1,526 register for State-level Dasara yoga competition

As many as 1,526 participants, including 93 persons with disabilities and a 78-year-old, were taking part in the State-level Dasara yoga competition organised by the Yoga Dasara Sub-Committee in Mysuru.

Of the total participants, 851 are women and girls, accounting for 56%, while 675 are men and boys. Participants from all 30 districts of the State have registered for the competition.

Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa, who inaugurated the competition at P. Kalinga Rao auditorium on the Karnataka Exhibition Authority premises here on Friday, said Mysuru had earned international recognition as a centre for yoga, with several practitioners and teachers offering free training to promote public health. The government was using Dasara and Yoga Dasara to spread awareness about yoga across the State.

Recalling the city’s longstanding association with yoga, Srivatsa said more than 15,000 people participated in yoga in front of Mysuru Palace on June 21 this year, while participation across different parts of the city exceeded one lakh. The State aimed to encourage two crore people to practice yoga for International Yoga Day in 2027, he added.

Yoga Dasara Sub-Committee deputy special officer Ramya K. urged participants to approach the competition with confidence and concentration. Yoga offered lifelong benefits, including good health, self-discipline and peace of mind, she added.

Children and adolescents aged between eight and 18 account for 1,011 registrations, or 66% of the total. The 10–12 age group has the highest participation, with 326 contestants. Another 38 participants aged above 65 have registered, while the category for persons with disabilities has 93 contestants, including 42 women and 51 men.