Hindu YUVA, University of Washington

Surya Namaskar Yagna 2009 is over! A total of 22 participants took part over a period of 16 days to churn out a total of 6220 Surya Namaskars, which is well above our projected goal of 5000 Surya Namaskars. Well done!

The Yagna was concluded with a one and a half hour long marathon session in shakha on Sunday. People were divided into teams of three, and at least two people from each team were doing Surya Namaskars at any given time during the whole 1.5 hour session. The enthusiasm was infectious, and buoyed by it and bottles of gatorade, everyone did exceptionally well. A total of 2172 Surya Namaskars were done in this marathon session, with an average of about 150 Surya Namaskars per person. A goal of 10,000 Surya Namaskars seems reachable next year!

The goal of this yagna was to make people realize the importance of doing yoga regularly in our hectic lives. Hence, the yagna will be truly successful, only if you continue doing the surya namaskars daily, after perhaps a couple of days rest to those stretched hamstrings.

It has been our policy to have a community service event every quarter. Last year we organised a Food Packaging drive. This month we have decided to arrange a temple trip to the nearby temple in Bothell. The occasion this month happens to be Mahashivratri, a festival celebrated throughout Bharat with much fervour. You are welcome to participate as volunteer or as a devotee.

What ? Temple trip on the occasion of Mahashivratri

Where ? Hindu Temple and Cultural Center, 3818 212th ST SE, Bothell WA 98021 (425) 483-7115 (http://www.htccwa.org/)

When ? Feb 22, 2009 sunday at 6 pm

How much ? Free

This is a busy night for the temple so everyone is encouraged to volunteer in whichever way possible. If you wish to make prasadam you are welcome to do so.

It would be convenient for us if you can RSVP on the facebook event page

So make sure to mark your calendars. Let us know if you need or can provide car pools. We will need cars to transport students most of whom don’t own cars.

As planned we decided to have our social event at the Highland Ice Skating Arena. Ice skating was chosen because everyone wanted to do something new and adventurous. Most of us had no prior experience with ice skating so they were a bit anxious.

Getting into the skates can take some getting used to, as we realised. They need to be real tight to protect your ankles and get a good grip on the ice! (if that makes sense). We had arranged to take a group lesson from an instructor. She was friendly and warm and tried to help us out. But it took us a while to getting used to standing on ice on blades. We learnt a few basic moves like the scooter, the glide and the twizzles. Of course falling is a part of the game. But that only adds to the fun. Who dares wins!

While we were struggling on our feet little kids were zipping by us. Boy those kids sure learn fast. But for our first session we did good, I think so. Reminded us of our inner child and the energy within us waiting to sprout. It was a challenge for our bodies, which are normally used to typing at a keyboard and we had great fun exploring our own abilities. This is exactly what the event aimed for, a bit of an adrenaline rush and a learning experience instead of the usual stuff-yourself-like-a-thanksgiving-turkey at any Indian restaurant routine. We look forward to organising more such events and expect more people to join us.

Whats next ? Hmm… Watch out for the next announcement.