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Australian Asana yoga champion Sarah Wells prepares ahead of the 2012 national championships, being held today at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

IT MAY be one of the more peculiar national sporting championships, but competitive yoga has arrived in Melbourne.

The yoga ''grand final'', otherwise known as the 2013 Yoga Asana Championships, is being held on Sunday at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, and it promises to be a knock-down, no-holds-barred display of grace, compassion, selflessness and humility.

Confused? Don't worry. Reigning female champion Sarah Wells said everyone was, at first.

A composite photo of postures Australian Yoga Asana champion Sarah Wells creates in competitions such as the International Yoga Asana Championships in Los Angeles.

''It's a little bit contradictory for a lot of people, yoga and competition,'' she said. ''But it's not a typical Western competition.''

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The basic format is simple enough. Men, women and youths drawn from state heats have three minutes in which to complete seven postures. They are then judged, given a ranking, and the winners are crowned.

But yoga judges don't just consider the physical display of the poses. More ethereal criteria such as dignity, respect and poise also come into play.

Excerpt from:
Grace under pressure: the twists and turns of competitive yoga