Decennial celebration of Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Center, Ballari.

“The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.” Sometimes such seemingly random statements feel so appropriate and connect with us. Not intentionally kept a secret, nonetheless hidden, in the steel city of Bellary, a young and talented yoga master embarked on his journey in Iyengar Yoga, teaching, healing, and making his mark at

Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Centre.

Sri Virupaksha Dani’s Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Centre, which focuses on not just physical fitness but overall wellbeing, has completed a successful decade helping individuals from teens to elderly, across the globe, in their wellness journey. A disciple of the Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute, Pune, Sri Virupaksha Dani commenced his yoga journey at a very young age, received training from various senior Iyengar Yoga teachers and continues his

learning by participating in Iyengar Yoga camps in Pune, Bellur, and other centers. He started to share his knowledge by teaching Iyengar Yoga at Police Gymkhana, Bellary, and later established his own school - Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Institute, in Bellary in 2014. Over the past ten years, he helped many find relief from suffering caused by chronic pains and other discomforts, using advanced Iyengar Yoga props. Virupaksha’s quick wit and humour infuse a special positive energy into his classes. Rooted in the solid foundation of the Iyengar Yoga tradition, his sequences offer wide variety, allowing students to delve deeply into the diverse facets of yoga. Energetic and motivated, Virupaksha Dani invests his heart and soul into his yoga. His dedication inspires people from all facets of life to be drawn to Iyengar Yoga for a more fulfilling life.

To commemorate the center's ten-year anniversary, students and their families came together with Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Centre for a formal gathering on April 19th, 2023. The program commenced with a prayer by Miss Mouktika. Guru Virupaksha Dani and his family then graced the stage to light the lamp and offer prayers to Lord Patanjali. Mr. Srinivas Rao then introduced Sri Virupaksha Dani and Dr. Lalita and Smt. Lata Pola joined to honor him for his selfless service in guiding his students towards rejuvenation and healing. Sri Virupaksha Dani then spoke about his and the institution's journey and the support he received along the way from several well-wishers.

Celebrations continued with cultural programs - a mesmerizing Veena performance by Smt. Sunita Kollegal, Sri Ram Kiran, and Kum. Medhashree, enchanting the audience and transporting them into the realm of music followed by a Bharatanatyam ensemble by Dr. Veena, a student of Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Centre, and her students, captivating with beautifully synchronized Bharatanatyam dances.

The highlight of the tin anniversary was the yoga asana demonstration by Yogasree's students, showcasing the ease and practicality of incorporating yoga into daily life. This demonstration highlighted the knowledge and dedication of Guru Virupaksha Dani along with the respect and love for yoga by the students. The students who participated in the Yoga demonstration are Ranganath, Venkata Shivaiah, Srinivas, Praveena Dani, Vikram Kollegal, Sujata Pola, Madhavi, Ganga, Aparna, Sujata, Shakuntala, Vaishnavi, Suvarchala, Soujanya, Amith, Naveen, Asha, Prabha and Archana.

To engage the audience and make it more interactive, a fun and informative quiz was presented multiple times throughout the program, to bring awareness to various aspects of Iyengar Yoga. Those who answered correctly were rewarded with tokens of appreciation from Sri Virupaksha Dani. Adding to the festivities, young and energetic Miss Vibha Sharma and Miss Shreemayee Dinesh serenaded the audience with a few light-hearted songs.

A few students then shared their thoughts and the benefits they gained from practicing Iyengar Yoga.

Dr. Lalitha: Had developed severe back pain and was advised by many spine specialists to join Iyengar Yoga for therapy. Her back pain was reduced within a week of training under the guidance of Virupaksha Sir. Her fear of inversions eased and she could perform chair sarvangasana by following the online classes conducted during the lockdown period.

Smt. Vijayalaxmi: After L4 and L5 injury, made up her mind to avoid allopathic surgery and could rectify the same by practicing Iyengar Yoga under Sir’s instructions and guidance.

Smt. Aruna: As an IT professional, she used to work for long hours and had developed PCOD. By practicing Iyengar Yoga, she is able to sit in badhakonasana for extended period and feels rejuvenated and lively throughout the day.

