Guest guest Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 THE YOGA DECATHLON Sixth Annual Swami Gitananda Best Yoga Youth and Child Competitions Held Pondicherry: Everyone has heard of athletic sporting competitions like the pentathlon, decathlon etc in which the competitors must demonstrate their athletic ability in five or ten events. But here in Pondicherry, the Pondicherry Yoga Asana Association has gone one step further in the pioneering venture of organizing a “Yoga Decathlon” – a “Yoga Competition” which tests the candidate’s skill, talent and understanding in ten different Yoga-based events. The Sixth Annual Swami Gitananda Best Child and Best Youth Competitions held recently under the auspices of the Pondicherry Yoga Asana Association “challenged” the “Yoga Spirit” of nearly one hundred contestants ranging in age from six years to mid-twenties in ten different ways! Using the Science of Yoga as the basic sub-stratum of all the events, the youthful participants presented “The Yoga Theme” through elocution, drawing, painting, Yoga Asana skill, Yoga Theory – Quiz “vocal and written’, Yoga Novelty Items, Yoga Designing, Yoga Team Asanas, Dumb Charades and Fancy Dress! The ingenuity of the youngsters was astounding to the hundreds of spectators from all over the world, including an audience from fifteen different countries – who witnessed the various competitions, which were spread out over six weeks. “Yoga has become ‘common property’ of all and sundry in the 21st century”, said Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, President, Pondicherry Yogasana Association and Director, ICYER. “The word Yoga has come to mean exactly what each person chooses it to mean, neither more or less! Unscrupulous elements have appropriated “Yoga” and have made it a business, or a means of grabbing publicity, or power or ego gratification. The aim of this competition is to help the youth of India to understand, explain and express the true meaning of Yoga as a way of life, as well as a spiritual path to self-actualization, and self-realization”. Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, President, Pondicherry Yogasana Association reported that the “competition” elicited such novel ideas as: performing Asanas on a bed of nails; demonstration of Asanas on blocks of ice; Yoga Asanas performed on a bicycle, Yoga Asanas performed with an intricate balancing device (like a weighing balance) on the head. Other thrilling presentations included elaborate “design works” of Kholams and other materials to express Yoga ideas. Some excellent ideas were expressed through “fancy dress”, including a cute little pre-schooler who presented herself as a lotus and another who presented the Trigunas concept in the form of a tree. There was even a “Yoga Robot”! The elocution division saw youngsters wax eloquently on subtle Yogic concepts as the Pancha Klesha, the obstacles to Yoga, the ups and downs of Yoga Sadhana, the role of the Guru in Yoga amongst other topics. The “Team Asanas” event elicited breath-taking formations, “pretty as a picture”. The alertness of mind and quick responses to the “Yoga quiz” was mind boggling. Yoga theory was evident in its “mastery” even by the tiny tots! Dr. Nalini Devi, a medical doctor from Barcelona, Spain, summarized the view of most spectators, when she exclaimed with enthusiasm, “Never in the history of the world has there been such utter beauty, purity and innocence in the expression of Yogic ideas!” The “Best Child Award (under 10)” was won by T. Mrithika of St. Joseph’s of Cluny and Yoganjali Natyalayam. Best Child Award (10 to 14) was won by RV. Krithiga of St. Joseph’s of Cluny and Yoganjali Natyalayam. The Best Youth Award was bagged by Miss D. Reena Joseph of Pope John Paul II College of Education and Yoganjali Natyalayam. Awards were presented to the winners by Shri B.V. Selvaraj Ji, Secretary to Government, at a glittering function held at the Hotel Surguru on 14th February 2006. Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, General Secretary of the Pondicherry Yogasana Association and Chairman, ICYER presented the title “Kavi Yoga Shironmani” to Shri B.V. Selvaraj Ji on the occasion. The presentation of the title, awarded by Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International) was witnessed by 31 Member – Officers of Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International) from 15 different countries, including Taiwan, Slovenia, Holland, U.S.A., Australia, England, Wales, Canada, Germany, Austria, Italy, East Germany, Switzerland and India. Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani presented the award in his capacity as Vice President, Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International). The “best of the presentations” from the competitors was given in the Cultural Programme accompanying the event. Shri B.V. Selvaraj praised the work of Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani in propagating Yoga amongst the youth and world wide. Other Special Guests of the evening included. The Director, Tourism Department, Govt. of Pondicherry Shri P. Gautham Reddy Avl; Prof. Mamota Das, Avl.; Director, UGC Academic Staff College, Pondicherry University; Smt K. Bala Padma Rani, Avl.; Principal, The Little Angel English School, Pondicherry; Smt V. Aruna, Avl.; Vice Principal, The Little Angel English School, Pondicherry and The Principal and Vice Principal of St Joseph of Cluny. Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Chairman : Yoganjali Natyalayam and ICYER 25,2nd Cross,Iyyanar Nagar, Pondicherry-605 013 Tel: 0413 - 2622902 / 0413 -2241561 Website: www.icyer.com www.geocities.com/yognat2001/ananda Brings words and photos together (easily) with PhotoMail - it's free and works with Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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