A National Yoga Player and Gold Medalist, D. Haritha Devagadhi has been practicing Yoga since 2017. Inspired by Baba Ramdev's show, D. Haritha started practicing yoga at Universal Yoga Academy. She has participated in various competitions, including the cluster level and nationals, and has won gold medals in regional and national competitions. D. Haritha believes that devoting one hour to co-curricular activities every day is beneficial for everyone and encourages other young sports stars to give their best to their co-curricular activities.

The Initiation

Pursuing a BSc with Honors in Allied Health Sciences, D. Haritha is a student of Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research Centre in Porur, Chennai. Apart from her studies, she began practicing yoga at the age of thirteen in 2017 and has been on this path for eight years. She did not know anything about yoga when she was in her first year, but when she witnessed other youngsters having flexible bodies due to yoga, she too grew interested in the same. She explains that every morning at 4 a.m., Baba Ramdev's show would air on the Vijaya TV channel, and she would watch it and follow the asanas and postures. When her mother observed this, she encouraged her to take yoga classes under yoga guru Vijay Mohan Rao.

Gurus & Role Models

Her master's name is P Vijay Mohan Rao, an Asian level jury member, and she practices yoga at Universal Yoga Academy under his supervision. He trained her exceptionally effectively, enabling her to compete at the nationals four times. Her guru subjects all the pupils to rigorous training and requires them to do the asanas flawlessly. Her master's rigorous training has helped her progress and become better. D. Haritha does not consider a single individual to be her role model because she has drawn inspiration from numerous people on her yoga path who are incredibly flexible and she too aspires to become like them. Many individuals, including her seniors, have been featured in the Guinness World Records and become renowned as a result of their yoga feats, and she has benefited from observing them, she adds. She also thanks her father for his constant encouragement and motivation.

The Talent

According to D. Haritha, there are several different styles of yoga, including Hatha Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga consists of eight stages: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. She mostly performs asanas and pranayamas among the eight stages, with an emphasis on flexibility. Besides, she was initially frightened of engaging with and meeting other people, but after starting yoga, she has made several contacts as she travels to various tournaments. Her social connections have increased as a result of her yoga practice, and she now feels more at ease mentally. She used to be quite short-tempered, but after starting yoga, she has become less angry, and her academics have improved significantly.

Achievements

D. Haritha competed in a cluster level tournament in 2018 and earned the silver medal at the regionals. Then she got selected for the nationals. When she was in tenth grade, she earned a gold medal in a regional competition and advanced to the nationals. She has also competed in the NYSF competition up to the national level, where she secured first place at the state level and fourth place at the national level in 2023, according to the Yoga Federation of India. Aside from yoga, she has also mastered the fundamentals of Karate and Silambam.

A Bit More

According to D. Haritha, many parents believe that co-curricular activities are secondary and that education should take precedence, but she believes that committing one hour to co-curricular activities every day is not harmful. Additionally, your intellect will gain clarity and freshness with such activities. She explains that even when she was in the tenth grade, she attended yoga lessons on alternating days in the early morning. She used to practice and study together to achieve high grades in her tenth grade. D. Haritha claims that she always follows her father's guidance and words: 'Give the judges as much as they need, no more, no less.' So she concentrates on delivering or doing everything the judge requests. She tells the other young sports stars to never give up on their favorite co-curricular pursuits and to give them their all.