2007 Bikram Yoga championships Amsterdam

Beautiful demonstration by Esak Garcia, 2005 Bishnu Ghosh Cup World Champion

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• bikram
• yoga
• 2007
• amsterdam

[agilchri123]

@denisedubarry Yoga is about purification of the body so that you may learn to control your mind. Asana is but a single limb of yoga. This is exactly the problem with competition, people say yoga when they mean asana. i suggest you read patanjali's yoga sutras as a start. To have competition there must be a winner, and to declare a winner you only inflate the ego of that person, completely contradictory to what yoga is. If people want to only practice asana for fitness they miss the point.

[HexAlos]

Honestly, who are we to say what yoga is and isn't?

We havent any authority to comment on the works of Swami Pantanjali as the sutras transcribed more than 3000 years ago.

Tantra teaches to find ecstasy and joy in the moment, who knows what that moment might be?

[secutorclaudius]

aah, back when i was about 160 lbs i could do pretty much all these. but after years of heavy lifting (245 lbs now), i can barely touch my hands behind my back!

[Osuitea]

Some of these movements are seen in gymnastics.

[Sanfupaw]

@franckgers Compitition has been a tradition in india for decades

[RedTailedTuna]

@HexAlos Well one has the right to voice what the believe yoga is, and that is what it is to them. What yoga was for Swami Pantanjali isn't what yoga is it is what it is to Swami Pantanjali and nothing more.

[antoninprochazka]

Bikram fits so well in a time of importance for outer apearance and inner emptyness. Bravo to the winner of this beautiful championship.

[bipolarbobby]

The gentleman is amazing. His asanas are beautiful to watch. But there is something very wrong about a yoga competition. Ooohs and aahs from the crowd, people snapping pictures - just isn't yoga anymore. If you want to be on a stage and compete, become a gymnast.

[ylene1996]

lenig ofzo?

[ironbuddha1008]

@arturonichols agreed, obviously there are requirments for postures and if can reach maximum degree then let us marvel at the human body, people are not so foolish to equate flexibilty with enlightenment and liberation, thanks for posting this nice video after all with so much pornography and violence and video games on computers let us enjoy satvic music and movements

[ironbuddha1008]

@agilchri123 it would be rather better to judge how the ego was when he was pronounced the winner to see if one gets puffed up or not. it is better not to make a negative out of a positive though, i mean by saying this if one person gets inspired by a yoga clip to dealve more deeply and understand that flexibility dosent mean one will achieve liberation.

[TheSolarChild]

Very good bending of the limbs indeed! But I do not agree with competition for these kind of things. Especially not if it's put on display asif for visual pleasure of spectator. It's very 'Western' to mainly focus on the physical aspect of yoga and give most respect to who can bend body the most. Which doesn't mean that the person on display is or is not practising it well, who knows:) But it's always OK, to disagree ofcourse!