Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas Gives Back to the Community

The Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) celebrated the 3-day Dallas Yoga Fest from June 16 to 18, 2023. This event was hosted to give back to the community due to the strong belief in philanthropy. The Temple and its parent organization JKYog, offered the gift of health, harmony, eco-friendliness, and sustainability, as an integral part of the mission to serve the community. The immensely successful event was characterized by diverse themes, ensuring that there was something for everyone – across all ages and ability levels.

Grand Inaugural Ceremony

Devotees at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas were eagerly waiting to welcome Swami Mukundananda back to Dallas. Swamiji was escorted into the Prayer Hall by devotees to the welcoming chants of a lovely Naam-Sankirtan, drumbeats, and claps of devotees. Little Gopis dressed up in traditional outfits lined up to sprinkle beautiful rose petals on Swamiji’s divine feet as he walked down the red carpet all the way toward the altar of Shree Radha-Krishna. Swamiji performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting to commemorate the inauguration of Dallas Yoga Fest 2023. They were then joined by other dignitaries who participated in the traditional Diya lighting followed by the Temple Aartis.

All the dignitaries stepped down the exquisite marble stairway into the courtyard filled with the festive beats of Tasha Dhol and a band of vibrant dancers. They lifted the spirits as high as the welcoming balloons. In another ribbon cutting, Swamiji and other members released hundreds of balloons into the bright summer sky.

Inspiration to Yoga

To mark the opening of the Yoga Festival, practitioners and members of JKYog’s Prem Yoga Wellness Community, presented a dance-cum-demonstration to highlight the spirit of yoga through a variety of poses. Their performance reflected how far each participant had progressed, highlighting the power of practice. They also demonstrated how yoga helped to fight the inner war to conquer the lower nature and embrace the higher nature. They showed how the discipline of yoga helped to control the mind, acknowledging and dedicating all outcomes to the Almighty. They ended with a demonstration of specific yoga poses and related benefits to inspire the community.

Themed Yoga, Meditation and Pranayama Sessions

Given that this was a Yoga Festival, there were numerous themed yoga sessions including ones focused on building strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, focus and concentration. There were a variety of options in location (e.g., outdoor yoga at sunrise and 108 Surya Namaskar at the crack of dawn), and in the type of yoga session, for example, Vinyasa flow, chair yoga, face yoga and laughter. There was even a special session for children with special needs and their parents.

There were sessions that were in the form of a workshop, for example, Science of Yoga, and a specific seminar on the Anatomy of Yoga. Additionally, there was a variety in the type of Pranayama and breathing techniques, for example, Ayurveda breathing, Ashtanga pranayama and meditation, and the art and science of breathing. Some sessions of Yoga, Pranayam and Meditation were open to individuals of all ages.

Enlightening Keynote by Swami Mukundananda

Swami Mukundananda’s Keynote Address was a much-awaited event. The huge CICE Hall was jam-packed with people really interested in the topic, “Yoga Beyond the Mat: Harmonizing the Mind, Body, and Soul.” Swamiji described the source of miseries – from one’s own body and mind, and from external sources including other living creatures and natural calamities. He also talked about the spiritual perspective on the source of miseries including how we have forgotten our true identity as a soul and how this false belief compounds into many other problems. Swamiji ended by presenting ways to satisfy the soul through true yog.

Holistic Health Workshops

Doctors representing different areas of expertise conducted the Holistic Health Workshops.

• Dr. Amit Guttigoli, TIPS President, kicked off the health seminars by providing an overview of the need to focus on a heart-healthy lifestyle. He emphasized a heart-healthy lifestyle through DREAM – Diabetes & Lipid Management, Reduce Hypertension, Eat Right & Exercise, Adequate Sleep, and Mind That Lifestyle & Mindfulness. This was the key takeaway message.
• Dr. Anand Rohatgi, a Cardiologist, focused on the importance of preventing heart disease and the myths related to the South Asian community’s belief systems.
• Dr. Sumana Gangi, an Endocrinologist, spoke about factors associated with Diabetes and focused on risk factors and false beliefs associated with risk management.
• Dr. Sunil Thummala, a Neurologist, exposed ways in which the medical community treats instead of curing diseases by attending to the symptoms instead of the true cause of diseases. He described how Vedic wisdom fits into health care for a healthy lifestyle.
• Dr. Ravindra Chandrasekhar, Sleep Expert, educated the audience about the science of good sleep, the link between sleep quality and major diseases like hypertension, diabetes, etc. He recommended nasal breathing as important for maintaining a healthy body and mind.
• Vaidya Ritu Bhalla presented major takeaways on pain management through Ayurveda: (1) Avoid going against natural cycles of the body in terms of eating, sleeping, drinking water, eliminating body waste, etc. (2) Understand your body type and eat accordingly, avoiding incompatible foods together; and (3) Give equal importance to mental health and sleep too.

