salute to the Sun

Brighton beach was witness to over a hundred people performing 108 divine salutes

If you happened to be driving past Brighton beach very early on Sunday February 24 an unusual sight would have greeted you. You would have witnessed a gathering of over 100 people performing the Surya Namaskar (salutations to the Sun). Hosted by the Vasudeva Kriya Yoga, the second Surya Yajna with 108 Surya Namaskars, was conducted amidst great enthusiasm at a park close to the beach in Brighton.

The stars were still out in the sky when the crowd gathered to face the sun at 5.30am. People of all ages and stages attended with the aim of completing 108 salutations with each session made up of 16 steps. In what could only be termed as a rapid fire round, the namaskars were completed with a 5-minute break in-between each session. By the end of two and a half hours, those who lasted the distance completed nearly 1728 steps (asanas).

The event started with a warm up exercise, and Rajendra Damodara Yenkannamoole from Vasudeva Kriya Yoga explained the meaning of the mantras and the importance of Surya Namaskar in maintaining good physical and mental health. “By doing Surya Namaskara, the energy level in the body increases, legs, hands and back are strengthened and fat is reduced. The practice detoxifies us, energises the internal organs and increases the capacity of our lungs. It is known to relax and de-stress the mind,” he stated.

According to Rajendra, there are immense benefits in doing the Surya Namaskara. “Our Prana Shakti increases, our radiance increases, it strengthens our immune system, eye sight improves, digestion improves, life span increases and our over all health improves. Above all we are invoking the grace of the Lord in the sun to illuminate our path,” claimed Rajendra.

Following the event Rani, one of the participants, said, “It was a spiritual experience not only for me but for the many people who were there: the power of pure collective consciousness was at its best during the pre-dawn hours! It is not possible to explain the divine experience, but most of us felt it. Further, I was able to complete all the rounds of Surya Namaskar, despite my physical condition. Surprisingly, no issues occurred with my right arm during and after the yagna! I was surprised with myself - the power of divinity as all of us dedicated our sadhana to Surya Bhagwan. Thank you again for creating this golden opportunity for us all, which was an experience of a lifetime.”

Vasudeva Kriya Yoga organisers hope to hold this free event in the future on an annual basis in Melbourne and attract a wider audience, including mainstream Australians. ramandeep Kaur