Another successful year of Health for Humanity Yogathon
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, Inc. (HSS) concluded its Fifth Annual “Health for Humanity Yogathon” on January 30, 2011. During this two-week Yogathon, despite unusual wintry weather throughout the US, over 10,122 participants warmed themselves up with 988,302 repetitions of the yoga routine known as the Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, in 224 cities and towns from 38 states.
Not only did HSS volunteers actively participate but also health-conscious people across the nation participated regardless of their race, religion, gender, ideology, ethnicity, and age. Seventeen public schools from California to the heartland of America, 25 Universities, 14 Yoga Studios, and many Temples actively participated in this project.
HSS launched the “Health for Humanity Yogathon”, also known as Surya Namaskar Yajna (SNY),as an annual event in 2007 to create awareness about yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind, and spirit. The Surya Namaskar yoga routine integrates simple postures of well-balanced movements in ten steps with an easy breathing technique to provide immense health benefits for everyone from beginners to yoga enthusiasts.
One of the first-time participants commented on his experience, “The cost to participate in this Yogathon is zero, but its health benefits are priceless!” Shekhar Agrwal of Patanjali Yogpeeth (USA) Trust, commented to Indian-Americans, “This country has given us wealth; let us all give the health to this country by promoting Surya Namaskar.” Stephen Knapp, Vedic Friends Association President shared his experience, “I certainly notice a difference in my health, especially my energy and stamina, plus it helps motivate me.”
“When me and my family do Surya Namaskars together we are able to spend time together and take some time out of our busy lives. Additionally my grandfather has been doing Surya Namaskras and teaching yoga for a long time. He is 80 years old and today he is as fit as a young man. This gave me the motivation to do Surya Namaskars to ensure a good and healthy future.” said Nikita Zamwar, an 11th grader.
Mayors of Tampa FL, Milpitas, CA, Cupertino, CA, Sunnyvale, CA, Morrisville, NC, Austin, TX, Normal IL, and Bloomington IL, declared “Health for Humanity” day and encouraged their constituents to participate in the locally held Yogathons. Famous for his health conscious agenda, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the City of New York integrated this Yogathon with “Shape up New York” program and urged his city employees and residents alike to participate and receive the health benefits. Similarly, Judge Ed Emmett of Harris County, TX, the third largest county in the US, declared January 29th, 2011 as “Health for Humanity Day”. State House of New Jersey adopted resolution by Hon. Representative Chivukula and acknowledged benefits of Surya Namaskar and expressing the best wishes to participants of the Yogathon.
Child members of HSS Balagokulam and young adults eagerly wait for this Yogathon every year and take a challenge. Many children around age 10 perform 500 + salutations over this two week period. Eleven year old Srimitha Srinivasan from Reading, MA performed 3,876 Sun Salutations!
Among the older participants, 66-year-old Mrs. Saraswati Rao, compleded Surya Namaskars setting a wonderful example for younger adults as well as children.
India’s Padmashree Award recipient and renowned neurosurgen Dr. Kamaljit Singh Paul encouraged and guided the Yogathon participants at the Gurudwara of Fox Valley in Menasha, Wisconsin. He outlined the benefits of Surya Namaskars as beyond just muscle development and said that this particular type of Yoga exercise helps to keep our internal organs such as brain, heart, and liver healthy and also helps in proper blood circulation.
With the assistance from HSS volunteers, the women’s health program “GLOW”, at Valley Medical Center, Rentan WA, intends to continue this as an everyday required exercise for their member participants. HSS Yogathon National Coordinator Praveen Dhir summed it up by stating, “It is a real achievement of this project that many participants continue this exercise year round and spread the message to stay fit and shape up with their friends, family and the society”
HSS Announces 18th Annual “Health for Humanity” Yogathon
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) announces the seventeenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY). This program runs from January 18th to February 2nd, 2025. Participants across all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths are invited to participate in the Yogathon to kickstart the New Year with health awareness and practice.
Surya Namaskar is a yogic practice done in reverence to the sun. Research shows several physiological and psychological benefits from Surya Namaskar when practiced regularly. They are performed as a series of 10 physical postures, flowing in a graceful, continuous sequence. The Surya Namaskar Yajna seeks to promote the practice and its benefits among all Americans aspiring for a fit body and balanced mind.
Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively participated in the Yogathon through Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges, and also as individuals. Regardless of their faith and belief, these participants have performed over four million Surya Namaskars over the past several years. This is a testament to the success of the Yogathon in achieving diversity and inclusion in communities nationwide while promoting public health and well-being equitably.
Acknowledging this, community leaders and elected officials across the nation also appreciate this initiative and encourage their residents to participate in the Health for Humanity Yogathon and benefit from a healthy lifestyle. The Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It also found recognition in the Congressional records in 2017. The “Let’s Move” initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012 in cognizance of the Yogathon.
About Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS):
HSS is a 501(c)(3) voluntary non-profit cultural organization with over 230 chapters across the United States. HSS organizes service activities and community outreach projects to promote discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and the spirit of selflessness. HSS also fosters a dynamic and flourishing Hindu-American community through civic duty, responsibility, and volunteerism, instilling lasting pride in Hindu heritage among its members. Learn more at www.HSSUS.org.
HSS Announces 18th Annual “Health for Humanity” Yogathon
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Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) announces the seventeenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY). This program runs from January 18th to February 2nd, 2025. Participants across all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths are invited to participate in the Yogathon to kickstart the New Year with health awareness and practice.
