Exclusive: How India is helping pioneer Yogasana, know more about its marking system
Written By Aditya Pimpale
Published: Apr 26, 2025, 13:15 IST | Updated: Apr 26, 2025, 13:15 IST
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Sports: WION exclusively caught up with Umesh Narang, Treasurer Asian Yogasana and Jury as he opened up on technical aspects of the sport at the international level.
India has quickly become the hub of international yoga athletes as the second Asian Yogasana Sport Championship organised by Yogasana Bharat in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India (SAI), kick started in New Delhi on Friday (April 25). The event, highlighting India’s legacy on the global stage has seen several athletes rise to prominence as the nation continues to endorse Yogasana as an Olympic sport.
While Yogasana refers to subtle processes of manipulating energy in a certain direction and needing to be done with a certain level of awareness, India has pioneered it for centuries. Often playing a key role in the promotion of Yogasana as a sport, today it has reached different corners of the world with tremendous heights. WION exclusively caught up with Umesh Narang, Treasurer Asian Yogasana and Jury as he opened up on technical aspects of the sport at the international level.
“We have a specific code of points for all the events of Yogasana. We have specified the Yogasana according to different positions. We have compulsory asanas and optional asanas. Optional asanas are 250 and compulsory asanas are five. So the player has to choose two asanas for traditional events and other events five asanas,” Narang said while in conversation with WION’s Aditya Pimpale.
Further, he also opened up on how technology is playing a pivotal role in Yogasana when it comes to technical aspects.
"We have a dedicated software for marking and in the code of points we have the judging points, then micro marking systems. So every player has to perform the asana as per the specifications provided in the code of points. So we give marks for any deviation from the asana postures, its mounting asana, or dismounting of asana.
"Then we have some penalties for the wrong performance of asana. Then we have a sequence of asanas. So they have to perform in sequence. So we have penalties. So this marking is done in this way."
We have only one marking system as per the code of points specified by the World Yogasana, our parent body for all the world events. That is being followed in Asia and that is being followed in nationals of India also. So that is clear that we have a very traditional system as well.
We started this marking system five years ago when the first time code of points was made. We have made a lot of improvements in that in the last five years and the present system we have evolved is for the Olympics, for the Asian Games, the coming Asian Games and step two Olympics. This code of points and the marking system has been duly approved by the sports authority of India and for the present we have made it to go for the Olympics also. So let's hope for the best.