Health Fair with Screening and Professional Consultation

The Dallas community had an incredible opportunity to partake in the special Health Fair that was an integral part of Dallas Yoga Fest. It was attended by approximately 200 people in a span of merely three hours. People from all ages and backgrounds benefitted from the free screening and professional consultations available on-site. The Health Fair was a generous offering by the qualified physicians of the Texas Indo-American Physicians Society, The Northeast Chapter (TIPS NEC). Twenty-six of their medical experts offered to serve the community through consultations in different specialties including Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, Endocrinology, Ophthalmology, Urology, Ob/Gyn, Geriatrics, Diet/Nutrition, Neurology, Gastroenterology, and Dentistry. They offered screening and tests to assess vitals, blood glucose testing along with HbA1C, oral dental screening, vision exams, and registration for bone marrow and low-cost mammograms.

Appreciation and Testimonials: Both participants and doctors deeply appreciated the wonderful initiative organized as part of the Dallas Yoga Fest in collaboration with TIPS. The Fair was also graced by the presence of Swami Mukundananda (founder of JKYog and Radha Krishna Temple).

• Swamiji commended the doctors on their selfless service to the community and appreciated their dedication to their profession. He expressed, “Fifteen percent of Indian origin are doctors and we have a huge number of folks that need help. It is good to see this service to the community. TIPS and we hope to continue this program.”
• Dr. Guttigoli, TIPS President, remarked, “Everything was very well organized. Made it very easy for us to come and start working. We were happy to see people lining up even before we opened. Getting blessings from Swamiji was very special. His talk was beautiful. Our appreciation and best wishes to the other volunteers and organizers as well.”
• Dr. Gangi, President-Elect, stated, “It was a rewarding experience. Helping folks with a lack of insurance and providing services such as blood sugar checkups – it is truly very rewarding to serve the community.”
• “Good experience. Doctors were very helpful.” (Surinder Saini, Participant)
• “Feeling great. Happy to see the organization. Good experience.” (Harshid Patel, Participant)
• “Great experience. Met with many doctors and all the guidelines have been provided. Thank you to all the organizers.” (Participant)
• “This was very well organized considering the scale. The Doctors were welcoming and very patient. Volunteers were amazing, with smiles on their faces, and very helpful. Lots of good specialties. Extremely happy and pleased. Radha Krishan Temple has aced it.” (Savidya, Participant)
• “Very nice, to see the community and how we are making a difference. It's good for folks from India. My dad needed a prescription and one of the docs helped me.” (Sachin, Participant)

The Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) and TIPS hope to make this collaboration an annual event for the benefit of the community.

Sustainability Summit with an Expert Panel

The Panel Discussion on the Sustainability Summit addressed many relevant points with regard to the need to focus on sources of renewable energy, reduce landfill waste, empower farmers in India, the Mothers-For-Mothers project to ensure biodiversity, and the initiatives to introduce sustainable projects around the world including the Odisha project of the Jagadguru Kripalu University which encouraged farmers to transition from chemical to organic farming.

