Day 7 - Hindu Youth Group

Fri, 7th Aug 2009 - Our theme for the week of study is "I am a Hindu and I ...". Each camper had to finish that sentence based on what they learnt. The older campers had to write 30 statements of "I am a Hindu and I ..." and the younger ones 15 statements.

Click here to see all the PHOTOS from the 2009 Hindu Youth Camp.

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Day 6 - Hindu Youth Camp

Thurs, 6th Aug 2009 - Each day begins with an hour of Hatha Yoga and guided meditation. All the campers are able to do each of the 24 poses that they've learnt. They also learn pranayama (breath control) and meditation. The photo above shows Easan Katir teaching a hatha yoga class in the morning.

The teachers have also been focused on teaching the campers about the practical aspects of Hinduism that can be applied in their daily life.

Day 5 - Hindu Youth Camp

Wed, 5th Aug 2009 - This morning some of the boys at camp went through the sacred thread ceremony. One of the priest from the Sri Venkateswara temple came to perform the ceremony. In the evenings we have question and answer sessions. These sessions are sometimes held outdoors. The top photo above shows Dandapani with the group of older campers enjoying a deep conversation about Hinduism.

Day 4 - Hindu Youth Camp

Tues, 4th Aug 2009 - More classes this morning and we covered topics such as visiting a Hindu temple, chakras, gurus. After lunch all the campers went on an excursion. Dressed in fine Hindu clothing they visited the Sikh temple, the Hindu-Jain temple and the Sri Venkateswara temple, all in Pittsburgh.

Click here to see the latest photos (scroll to the bottom of the gallery).

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Day 3 - Hindu Youth Camp

Click here to watch a video of the youth camp participants singing devotional songs during an evening class.

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Day 2 - Hindu Youth Camp

Day 2, August 2nd, 2009 - Today began the first day classes. The morning started with a 1-hour Hatha Yoga and Pranayama class. This was followed by breakfast then classes from 9am to noon. The text book being used at the camp is called "What is Hinduism?" which is published by Himalayan Academy.

Click here to see PHOTOS from some of the classes held today.

Sri Easan Katir taught in his classes the first chapters of the book which are "Hinduism, the greatest religion in the world" and "The 4 denominations of Hinduism". Sri Dandapani covered the deeper meaning behind the practice of Hatha Yoga and pranayama so that the children have a solid understanding of what they practiced this morning at 7am.

Day 1 - Hindu Youth Camp

Day 1, Aug 1st, 2009 - 96 Hindu youth gather at the Slippery Rock University campus for a week long youth camp organised by the Sri Venkateswara temple of Pittsburgh. Here are some of them outside their building of residence. Today is orientation day and tomorrow begins the first day of classes. Their teachers for the week long camp are Sri Easan Katir from California and Sri Dandapani from New York.