Sadhguru, spiritual leader and founder of Isha Foundation, has voiced strong opposition to the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) decision to include Yogasana as a demonstration sport in the 2026 Asian Games. In a recent post on social media platform X, Sadhguru expressed deep concern over this decision, calling it a “disturbing and disappointing” move that risks reducing the ancient science of yoga into a “circus-like activity.”
It is deeply disturbing and disappointing that #Yoga is entering an arena which is essentially a competitive sport arena. Yoga cannot be a competition. Yoga is a powerful tool & mechanism for self-evolution- to raise a human being from limited possibilities to unlimited… pic.twitter.com/uhlfUJ7VfS
— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) September 10, 2024
Sadhguru argued that yoga, long regarded as a powerful tool for self-evolution and inner growth, is fundamentally about enhancing human consciousness and should not be subject to comparison or competition.
“Yoga cannot be a competition. Yoga is a powerful tool & mechanism for self-evolution- to raise a human being from limited possibilities to unlimited perception and experience of life. This should not be done in competition with somebody else. With this, we will reduce the powerful Science of Yoga into a circus-like activity of one trying to do better than the other,” said Sadhguru on X.
He further emphasised that yoga’s true essence lies in helping individuals transcend their limitations and explore life’s deeper dimensions, making it unsuitable for a competitive framework.
“The fundamentals of yoga are about consciousness, not comparison and competition. Hope as a Civilization that gave birth to the Science of Yoga, we will have the wisdom to ensure that it does not become a ridiculous sport.”
Sadhguru’s sharp criticism comes amid the recent decision of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to include Yogasana as a demonstration sport in the 2026 Asian Games, which will be hosted in Nagoya, Japan. While the decision can be seen as a way to globalize and promote yoga’s physical aspects, Sadhguru’s concern highlights the need to preserve the practice’s more profound spiritual significance to eliminate myths and distorted versions that continue to propagate in the name of Yoga.
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