I know how I feel about this but first I'd love to hear your thoughts. I found this article in the New York Times a few weeks ago and just keep thinking about it. Give it a read, see what you think, share your thoughts if you feel moved to do so.
Click here to ready the article: Is The Spirit of Competition in the Soul of Yoga?
**jeffreydavis123- I agree completely with everything you said. I think Julie Kleinman said it best in the article when she said: "“I don’t really understand how you would compete to be the happiest, most balanced person.” Asanas are wonderful and they feel great but the added strength and flexibility is almost a side note to all the other wonderful things yoga can bring to our lives. Thank you for sharing.
Hmm. I have little to add that the detractors in the article did not mention already: Namelty that this type of competition simply perpetrates numerous misconceptions of yoga, and it also perpetrates a vastly limited understanding of what Yoga is. A posture performed for a rating of 1 to 10 is, by definition, not an asana. It's a physical position, but it is not an asana.
ReplyDeleteAnd this from someone who does not consider himself a purist. So, how to do you feel about it?