The Panel Discussion on Sustainable Lifestyle included Swami Mukundananda, Dr. Raghavan Ramanan, and Dr. Meghana Tare. Each panelist and the moderator were accomplished scientists, well-versed in the issues that challenge a sustainable lifestyle. Between all the experts, some of the highlights included:

• How human consumption has outpaced the earth’s ability to replenish its resources leading to serious problems like unprecedented climate change, increases in greenhouse gas emission, and overuse of the resources which historically resulted in the extinction of early civilizations.
• How the wants of human beings have surpassed their needs leading to colossal waste, and the need to change the mindset to decrease the wastage of products that end up in the landfill.
• The true meaning of sustainability was discussed with respect to several things including the need for reduction in wastage of unusable products like electronic gadgets, plastics, and products that are non-biodegradable, that pollute the oceans and our land.
• The role of government and public policies were discussed in relation to projects to boost renewable sources of energy, decrease gas emissions, and conserve energy in the form of electricity, water, and other natural resources.
• The Paramount of all needs was to educate society to be responsible consumers, to adopt a mindset of sustainable consumption, to understand the cost-benefit ratio of products that conserve environmental resources, and to decrease the use of combustible fuel which increases greenhouse gases and leads to global warming and loss of biodiversity.
• Education was also critical to differentiate social equality from social equity, to infuse the value of “service” in businesses, and to engage in actions and policies that benefit the planet and people while leading to profit and a purposeful existence. Swamiji gave a new definition of the word billionaire. “A billionaire is one who impacts the lives of a billion people.”

Sustainability Contests Including Healthy Cooking

The Healthy Cooking Contest for adults was extremely popular with thirty participants from the DFW community. There were very creative recipes including a variety of salads, desserts, and snacks that represented eco-friendly cooking techniques.

Prizes for the winners of the People's Choice Awards for Healthy Cooking were awarded to four contestants: The first prize was tied between Purnima Potturi (for Multigrain Vegetable Oats Pancake) and Shweta Shah (for Pistachio Nankhatai and Granola Bars). Other winners included Preeti Malhotra (2nd prize) and Durgha Nattamai (3rd prize).

The Sustainability Contest was for school-age students. The Winners included Suhani Johri (11 years) who won the 1st prize on a water conservation project. The 2nd prize was bagged by Suhas Thirukonda (10 years), who created a project on Waste Reduction. 

All the contestants received a certificate for their participation.

Holistic Health Marketplace Expo, Fun Games for Children & Music Concert

Community vendors participated in showcasing a variety of products related to holistic health. These included nutrition, sustainability, chiropractic, and eco-friendly products as well as those related to meditation. They appreciated the opportunity to discuss with attendees.

Lots of kids participated in a variety of challenging games and fun activities during the day. The most popular activities were guided by the professional entertainer. There were different competition games for kids managed by the entertainer, who was very enthusiastic as he managed many kids at the same time. The other very popular activity was face painting and video games.

The musical concert was a feast for the senses. The highly skilled maestros, Shantanu Bhattacharya and Matt, both disciples of the legend Ustad Tari Khan, showcased their tabla (percussion) and guitar performances which touched the hearts of the audience. The performance was interspersed with some solo vocal performances.

Father’s Day Satsang & Celebration

The 3-day program ended with a very special Father’s Day Satsang with Swamiji. The event was filled with bliss and devotion as Swamiji’s rendition of a beautiful kirtan reverberated in the Prayer Hall as devotees and visitors drowned in the heart-warming lyrics, tune, and sentiments.

Swamiji’s lecture on the significance of Father’s Day – the need for souls to recognize and attach their minds to the eternal fathers (i.e., God and Guru), was deeply moving and helped to connect with the purpose of life. Swamiji described how spiritual aspirants need to implement the six aspects of intellectual surrender to God to accomplish the goal of God-realization.

Finally, the rain shower of little treats and candies by Swamiji left everyone in the highest spirits! Like little kids, adults too reveled in the delight upon receiving “prasad” from Swamiji.

The Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) would like to thank all the Yoga instructors, medical practitioners, volunteers, and above all, the participants of the Dallas Yoga Festival, who made this event a resounding success.

We are especially grateful to our annual sponsors Priya Living, Discount Power, DuPriest Pop, Radio Caravan, India Bazaar, Patel Brothers, Dallas Yoga Fest Sponsor Yellow Chillis and Health Fair Sponsor TIPS for their sponsorship. We also thank our community partners, IANT, HSS, Sewa International, USICoC, MKANT, Rotary Club, and Gujarati Samaj for their support.

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