Shishu
The youngest little ones, taking their very first steps into the circle — usually alongside a parent, through play, song and gentle movement.
The shakha & our practice
Activities
Almost everything HSS does happens through the shakha — a warm, weekly gathering for the whole family, built around a gentle rhythm of body, mind and heart. Here is what to expect.
The shakha (branch) is the beating heart of HSS — a weekly gathering, usually about an hour and a half to two hours, where children, youth and elders take part side by side.
A shakha is not a class you enrol in or an audience you sit in. It is a living circle. Families arrive together, greet one another, and move through a simple, time-honoured sequence of activities — some for the body, some for the mind, and a quiet moment of prayer for the well-being of all. Children learn by doing and by watching the grown-ups around them; adults find, in the company of others, that the values they hold dear are easier to live when they are practised together.
There is no fee to take part, and there is no test of belief at the door. A shakha is meant to feel less like an institution and more like an extended family meeting once a week — unhurried, joyful and open to everyone who shares our values.
Weekly
A gathering you can return to
~1.5–2 hrs
Unhurried time together
All ages
Children to elders, as one family
No fee
Volunteer-run, open to all
The rhythm of a shakha
Three gentle movements — body, mind and heart
Wherever HSS gathers in the world, a shakha follows the same familiar flow. It moves from the physical, to the reflective, to the prayerful.
Sharirik · Physical
We begin with the body
Gentle warm-ups, yoga and Surya Namaskar (sun salutations), followed by joyful team games (khel) like kabaddi and kho-kho. Play builds fitness, alertness, fair play and quiet discipline — and, above all, it dissolves the distance between strangers.
Bauddhik · Intellectual
We nourish the mind
Short talks and discussions, stories of inspiring figures from our shared heritage, and songs (geet) sung together. This is where values are named and reflected upon — where character takes shape through conversation.
Prarthana · Prayer
We close with prayer
We end standing together for the Vishwa Prarthana — a universal prayer offered not for ourselves alone but for strength, character and knowledge in the service of all humanity, and for peace across the whole world.
Sharirik
Caring for the body
The physical portion opens the shakha. It begins gently — light stretches and warm-ups — and moves into yoga and Surya Namaskar, the flowing sequence of sun salutations that limbers the body and steadies the breath.
Then come the games — khel. Traditional team games like kabaddi and kho-kho ask for speed, teamwork and quick wits, while sports and relays get everyone laughing and moving together. There is no bench: a nine-year-old and a grandfather can end up on the same side.
None of this is about athletic prowess. Play is how a shakha teaches, almost without words, the habits of discipline, alertness, fair play and standing shoulder to shoulder.
Bauddhik
Nourishing the mind
Once bodies are warmed and spirits are high, a shakha turns reflective. The intellectual portion makes room for short talks and discussions — on values, on questions that matter, on how to live well and treat others rightly.
Much of the teaching comes through stories: accounts of role models and inspiring figures — sages, reformers, and everyday people of courage and compassion — drawn from our shared heritage and from the wider human family. A well-told story lodges a value in the heart more surely than any lecture.
And there is geet — songs sung together. Singing in one voice is its own quiet lesson in unity, and it sends everyone home humming.
Prarthana & the Bhagwa Dhwaj
A prayer for the whole world
We close each shakha standing together for the Vishwa Prarthana — a universal prayer.
It is deliberately not a prayer for any one people or nation. We bow first to Mother Earth, and then ask for strength of body, nobility of character and clarity of knowledge — not for our own sake, but so that we might serve the timeless, universal Dharma and help bring peace to all the world. It ends with a single, joyful affirmation:
विश्व धर्म की जय
Vishwa Dharma Ki Jai — “glory to the universal, righteous order that upholds all.”
At the heart of the gathering stands the Bhagwa Dhwaj — the saffron flag, the colour of the rising sun, of fire, of sacrifice and renunciation. In HSS the flag is revered as the Guru: not a living teacher, and not any single leader, but an impersonal, timeless ideal.
By offering respect to a symbol rather than to a person, we remind ourselves that no individual stands above the community, and that what we serve is greater than any one of us — the enduring ideals of knowledge, discipline, service and selfless dedication that the saffron colour has represented for centuries.
A place for every age
The shakha grows with you
One of the quiet joys of a shakha is that no one ages out of it. Activities are gently tailored to each stage of life, yet everyone shares the same circle.
Bala
Children — the heart of Balagokulam, where heritage and values come alive through games, yoga, stories, bhajans and crafts.
Kishor & Tarun
Teenagers and young adults — building leadership, confidence and identity, and slowly taking on responsibility for running the shakha itself.
Adults
The swayamsevaks and sevikas — men and women who give their time freely, guide the young, and live the values they hope to pass on.
