How is yogasana a competitive sport?
B · Beginner · The sport and its events · 1 of 4Yogasana is a judged sport, like gymnastics. Athletes perform yoga postures, called asanas, and judges mark how well each one is done, weighted by how hard it is. The saved rules cover four events: traditional, artistic single, artistic pair and rhythmic pair. Men and women compete separately, and mixed pairs are not allowed.
How it works
- Asanas: the postures. Each has a code and a difficulty weight called its base value.
- Traditional event: one athlete holds a set of compulsory and chosen asanas, each for a fixed time, without music.
- Artistic single: one athlete performs ten asanas to music in a choreographed routine.
- Artistic pair: two athletes show two different asanas at once, and may build formations.
- Rhythmic pair: two athletes perform the same asanas together, in time.
- Separate events: for men and for women.
- Age groups: from sub-junior (over 10 to 14) up to senior C (over 45 to 55).
- Start and finish: with a namaste, hands joined.
The glossary has the yogasana sport, the yogasana events, the traditional yogasana, the artistic yogasana single, the artistic yogasana pair and the rhythmic yogasana pair.
Tricky cases
Is a yogasana contest about who is most flexible?
No. Marks are for how correctly a named asana is performed and held, multiplied by its difficulty. In the music events, artistry and timing are marked too.
Can a man and a woman enter a pair event together?
No. The pair events are separate for men and women, and the rules say no mixed pair is allowed.
Is there a group event?
Yes, by name. The rules list an artistic group category on the music form. Its rules are not in the pages saved here, so this set does not cover it.
Is this the same as practising yoga?
No. This set covers only the competitive sport and its marking. Breathing, meditation and the wider practice of yoga are not judged.
Why the rule exists
The rule book says the aim of making yogasana a sport is to encourage its practice and to promote physical and mental wellbeing in every age group. To make it a contest, the rules had to turn a posture into something that can be compared: a named asana, a set hold and a fixed way of marking it.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional | Fixed holds; no music; three rounds | Code of Points, traditional 1 and 2 |
| Artistic single | Ten asanas to music; 150 to 180 seconds | Code of Points, artistic single 1 |
| Artistic pair | Two different asanas at once; formations | Code of Points, artistic pair 1 |
| Rhythmic pair | The same asana together; no touching | Code of Points, rhythmic pair 1 |
| Artistic group | Named only | Not saved |
From the rule book
Code of Points for yogasana sports, Chapter 5, Guidelines for Yogasana Events (School Games Federation of India copy, edition not stated), the opening section of each event. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the national federation's Code of Points (only Chapter 5 is saved).