India Post News Service

NEW YORK: Three young volunteers of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) New York Units- Suraj Bassit 17, Piyush Satapathy, 26, and Rudra Upadhyaya 24, individually performed over 800 Surya Namaskars (Sun Salutations) here last week.Piyush and Rudra individually performed 825, 832 and 845 Surya Namaskars in the unique Yoga Marathon called Surya Namaskar Yagna i.e. SNY, in Surya Narayan Mandir - New York area.

Overall, 65 people participated in and performed 12,618 Surya Namaskars on that day.Queens, a New York suburb, also held a three-hour Surya Namaskar Mini-Marathon. Over all, 18 people from varied aged groups participated in the event and managed to do 3,049 Surya Namaskars within the three hours. According to Vasant Pandav, an HSS source, Woburn, MA made an excellent start to the Surya Namaskar Yagna. Around 25 people of all ages from 5 to 60 participated and completed over 2500 Surya Namaskars in two mini marathons while in Tampa, FL started SNY with 12 hour marathon from 7 am to 7 pm. Over 65 people attended the SNY.

Sixteen year old Akash Belsare and 10 year old Deena Singh completed 338 each followed by 20 year old Joel Brown. Shraddha Belsare and Vijay Singh completed 268. Total 4576 Surya Namaskars were performed. In Atlanta, GA, HSS had the same activity conducted on January 19 from 9:30 am - 6:30 pm in all of its five shakhas and completed 4171 Surya Namaskaars with 125 people participating. Piyush, a kishore, completed 125 Namaskars. In Houston TX, the HSS organized one and a half hour marathon in a public park.

It was done along with the kite flying festival on the occasion of Makarsankranti. Over 160 people from different organizations participated in 10 sets of Surya Namaskars. A total of 5200 SNs were performed. Makar Sankranti, when the Sun enters Makar raashi and Ratha Saptami falling on the 7th day of the bright moon cycle of Magh are two festivals related to the Sun god. HSS - USA utilized the period around these two festivals to launch a nationwide Surya Namaskaar Yagna. It seeks to introduce to the mankind a proven Hindu way of good health through Yoga.

The theme is "Health for Humanity". This year over 130 units are participating in the Yagna with a goal to have 7000 people performing 1 million Surya Namaskars (aahutis) in 16 days starting January12 and concluding on the Poornaahuti Day on January 27. Surya Namaskar Yagna is to introduce the practice of Yoga in our daily life to help achieve health of mind, soul and body. Two cities from Midwest, Bloomington IL and Normal IL, and Tulsa OK have made a proclamation declaring the Poornaahuti Day (concluding day) of yagna as a 'Yoga Day'.