Congratulations are in order for all 25 participants in the 2008 Arizona Regional Yoga Asana Championship, held at the Arizona Historical Society Museum, Oct. 25, sponsored by Adagio House. Six men and 19 women performed five compulsory and two optional poses in three minutes, as stipulated by the competition.

Bikram Yoga Avondale's Alicia Webber and John Rayner took first place and travel to Los Angeles to represent Arizona in the National and potentially International Hatha Yoga Ghosh Cup Championship, February 6-9, 2009. Also competing in the nationals are second place winners Breanne Carpenter of Bikram Yoga Institute and Patrick Polsunas of Paradise Valley. Third place winners Tawyna Cline of Paradise Valley and Jeff Martens of the Inner Vision Studio will serve as alternates in the event one of the other yogis cannot attend.

The Arizona Regional Championship is heralded each year as a means of bringing together all types of Hatha yoga practitioners, who " compete" by sharing their practices. The event inspires practitioners and educates others about the therapeutic, mental and spiritual qualities of the practice.

"I experienced a euphoric sense of self-accomplishment and self-realization while enjoying a loving and supportive connection with the other competitors," one competitor remarked. Throughout the competition the audience audibly gasped at the advanced poses demonstrated by participants. Simultaneously, the crowd applauded loudly for first-time competitors, realizing that everyone on stage was a champion in their own right. Judges were Rajashree Choudhury, Jim Kallett and Lisa Johnson, all of whom have ties to Bikram Yoga Headquarters.

"Yoga champions, like competitive gymnasts, are both judged on their own skills, flexibility, strength, and poise, and not against the next competitor," said head judge Rajashree, adding, "Yoga competition is not only a sport, it is an excellent way to maintain health, and to teach children self discipline."

One of Rajashree's goals is to introduce children to yoga. She demonstrated this Saturday by calling children from the audience to the stage for a quick lesson and a demonstraton of a few postures. Their flexibility and natural inclination for yoga was apparent to all. A high point durign the championship came when Rajashree had young Cayman return to the stage to be present while her mother, Alicia, was presented the first place medal. The event co-organized and hosted by Shelby Rayner, owner/instructor, Bikram Yoga Avondale Studio and Nicole Stroud, Owner/Instructor, Bikram Yoga Paradise Valley Studio. Nicole also hosted and organized the 2007 championship.

"We were thrilled by the quality of participants as well as the number of studios represented in this year's event," said Shelby Rayner, wife of first place winner John Rayner, who shares studio operations with Shelby. " Participants from all of the studios worked so hard and it showed - I just couldn't stop being thrilled and smiling," she said. Nicole Stroud added: " It touches my heart to watch people of all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, and varying levels of skill, to have a love of yoga so strong that they take the stage to share a bit of themselves. It truly is an emotional event in which every participant is a champion!"

Rajashree Choudhury, wife of Bikram, is an instructor at the Los Angeles studo, conducts seminars internationally and helped create the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Program. She also is a five-time winner of the All-India Yoga Championship.

Jim Kallett has been a teacher training faculty member since 1988 and is one of the select few authorized to conduct workshops and posture clinics around the world. Lisa Johnson has coached students for championships and organized and hosted the Nevada Yoga Asana Championships in 2006 and 2007.

"It's a beautiful thing to participate and watch - if you have any questions, just do it! Yoga is about life, about you, and what happens to you, so just go and participate or experience others participating in an event," said Alisa Matthews, 2008 International Champion, who with her counter-part Sittipong (Ball) Rattanapong recently held a workshop in Phoenix.

Other participating studios included Bikram Yoga Tempe, Bikram's Yoga College of India Flagstaff, the Bikram Yoga Institute of Scottsdale, Bikram Yoga Scottsdale and the Inner Vision Studio. The annual competition is open to all practitioners of Hatha yoga, not only practitioners of the Bikram Yoga method.