American mother-daughter pair Kemi Blake and Kimani Blake returned from the World Yogasana Championships in Ahmedabad with medals in hand — Kemi claiming gold in the Back Bend Individual category and 16-year-old Kimani securing bronze in the Junior Artistic Individual event. The championships were held at the EKA Arena, where the duo competed against elite yogasana athletes from across the world.

From Cirque du Soleil Dreams to a World Title

Kemi, 35, originally took up yoga as a training supplement while pursuing a career as a professional contortionist. She had relocated from New York to Las Vegas to train at the Cirque du Soleil academy, but the discipline gradually took on a far greater role in her life. 'I started yoga to improve flexibility for the performances I was training for. But as I started doing yoga regularly, it gave me purpose and stability. I started eating right, began sleeping on the floor and my outlook towards life changed,' she said.

Her commitment deepened over time. She completed a one-year yoga certification through Bilva Yogashala, spent a month in India studying advanced techniques, and eventually built her own coaching programme centred on healing and self-discovery.

Self-Doubt Overcome by Peer Encouragement

Despite years of practice, Kemi had not initially considered competing at the world level. 'I never thought of coming to compete in World Yogasana Championships here as I thought I was not good enough to compete against the Indian players. But one fellow Romanian player wrote to me asking me to come and participate as she used to follow my Instagram page and also some coaches from India encouraged me,' she said. The decision proved transformative.

Kimani's Three-Week Sprint to a Bronze

Kimani, already active in gymnastics and aspiring to become a professional dancer, initially joined her mother on the trip without a firm competitive plan. She had practised yoga casually — 'it helps me calm down easily,' she noted — but began serious championship preparation only three weeks before the event. 'I am extremely happy that I could win a bronze medal here,' she said.

Training at SAI Centre and Indian Hospitality

The pair arrived in Ahmedabad several weeks before the championships to train with Indian coaches at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre. Their integration into the local training environment was not without early hiccups — their luggage did not arrive on time — but the Indian contingent stepped in. 'The Indian team which was training at the SAI centre here welcomed us and even taught us a few things. Even when I was warming up before my match, one of them told me about the mistakes I was making and that helped me,' Kemi recalled. The experience left a lasting impression on both athletes.

The Push for Yogasana at the Olympics

Kemi is now an advocate for yogasana's inclusion in the Olympic programme. 'Plenty of people practice yoga but yogasana as a sport is completely different in a way. The focus and precision required is very different from practicing yoga for well-being and I am willing to play any role required to see Yogasana at the Olympics,' she said. With the sport's global footprint expanding — evidenced by competitive athletes from the USA, Romania, and elsewhere converging on Ahmedabad — that ambition may not be far-fetched.