Surya Namaskar is a yogic practice done in reverence to the sun. Research shows several physiological and psychological benefits from Surya Namaskar when practiced regularly. They are performed as a series of 10 physical postures, flowing in a graceful, continuous sequence. The Surya Namaskar Yajna seeks to promote the practice and its benefits among all Americans aspiring for a fit body and balanced mind.
Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively participated in the Yogathon through Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges, and also as individuals. Regardless of their faith and belief, these participants have performed over four million Surya Namaskars over the past several years. This is a testament to the success of the Yogathon in achieving diversity and inclusion in communities nationwide while promoting public health and well-being equitably.
Acknowledging this, community leaders and elected officials across the nation also appreciate this initiative and encourage their residents to participate in the Health for Humanity Yogathon and benefit from a healthy lifestyle. The Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It also found recognition in the Congressional records in 2017. The “Let’s Move” initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012 in cognizance of the Yogathon.
About Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS):
HSS is a 501(c)(3) voluntary non-profit cultural organization with over 230 chapters across the United States. HSS organizes service activities and community outreach projects to promote discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and the spirit of selflessness. HSS also fosters a dynamic and flourishing Hindu-American community through civic duty, responsibility, and volunteerism, instilling lasting pride in Hindu heritage among its members. Learn more at www.HSSUS.org
HSS Announces 17th Annual “Health for Humanity” Yogathon
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) announces the seventeenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY). This program runs from January 13th to January 28th, 2024. Participants across all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths are invited to participate in the Yogathon to kickstart the New Year with health awareness and practice.
Surya Namaskar is a yogic practice done in reverence to the sun. Research shows several physiological and psychological benefits from Surya Namaskar when practiced regularly. They are performed as a series of 10 physical postures, flowing in a graceful, continuous sequence. The Surya Namaskar Yajna seeks to promote the practice and its benefits among all Americans aspiring for a fit body and balanced mind.
Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively participated in the Yogathon through Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges, and also as individuals. Regardless of their faith and belief, these participants have performed over four million Surya Namaskars over the past several years. This is a testament to the success of the Yogathon in achieving diversity and inclusion in communities nationwide while promoting public health and well-being equitably.
Acknowledging this, community leaders and elected officials across the nation also appreciate this initiative and encourage their residents to participate in the Health for Humanity Yogathon and benefit from a healthy lifestyle. The Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It also found recognition in the Congressional records in 2017. The “Let’s Move” initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012 in cognizance of the Yogathon.
About Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS):
HSS is a 501(c)(3) voluntary non-profit cultural organization with over 230 chapters across the United States. HSS organizes service activities and community outreach projects to promote discipline, self-confidence, teamwork, and the spirit of selflessness. HSS also fosters a dynamic and flourishing Hindu-American community through civic duty, responsibility, and volunteerism, instilling lasting pride in Hindu heritage among its members. Learn more at www.HSSUS.org.
HSS Announces sixteenth Annual Health for Humanity Yogathon
ROCKAWAY, NJ, USA, January 6, 2023 — Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) announces the sixteenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY) event. This event will begin on January 14, 2023, and end on January 29, 2023. It is a nationwide event where participants across genders, races, ethnicities, nationalities, and faiths enthusiastically join, thus making it a truly nationwide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) event.
Surya Namaskar is typically done to honor the Sun, and it is believed to have a number of physical and mental benefits. Suryanamaskar Yajna is a type of Yogathon involving the practice of Surya Namaskar, a series of 10 physical postures traditionally performed in sequence as a form of yoga. The practice of Surya Namaskar involves moving through a series of poses that flow together in a graceful, continuous sequence.
Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively taken part in Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges. Regardless of individual faiths and beliefs, enthusiasts have participated and collectively performed over four million Surya Namaskars.
Acknowledging this community-wide health awareness program, community leaders and many elected officials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle. Health for Humanity Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It was recognized as a part of Congressional records in 2017. Acknowledging the community benefits of this initiative, the Let’s Move initiative of then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012.
HSS Announces 15th Annual Health for Humanity Yogathon
ROCKAWAY, NJ. January 12, 2022 – Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) announces the fifteenth annual “Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon” or “Surya Namaskar Yajna” (SNY). This 16-day event will begin on January 15, 2022, and end on January 30, 2022.
The sun is the source of energy for all life on earth. Surya Namaskar is a combination of yoga postures, called “āsanā(s),” performed in a pre-determined sequence in appreciation of this precious solar energy. Surya Namaskar integrates simple Yoga postures in ten steps that, along with easy breathing techniques, can provide immense health benefits to both the body and the mind.
Since its inception in 2007, participants from 43 states have actively taken part in Yoga centers, community organizations, schools, and colleges. Regardless of individual faiths and beliefs, enthusiasts have participated and collectively performed over four million Surya Namaskars. Community leaders and many elected officials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle. Health for Humanity Yogathon has received numerous proclamations from American mayors, governors, US Congressmen, and US Senators. It was recognized as a part of Congressional records in 2017. Acknowledging the community benefits of this initiative, the Let’s Move initiative of the then First Lady Michelle Obama declared HSS as a partner in 2012.
This program is open to all people. For questions or suggestions, please email [email protected].
Details of this event, training resources, and advertising aids to make this project successful are available on the official HSS SNY website: www.hssus.org/sny.
