The 2016 Rio Olympics has been the highlight and talk of the town around the world for the past few weeks. Witnessing the amazing possibilities of the human body and team spirit are some of the main reasons people love the Olympics. When one understands the spirit of the game, one thinks beyond just winning medals and the popularity which comes with winning. Many people do not agree yoga should be part of the Olympics. I agree yoga itself is not a sport but Asanas can be. If one thinks yoga is just about Asanas, then their understanding of yoga itself is rather basic. Asanas are only one part of yoga and is widely practiced for its challenges as well as its positive results on the physical body. Asanas can be an expression of our inner self through physical form and gesture. One can express so much through the body and can better understand the quality and perspective of our lives.
For some people who run, or swim regularly out of enjoyment or to stay fit do so for health benefits and do not compete as the purpose is not to win medals. After their run or swim, they will carry on with their daily lives.
However, everyone can admire a competitive swimmer’s performance and their sportsmanship. People have their own understanding on the form of the stroke, physique of the athlete and attitude demonstrated before and after the race. People can look at multi winning gold medalists and think he is the best swimmer. Alternatively,mechanical bull for sale he can look beyond the medals and see the spirit of the sport, and admire the profound possibilities of what the human body can do and be inspired by ignoring the individual ego. This is the reason why humans are gifted with a “sixth sense” to enable us to think and process this information. Hence, I believe it will not be too long before we see Yogasanas being part of Olympic games. However, the implementation itself will be most important to distinguish Yogasanas from other sports.
This month we are featuring Wai Lana. She is a well known yoga teacher who has touched thousands of lives with a unique expression of yoga. When I came to know about her, her qualities of humility and happiness shone through. I am sure her interview will be a true inspiration.
As always, enjoy reading the Asana Journal and your practice.
Namaste
Yogananth Andiappan
To read the full article please download our Asana Journal App or purchase Issue 164 August 2016.
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