Competitive Yoga? The Controversy Continues

The BBC produced this video of yogis doing postures from the beginner series to some more advanced asanas. Reporter Andy Dangerfield explores the controversial division in the yoga community between the intensity of Bikram practitioners and traditional yogis against the backdrop of the British championship this weekend. 

 "I don't think it should be competitive," says Tara Fraser, from London's Yoga Junction. "Competing is not embedded in yoga's philosophical framework and makes no sense if you want to achieve self-realisation."

But in India, the birthplace of yoga, it has had a competitive dimension for more than 2,000 years.

"Yoga competition is an old Indian tradition," says Mr Choudhury. "It's a tremendous discipline - a hundred times harder than any other competition. 

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The final competition, the International Asana Championship, will be held February 6-8 in Los Angeles. 

Bikram interviewed in Yoga Journal

In the February issue of Yoga Journal, Bikram Choudhury holds forth on his style of yoga. "I (and the teachers I certify) are the only ones in the U.S. who teach hatha yoga," he says in the interview. Explosive and funny, Bikram's comments and the personal anecdotes of Bikram yogis make for a really good read. The piece details Bikram's philosophy and personal history, and the writer gives a thorough overview of Bikram's method and what it's like to practice this type of yoga. Click here to read it yourself.