Yoga-Yagna / Suryathon 2023 - Report

This year started with our usual Yoga Yagna held in the US, followed by concluding events held online, and also in-person events in the Bay Area and Dallas, Texas. Traditionally, the concluding event is held after a month of intense yoga sessions taught by enthusiastic teachers.  Over 200 people participated in the Yagna and over 100 people participated in the final day concluding event (online and in-person) in the combined SF Bay Area and Dallas events.

See under 2 min video below and scroll down for highlights about the two events:

Bay Area - Feb 18th, 2023

  • Over 70 people attended the session (in-person and online) and most of them completed 108 Surya Namaskars(SN)

  • The age group of in-person attendees ranged from 8 to 70 years!

  • The event coincided with Shivrathri, making it all the more memorable as many participants were fasting, including 8-year-old Avni Bellary!

  • Our youngest participant Avni (scroll for pictures below), while continuing her Shivarathri fast, cutely decided to save the cookies for the next day

  • Senior participants Smt.Shobha Joshi and Dr. Raji Ayyar practiced 108 SN with ease

  • We had announced competitions in different categories (men, women, and children). Scroll down for the results.

Dallas - Feb 26th, 2023

  • Over 30 participants attended the event braving the cold Texas winds

  • The age group of in-person attendees ranged from 8 to 86 years!

  • Srija, the 8-year-old elementary school student, and Tejas, Amruta, and Eesha, the middle and high schoolers, were among the youth who completed 108 SNs.

  • Sri.Sathyan Kalyandurg, Sri.Sunil Agarwal and Sri. Shukan Jain were among the seniors who participated in Suryathon.

Throughout both events, inspiring quotes were shared, and exciting quizzes were held to keep the momentum going. It was heartwarming to see this great synergy and meeting of ardent yoga practitioners.

Testimonial from our participants:

“I felt energized after each Surya namaskar session, just need to find a way to be regular in this rat race” - Ashika Jain

"I like the experience of practicing morning sessions with a vibrant group of instructors.” - Sheela V

“I was skeptical about doing 108 Surya Namaskars . I decided to try it with an open mind anyway. This was one of the transformational experiences for me personally. The difference it brought to my personal practice, physically and spiritually, is brilliant. My energy throughout the day was drastically big. The intoxication of positiveness it brought to my day was noticeably huge. “ - Vinutha R

Congratulations to the winners of the Yoga Yagna competition!! We have given awards for Yoga Yagna Protocol Compliance and also for Maximum total Surya Namaskars in a month

  • Avni Bellary - 1st among Children - Yoga Compliance and Maximum SN Count (730) - Special Mention

  • Sailaja Gavara - 1st among Women - Compliance and SN count (750)

  • Suman Bellary - 2nd among Women - Compliance and SN Count (712)

  • Ashok Medidi - 1st among men on Compliance and 2nd in SN Count (746)

  • Neel Sundaresan - 1st on SN Count (1094)

Our sincere thanks to all those who made these events possible. 

  • The online instructors did a fantastic job of guiding students and building their practice with confidence - Vinutha Nagaraj, Anusha Patil, Chaitanya Kalupukuri, Manjul Mishra, Latha Sathyamoorthy, and Veda Shreedhar 

  • The volunteers in Dallas who helped with the setup and making sure the event went smoothly - Rupa, Sheela, Sharat, Aruna, Dimple, Divya, Vidya, and young Amruta and Eesha

  • Shailesh Basani, the president of the Yoga Bharati-VYASA, Austin chapter, Texas, graced both SF Bay Area and Dallas events and practiced 108 SN in both states. 

  • At the Dallas event, among the community leaders and chapter leads who attended and participated in the event were Sri Sathyan Kalyandurg and Sri Sunil Agarwal of Yoga Bharati-VYASA Dallas and Sri Prashant Joshi of HSS. 

  • Dr. Sunil Thummala ji (MD, MBA. Board Certified Neurologist) graced the occasion in Dallas with his captivating and inspiring talk on the benefits of yoga in general and specifics on Suryanamaskars' benefits and what precautions to take during the practices.

  • Thanks to Dr. Dhanada Kulkarini from Ashtanga Ayurveda for your warm kashayam at Dallas.

  • Yogayush supported the event as well as helped with the monetary contribution 

  • Last but not least, the enthusiastic participation by all those who attended the event whether in person or online added to making this event memorable and fulfilling!

SF Bay Area Yoga Yagna

Participants of the Suryathon in Dallas.

Kalpana Thiyagarajan

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