The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Bhutan marked a historic milestone in international sports as two Bhutanese athletes, Sarita Maya Mongar and Tilu Maya Powrel, brought home two silver and three bronze medals from the 2nd Asian Yogasana Sport Championship held from 25th to 27th April in New Delhi, India.
Yogasana is a sport that focuses on the physical aspect of yoga, where players have to perform yogic postures and are judged on their difficulty, balance, control, flexibility and endurance.
In their international debut, the two athletes competed among more than 200 participants from 21 countries at the KD Jadhav Indoor Arena in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. Their efforts placed Bhutan in the 10th position overall — an impressive feat in a competition dominated by regional powerhouses like India and Japan.
The championship was jointly organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India), the Sports Authority of India, Yogasana Bharat, and the Asian Yogasana Federation. Events included artistic, rhythmic, and traditional yoga performances, highlighting the growing momentum behind Yogasana as a competitive sport.
The Bhutan Olympic Committee expressed heartfelt congratulations to Sarita and Tilu, praising their “outstanding achievements” and noting that their performance is “a true reflection of hard work, perseverance, and national pride.”
Sarita Maya Mongar, a teacher by profession, is known for her role in promoting wellness and yoga in Bhutan’s education system. Her involvement in yoga not only nurtures young minds but also fosters healthy lifestyles within communities.
Tilu Maya Powrel, a yoga instructor from Gelephu, has long been recognized for her contribution to spreading yoga practices in Bhutan. A gold medalist in her master’s program in Applied Yoga and Human Excellence from Dev Sanskriti University in India, she has led grassroots yoga initiatives in rural Bhutan.
In a past interview, Tilu shared her motivation: “I felt the need to study further so that I could help people in a better way by understanding their physical, mental, emotional and social problems.” She has worked extensively with villagers in Tsirang to address physical issues resulting from labor-intensive fieldwork through yoga therapy.
