News Notes
On New Year’s Eve, many of us make resolutions to be fit in the new year and motivate ourselves to inculcate fitness into our daily routine. People go out and sign up for gym memberships to make this a reality. Volunteers of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) say that there is also a very simple and cost-effective way to achieve fitness, through a Yogic practice called Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations).
HSS, working with the Indian diaspora, organized the 17th annual SNY – Health for Humanity Yogathon, a 15-day event (January 14 – 29, 2023) wherein hundreds of trained HSS volunteers conducted events to teach the yogic practice of Sun Salutations and explained the benefits of doing this fitness regime daily.
Yoga/Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) has provided an easy way and hope for everyone to stay fit. Without spending any money, one could stay fit by practicing this ancient Yoga technique. All you need is some space and a Yoga mat. Sun Salutations that consist of 10 simple yoga postures and breathing can be done by everyone with normal health.
In the Greater Charlotte/Columbia (SC) areas, hundreds of participants that included men, women and kids thronged the events to learn sun salutations. To keep the momentum and regularity, volunteers arranged for several online sessions during weekdays/weekends to motivate participants to learn and practice this yoga.
Anup Agarwal (Coordinator, SNY Yogathon – HSS Greater Charlotte) stressed the need to keep oneself fit throughout the year. He stated that research has already proved that Surya Namaskars has great health benefits and it hardly 15-20 minutes a day to keep fit in this busy schedule. Not only do we burn calories, but it is an easy and simple way to fight obesity and balance all the metrics of the human body. Surya Namaskars should be performed early in the morning for maximum benefit, and they help us keep a balance of body, mind, and spirit.
Several schools (EndHaven, Elon Park Rea Farm, McKee, Cabarrus Early College) in the greater Charlotte area also supported this by requesting HSS volunteers to teach Sun Salutations to their school children. HSS volunteers also taught chair yoga and breathing techniques to participants who cannot do rigorous fitness regimes.
For more information on HSS, visit hssus.org.
