'Yoga Cannot Be A Competition': Sadhguru Slams Inclusion Of Ancient Practice In Asian Games

In a recent social media post on X, Sadhguru expressed frustration and concern over the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) decision, and called it a “disturbing and disappointing” move that risks turning an ancient practice into a “circus-like activity.”

He further argued that yoga, which has been a powerful tool for evolution as well as growth, is more about helping people transcend limitations and should not be subject to 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 circus-like activity of one trying to do better than the other,” said Sadhguru wrote X.

While the decision is more likely to promote and globalise the physical aspects of yoga, Sadhguru’s concern shows the need to protect the spiritual significance of the practice. 

However, the newly appointed OCA president is convinced that yoga will need to justify its quality in the 2026 Games in order to take a spot as a medal event in the 2030 event.