Balagokulam
Where children fall in love with their heritage
The word Balagokulam evokes Gokul — the joyful village of Krishna's childhood — and that is exactly the spirit we hope to create for children: a bright, playful world where learning never feels like a chore.
Through games, yoga, storytelling, bhajans, arts and crafts, children explore the values, festivals, languages and wisdom of their heritage — and, just as importantly, make firm friendships. They discover that being rooted in who they are is a source of confidence, not a thing set apart from their life here in the Philippines.
Balagokulam is always run with care for children's safety and comfort, and little ones take part alongside their parents, because the surest way to learn good values is to see the grown-ups you love living them.
Bring your children alongYoga & Surya Namaskar
Health for humanity
Yoga and Surya Namaskar — the sun salutation, a graceful cycle of twelve postures — are woven into every shakha, and they are also among the simplest ways HSS shares something good with everyone around us. No belief and no experience are required; a mat and an open mind are enough.
Each year, HSS communities around the world take part in the Health for Humanity Yogathon (Surya Namaskar Yajna) — a friendly, weeks-long drive, running from around Makar Sankranti in mid-January into early February, in which people log the sun salutations they complete, together totalling millions. And every 21 June, the International Day of Yoga is observed the world over.
In 2026, volunteers here in the Philippines joined an International Day of Yoga observance in Makati — an early, modest step, and a glimpse of what a local practice can grow into.
Seva in action
Service, offered without expectation
Seva — selfless service for the benefit of all — is not a separate program bolted on to the shakha. It is the natural outflow of everything we practise. Nar Seva, Narayan Seva: to serve people is to serve the divine.
Caring for others
Visiting and supporting elders, welcoming newcomers, and lending a hand to neighbours and families who are going through a hard time.
Community & the environment
Clean-up drives, tree planting, food and blood drives, and health and yoga days — small acts, done together, that leave a place better than we found it.
Relief, near and far
In times of disaster, HSS communities support relief efforts worldwide, often working alongside Sewa International, an independent affiliated service network.
Our local seva is just beginning
The examples above show the spirit of seva as HSS practises it around the world. Here in the Philippines, our own service work is only starting to take shape — and it will grow directly from the interests and skills of the families who join us. If seva is close to your heart, we would love your ideas.
Utsavs through the year
Festivals that mark the turning of the seasons
An utsav (festival) is where the whole community celebrates together. Each one carries a meaning worth pausing over — a lesson in gratitude, courage, unity or renewal.
Makar Sankranti
The sun's turn toward longer days — a harvest festival of gratitude, warmth and fresh beginnings.
Holi
The festival of colours — the joyful triumph of good over ill, and of friendship over old grievances.
Varsha Pratipada
The Hindu New Year — a day of renewal, resolve and reflection on the year to come.
Guru Purnima
A day of gratitude to our teachers and to the wisdom passed down through the generations.
Raksha Bandhan
Marked as Universal Oneness Day — a thread of protection and a promise of care that reaches beyond one's own family to all.
Vijaya Dashami & Diwali
Victory of the good, and the festival of lights — the reminder that even one small lamp can push back a great deal of darkness.
Youth & camps
Room to lead, grow and belong
For teenagers and young adults — our Kishor, Tarun and Yuva groups — the shakha becomes a place to lead, not just take part. Older youth plan activities, mentor the children, and find their footing as confident young people who are comfortable in their heritage and equally at home in the wider world.
Around the world, HSS also runs residential Hindu Heritage Camps — a few days away, filled with yoga, discussion, culture, teamwork and lifelong friendships. They are often the moment a young person's connection to these values truly clicks into place.
Youth activities in the Philippines are forming
We don't yet run local camps or a standing youth group here — but this is exactly the kind of thing a growing community builds together. If you are a young person, a parent, or someone who loves working with youth, your energy could help shape what comes next.
Join a shakha
Our shakhas have begun — come and take part
Here in the Philippines, HSS is a new and forming community, and we now hold two regular gatherings. Everyone is welcome, there is no fee, and you can simply come along.
Every Sunday · 9:00–10:30 AM
Main shakha — Paco, Manila
An all-ages family gathering at the Hindu Temple, Paco — yoga, games, songs, stories and a closing prayer, for children, youth and elders together.
Every Saturday · 5:30–7:00 PM
Chhatrapati Shivaji Shakha
For children and young people at the Crimarcel Basketball Court — named for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with games (khel), stories of courage and character, and good company.
Just come along — or message our pracharak (volunteer organiser) on WhatsApp at +63 915 857 5603 for directions.
Everyone is welcome
Come and see a shakha for yourself
Reading about it is one thing; taking part is another. There is no fee and no obligation — just a warm circle, a gentle rhythm, and a place for your whole family. Tell us where you are and we'll help you find your way in.