frame (points are lost if one goes overtime!)
It is just like any other sport….
Discipline and consistency are important if one is going to undertake any type of athletic training in a serious way. Although yoga is not typically put in the same category as more traditionally competitive sports such as running, etc, a highly developed yoga athlete trains as if it is a part time job, dedicating hours each day to developing their skills. Their lifestyle revolves around putting themselves in the most optimal position for deep work.
…almost.
There is a major, very beautiful difference between a yoga athlete and other athletes. Obviously all athletes must prioritize self-care so as to avoid injury, however in some sports, athletes will at times sacrifice the health of their body in order to help their team, or achieve those last crucial moments. For them, a potential injury and the resulting recovery time might be worth it in order to achieve the win that they have worked so hard for.
Yoga isn’t like that. It simply isn’t sustainable for a yoga athlete to push themselves into a place of injury for the win, because in doing so, the athlete will lose access to the skills they’ve worked so hard for. And, perhaps more importantly, this wouldn’t be considered a high-level demonstration of yoga asana.
When a yoga athlete trains for competition, they think a lot about how to do it sustainably. This is one of the reasons why we see competitors on stage late into their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s.
This is not to say that a yoga athlete never becomes injured. This possibility of course exists in any kind of athletic activity where one is pushing their limits. But, the huge focus on alignment, health, and sustainability means that this is less common, and the goal when performing yoga postures is always first and foremost health of the body.
Time on Stage
In my experience, demonstrating a yoga routine is different than any other kind of performance. Naturally, many people experience nerves on stage, but in most other pursuits, one is moving or speaking or doing something that would otherwise cover up any shakiness or jitters. A yoga athlete must overcome these sensations if they are to achieve stillness in posture. To me, it has always felt a little bit “next level” to work towards managing those feelings onstage- the ultimate demonstration of self-control and self-management.
Why are we doing it?
My mentor Esak encourages athletes to think of a routine as a chance to give: a chance to give the audience an experience of yoga, and to make the routine an offering. This is very different than walking onstage hoping to get something (praise, adoration, etc.) This concept in itself can be a practice, because of course it feels great to be recognized for our hard work (and why not?!)
One could say that perhaps that the task is this: to be able to enjoy the fruits of one’s own success while being able to be genuinely calm and accepting no matter the outcome.
Motivation
Knowing that one is preparing an offering for the public adds a little pressure! This feeling can be a powerful factor to motivate one to prioritize yoga practice more deeply. There is a wonderful feeling of camaraderie between fellow athletes who are preparing together. For me, months of competition prep stand out as some of my most memorable and rewarding training experiences.
The Essence of it
Some yoga athletes describe their time on stage as a “time warp.” I’ve also heard it said that the 3 minutes are “a precious 3 minutes.”
In my experience, it comes down to this: in order to demonstrate well, one must be absolutely present and fully connected to oneself for 3 full minutes. Experiencing this presence is a way to connect to a deeply powerful part of ourselves, the part that knows with absolute certainty that it CAN.
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If competition training, or simply the idea of training yoga postures, is intriguing to you, check out www.jedifightclub.com or check out upcoming trainings with me here. We’d love to train with you! The only pre-requisite is enthusiasm.