Posted 4:32 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, 2012
[caption id="attachment_1850" align="alignleft" width="555" caption="Rachel (Kunz) Donovan practices tiger-scorpion pose in preparation for international competition."]
[/caption]These days Rachel (Kunz) Donovan, ’04, is doing back bends and handstand push-ups. It’s part of her practice routine for the International Yoga Asana Championships June 9 and 10 in Los Angeles.
To earn her spot in the championships, Donovan, a yoga instructor in Fort Collins, Colo., earned fourth place out of 100 contestants in the National Yoga Championships at the Hudson Theater in New York in March.
At competitions, every competitor does a three-minute routine consisting of seven different postures. The first five postures are all mandatory and the last two are optional, demonstrating the practitioner’s strength and flexibility.
Donovan has been practicing Bikram Yoga — also known as hot yoga — for more than six years. She says the hardest pose she will have to do at the international competition is tiger scorpion — a four-arm stand where she brings her feet to her head.
She says competitions have been exciting and have helped her set new goals.
“When a lot of people think of yoga, they don’t associate it with competition because most yoga is focused on not judging or being critical of yourself,” she says. “But, for those of us who have a competitive spirit, it’s nice to have a goal to work toward and then be able to showcase what we’ve learned.”
Donovan thinks it would be fantastic if the National Yoga Federation succeeded in getting yoga admitted as an Olympic sport.
“Yoga has done so much for me personally that I think the more we can spread the word about yoga, the better,” she says. “It has given me so many things — confidence, determination, patience with myself and it has definitely pushed me to do many things physically that I didn’t think were possible.”
When Donovan is not winning yoga competitions, the art major is creating art. Check out her website at www.rachelsartgallery.com Learn more about yoga competitions and postures at www.usayoga.org
Donovan at the National Asana Yoga Championship in New York City:
[/caption]These days Rachel (Kunz) Donovan, ’04, is doing back bends and handstand push-ups. It’s part of her practice routine for the International Yoga Asana Championships June 9 and 10 in Los Angeles.
To earn her spot in the championships, Donovan, a yoga instructor in Fort Collins, Colo., earned fourth place out of 100 contestants in the National Yoga Championships at the Hudson Theater in New York in March.
At competitions, every competitor does a three-minute routine consisting of seven different postures. The first five postures are all mandatory and the last two are optional, demonstrating the practitioner’s strength and flexibility.
Donovan has been practicing Bikram Yoga — also known as hot yoga — for more than six years. She says the hardest pose she will have to do at the international competition is tiger scorpion — a four-arm stand where she brings her feet to her head.
She says competitions have been exciting and have helped her set new goals.
“When a lot of people think of yoga, they don’t associate it with competition because most yoga is focused on not judging or being critical of yourself,” she says. “But, for those of us who have a competitive spirit, it’s nice to have a goal to work toward and then be able to showcase what we’ve learned.”
Donovan thinks it would be fantastic if the National Yoga Federation succeeded in getting yoga admitted as an Olympic sport.
“Yoga has done so much for me personally that I think the more we can spread the word about yoga, the better,” she says. “It has given me so many things — confidence, determination, patience with myself and it has definitely pushed me to do many things physically that I didn’t think were possible.”
When Donovan is not winning yoga competitions, the art major is creating art. Check out her website at www.rachelsartgallery.com Learn more about yoga competitions and postures at www.usayoga.org
Donovan at the National Asana Yoga Championship in New York City: