In two minutes, school student Abithashree presented 27 postures of different asanas and earned a gold medal and the Champion of Champions title at the third Commonwealth Yoga Championship held in Bangkok. “I am happy to get recognised in an international platform,” says Abithashree. P. M, who is in Std. IX at Saraswathi Vidyalaya Matriculation School at Pappampatti Pirivu. She competed with over hundreds of students from the Commonwealth countries in the 11-14 years category. “In the 20-20 category, every participant has to present a minimum of 20 asanas in two minutes and the winner is the one who presents the maximum number. I topped the list with 27 asanas,” she says.
Abithashree’s mother, N. Malarvizhi who accompanied her to Bangkok, says the international competition is a great exposure to students from India. “As a parent, it was a learning experience on the facilities and coaching that is available to international students,”she says .
The Coimbatore girl also won the first prize in the special yogasana category that judges the skills of students in five segments. Abithashree showcased her mastery over forward bend with thithippasana and backward bend with kandaperanda asana. She also presented twisting skills with gokula krishna asana, astavakra asana (hand balance) and dhuruva asana (leg balance). “She came first for achieving perfection with the postures. A panel of four judges select the winner. It was her yoga teacher, Gayathri, who noticed her talent. and She regularly takes part in yoga competitions,” says Malarvizhi.
About her experience in Bangkok, Abithashree says, “I became friends with students from China. They taught me extra warm-up exercises that were very helpful.”
The youngster makes it a point to practice every day. She never misses her morning routine that starts with suryanamaskar, followed by simple asanas like padmasana, vajrasana and then the difficult ones like hanumanasana and vrikshasana. “It keeps my body flexible and I feel refreshed and energetic at the end. When I have to prepare for a competition, I practice extra in the evening,” says the champ who has now set her eyes on the School Games Federation of India Championships. Abithashree has also won awards and recognition at district, state and national level.
Abithashree’s father R. Prakash who is a councillor at Pallapalayam Town Panchayat is very encouraging. Malarvizhi, a government employee, says, “Parents should encourage children in sports. They concentrate better and do well in studies too. My son Akaash Karthik who is in class three in the same school has shown interest in karate and archery. We want to encourage him too. It helps them stand out from the crowd.”
