"The Mother of Yoga Is Here": Romania's Jane Rajwalu Believes the World Yogasana Championship Changes Everything

For years, Jane watched people walk into yoga studios searching for the same thing.

Stress relief. Relaxation.

A quiet hour away from the noise of everyday life. What she rarely saw were people treating yoga as a sport.

That is precisely why standing inside Ahmedabad's EKA Arena during the inaugural World Yogasana Sport Championship felt so significant.

Around her were athletes holding demanding postures, executing artistic routines and competing for medals in a discipline many people still struggle to imagine as a competitive sport.

For Jane, however, this was never a contradiction. It was proof of what yoga could become.

"I think what I see today, the world of yoga now, is amazing," she said. "Completely different level. A different world."

Representing Romania as both coach and athlete Jane was part of a delegation that emerged as one of the championship's success stories, winning nine medals at the historic event. Yet for the Malaysian-born instructor, the biggest victory was not standing on a podium.

It was seeing Yogasana take another step towards global recognition.

From Malaysia to Romania: A Different Understanding of Yoga

Amutha "Jane" Rajwalu Janet's relationship with yoga stretches back more than two decades.

While yoga was always present during her childhood in Malaysia, it was during her teenage years that she began practising consistently and discovered a deeper connection with it.

"I started liking it," she recalled. "I think it really helped me with my stress. I liked the postures. It really resonated with me."

Twenty-five years later, yoga remains at the centre of her life.

But moving from Malaysia to Romania transformed her understanding of how differently yoga is perceived around the world.

Malaysia, she explained, has a thriving yoga culture. Studios are common, classes are accessible, and practitioners are exposed to a wide variety of approaches.

Romania was different.

"What I see is mostly they believe yoga is relaxation, relieves stress," she said. "But the asanas are not dug into that."

Many yoga spaces, she observed, focus primarily on meditation, relaxation and mindfulness. Valuable practices in their own right, but often disconnected from the technical depth and physical discipline required to master Yogasana.

For Jane, the two cannot be separated.

"I believe relaxation, stillness and calmness come with the asanas," she said.

That belief became the foundation of her work.

Rather than running large classes, she chose a more personal approach, working closely with small groups of students and giving each individual focused attention.

Over time, she began to see potential. Not just for wellness. For competition.

Building Athletes One Student at a Time

The Romanian contingent that arrived in Ahmedabad did not appear overnight.

It was the result of years of patient work.

"It was not an easy journey for me," Jane admitted. "I think I listened to God. I listened to His time. His time was perfect."

Over eight years, she has built a programme that now includes practitioners across different age groups and abilities, including students with special needs.

"We have autism kids who are 29 years old, 24 years old, who can do Sirsasana, Bakasana and Padmasana," she said proudly.

For Jane, coaching extends beyond technique.

She believes the relationship between coach and athlete is one built on trust, energy and consistency.

"The coaches are very important," she said. "The instructors are very, very important to give your energy to the student, and the student will return the energy back to you."

The results of that philosophy were evident in Ahmedabad.

Romania arrived at the inaugural World Yogasana Sport Championship with seven athletes. They left with nine medals.

The achievement marked an important moment not only for her team but also for Yogasana's growth in Eastern Europe.

"We have opened the door for Romania now," she added.

Stillness Under Pressure

One of the recurring questions surrounding Yogasana is how a practice rooted in introspection translates into a competitive environment.

Can something so personal survive inside an arena filled with judges, spectators and scoreboards?

Jane believes it can.

In fact, she believes competition reveals the true strength of a yogi.

"The root is stillness," she said.

"If you are practising yoga daily, you are definitely going to absorb the stillness in your nervous system."

That inner stillness, she explained, remains with an athlete regardless of the environment around them.

"No matter whatever situation you are put in, your nervous system recognises your stillness. Then you are able to perform anywhere in the world."

For Jane, competition does not replace yoga's essence.

It tests it.

The athlete standing under bright lights and performing in front of hundreds of people is still drawing from the same place as the practitioner sitting quietly on a mat at home.

"I believe in stillness," she said simply.

Why Yogasana Needs to Be Seen as a Sport

Despite the success of the championship, Jane understands the challenge that lies ahead.

Even now, many people hear the words "yoga competition" and struggle to picture what that actually means.

She believes the solution is simple.

• Visibility.
• Repetition.
• Consistency.

"Continuously approach the competition every year," she said.

Her vision is one of national championships, international rivalries and a competitive structure that grows organically over time.

"Romania hosts one competition, Netherlands hosts a competition, Malaysia hosts a competition," she said. "Then people know. They prepare. They want to compete."

To explain her thinking, she reached for a simple metaphor.

"You lay an egg in one spot," she said with a smile. "That becomes a chicken. Then that chicken lays another egg. Then it becomes big."

For someone who has spent years trying to convince people that yoga can be more than a wellness activity, the World Yogasana Sport Championship felt like proof that the process has already begun.

Walking into the arena during the opening ceremony left a lasting impression.

"When I entered the arena, I said, 'India's level is high,'" she recalled. "India is always the workplace of yoga."

"Today India proved yoga is here. The mother of yoga is here."

Beyond Borders, Beyond Languages

Perhaps the most striking thing Jane experienced in Ahmedabad was not the competition itself.

It was the atmosphere surrounding it.

Athletes from different countries trained together, celebrated together and supported one another regardless of the final results.

For someone who has spent decades teaching yoga, it felt like the philosophy of yoga made visible.

"This is yoga," she said.

"We are family. We don't have a country, we don't have races, we don't have different languages."

"Our language is only one. Soul connection."

She watched Romanians dance with Indians. Argentinians celebrate with athletes from other continents. Competitors who had never met before helping one another prepare for performances.

Despite the medals at stake, there was little sign of rivalry.

Instead, there was community.

"What makes us come together is yoga," she said.

And perhaps that is why Jane left Ahmedabad feeling optimistic about the future.

The Romanian team returned home with medals around their necks.

But their coach returned with something bigger.

Proof that Yogasana can be more than wellness.

Proof that it can be more than a lifestyle.

Proof that a sport once viewed as impossible to judge, impossible to structure and impossible to commercialise is already finding its place on the world stage.

"We have opened the door for Romania now," Jane said.

The next challenge will be seeing how many people choose to walk through it.