Sri Praveen Dani: Native of a remote village in Karnataka, Praveen Dani, sir’s younger brother, expressed his gratitude for bringing him into the city and showing him a path to better life at Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Centre. He considers Virupaksha Dani his Guru, well-wisher, and a role model.

Finally, the vote of thanks was delivered by Sri Shivaiah who thanked the organizers, students, and guests present on the occasion.

The festivities ended with a sumptuous dinner; students and guests had the opportunity to mingle and share their experiences and learnings with each other. Laughter, gratitude, and reverence filled the atmosphere with shared love towards Yoga and Sir Virupaksha Dani.

Credits/Thanks:

The masters of the ceremony were Smt. Sujatha Pola and Smt. Lalitha Soruppu accompanied by Smt. Madhavi, long term student and well-wisher of Sri Virupaksha Dani. While the lamp and Patanjali Idol were decorated by Smt. Pola Sridevi, the audio system was handled by Mr. Praveen Dani. The live video coverage was handled by Mr. Arjun Pola. The stage, seating, and food counter was organised by Sri Nagabhushan, Smt. Ganga and a few students of Yogasree Iyengar Yoga Center.

The best part was, it didn’t end there… Sir Virupaksha Dani has students all over the world and those who were not able to join the celebrations in person got together online over a zoom session and shared their experiences and expressed their gratitude to Sri Virupaksha Dani and Iyengar Yoga Center for bringing the magic of yoga into their lives.

Sri Lakshmi Narayan (USA): Believed only in training at gym for healthy living. Once he got introduced to Sir at Hospet, he realized the essence of Iyengar yoga and became a staunch follower.

Sri Sumanth (IND): Sumanth, from Bangalore, was suffering from back pain and muscle stiffness from extensive workouts at the gym. After joining Sir Virupaksha’s online classes, he got relief from back pain and realised that his body is much more flexible than he originally believed. The Mantra of "listen to your body" worked wonders in his life.

Mr. Akshaj (USA): A 14 yr. old, national level badminton player from USA, could not play badminton due to a spine injury. He started Iyengar Yoga with Virupaksha Dani Sir, which helped him loosen the muscles and recover from his back pain. Akshaj got back to his badminton and also improved his flexibility and proper posture in day-to-day life.

Smt. Saritha (USA): Saritha had a spine injury in an accident, which resulted in acute back and leg pain and was even unable to sit or go through daily routine without pain. After joining the online class with Sir, she made quite a fast recovery but soon after, she discontinued the practice because of other commitments. Later, realising the importance of yoga, she returned to her yoga practice and is now experiencing good health with a beautiful frame of mind.

Smt. Sarada (IND): Even though Smt. Sarada practiced yoga and visited many doctors, she didn’t find a cure for her ailments. With the assurance of Sri Virupaksha Dani, she started attending online classes and was surprised and elated to be relieved from pain.

Smt. Manju Reddy (USA): Suffered from a low back injury and practiced yoga but was not able to find complete relief and had a fear of inversions. She trained under Virupaksha Dani Sir, able to correct her alignments and posture and broke through her fear to do inversions through online yoga sessions.

Smt. Madhavi (IND): Madhavi mentioned that Virupaksha Dani Sir had a mesmerizing voice while conducting the Yoga Nidra classes and his instructions will transfer our body and mind into a trance. She also had a belief that she could never perform the sirsasana in this birth but with Sir’s guidance and training, she could perform sirsasana within 6 months of her yoga sessions.

Smt. Sujata Pola (IND): Sujata believed that she knew all about yoga and needed no guru. Joining Yogasree Iyengar Yoga center was an eye opener. She soon understood the different facets of Iyengar yoga and this helped her in attaining much more flexibility, which resulted in her becoming a great fan of Sir and Iyengar Yoga. Yoga is not just Surya Namaskara, but there is much more to learn in depth.

Contributed by:

Smt. Sujatha Pola & Smt. Lalitha Soruppu