Boulder Teenager Competes in National Yoga Championship

Kiwi Landry, 17, a student at Dawson School travelled to Los Angeles to participate in the Bishnu Charan Ghosh Yoga Championship, the most prestigious Yoga competitions held in the United States. Kiwi won the Colorado Bishnu Ghosh Championship which was held in Greeley in December to qualify for the National and International Competition that takes place February 7 and 8.

Kiwi is coached by Radha Garcia, owner and director of Bikram's Yoga College of India in Boulder where Kiwi practices. Yoga competition may seem paradoxical, but it really is not. Radha points out that "Competitive Yoga is a tradition in India where numerous Yoga associations hold yearly championships to draw attention to the discipline and the positive impact it has had on individual practitioners."

Kiwi echoes this perspective; "This yoga has done so much for my body. I've always been slender but after getting a regular practice I lost some weight and really toned my muscle. I felt stronger and more energized. I started sleeping better. I gained endurance which translated to other parts of my life. My overall health also improved. I don't get sick as often and when I do get a cold or something, it doesn't escalate as far and I come back from it a lot faster than I ever have before.

The yoga has also had a positive impact on my school studies. I can study and focus on subjects for longer periods of time, especially the ones I struggle with. I'm not strong in sciences but after starting yoga I've had more patience to push through the parts that I don't understand. In other words, I have more endurance. Yoga has also given me the personal strength to ask questions in class. I hate not understanding something and it frustrates me. Doing yoga however has given me the ability to recognize my weaknesses and accept them so I can improve in those areas. It's really helped in school.

I would recommend Bikram Yoga to everybody, especially teens. Being younger gives you such an advantage in class. Naturally you're more flexible. Your body will adapt faster and get stronger quicker. Being a teen you can gain more endurance quickly and re align your body with less pain and time. Doing Bikram Yoga as a teen everything happens faster! It also helps with school and gives you so much in your life, school, sports and even your social life."

Each competitor performs a 3 minute routine that includes 5 compulsory postures and 2 optional postures chosen by the competitor. Boulder's Esak Garcia won the International Championship in 2005 and Kiwi hopes to follow in his footsteps, but she understands that the road is a long one; It took Esak over 15 years to reach his goal.

The Bishnu Charan Ghosh Cup will be streamed live over the inernet at yogacup.com. For more information about Bikram Yoga, please visit boulderbikramyoga.com.