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Yoga Sport competitions have been held for many years. Competitive yoga involves the performance of yoga positions (asanas) in sporting competitions.

But is it a sport? Competitive yoga is controversial, as it goes against the principles yoga, that being an individual thing, aiming for being internally at peace and not competing against others. But many people also do yoga just for the physical exercise.

There are many people who think that yoga is not a sport, but when it is performed as part of a competition, it fits the definition of a sport, that is, it's a physical activity governed by rules, undertaken competitively and capable of achieving a result.

Generally, yoga competitions involve participants performing six poses in three minutes. The Athlete chooses one posture from each of the six compulsory posture groups (Backbends, Forward Compressions, Tractions, Twists, Lifts and Inversions), demonstrating the basic range of motion of the spine and the skills of the athlete. The poses can be performed in any order.

Each pose is judged on form and is required to be held for five seconds. Deductions are made for incorrect or poor execution of the posture, if the pose is not held still for the five seconds, and if too much time is taken overall. The degree of difficulty of each pose is also considered.

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• What is Yoga?
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• Yoga for Footballers
• Complete list of sports
• What is a sport?
• Questionable Sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports