July 09 2026
Balli Balwinder: From a Punjab village to advancing Yoga education and Yogasana sport in the United States
(Jul 9, 2026) Balli Balwinder, Founder and President of the United States Yoga Association Inc. and the United States Yogasana Sports Federation Inc., has spent the past decade promoting Yoga education, athlete development and Yogasana as a competitive sport in the US.
In June 2026, Team USA returned from the First World Yogasana Championship in Ahmedabad with one gold and four bronze medals. As the athletes stepped onto the podium at the championship, which was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their success reflected years of institution building by Balli Balwinder who established two organisations in the United States in 2016 to promote Yoga education and Yogasana as a competitive sport. Over the years, he has focused on developing athletes, coaches and officials while creating structured pathways for Yogasana in the United States.
However, his own path to that role began far from sports administration. Raised in a farming family in Punjab, he first pursued Judo before recurring injuries redirected him towards Yoga. What started as rehabilitation gradually became an academic pursuit, an international teaching career across India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the US, and eventually the foundation of the United States Yoga Association Inc. and the United States Yogasana Sports Federation Inc. Through the two organizations, he oversees initiatives spanning Yoga education, athlete development, coach certification, referee and judge training, school partnerships, para Yogasana programmes and international collaborations.
“I did not choose Yoga. Yoga chose me. It transformed my pain into purpose, my challenges into opportunities, and my life into a lifelong journey of self-realization, service, and Dharma,” Balwinder remarks in a chat with The Global Indian.
Members of United States Yogasana team met with Deputy Consul General, Vishal J. Harsh before heading to the 1st World Yogasana Championship 2026 held in Ahmedabad from 4-8 June 2026.
Growing up where education required a daily walk
Balwinder Singh, popularly known as Balli Balwinder, was born in Guru Ki Wadali, a farming village near Amritsar, Punjab. His childhood reflected the realities of rural India in the early 1990s.
I was born into a humble farming family, where hard work, discipline and perseverance were part of everyday life. During my childhood in the early 1990s, our village did not have a school. Like many other children, I walked several kilometres each day to a nearby town to attend classes.
Balli Balwinder
Later, when his family moved to Chheharta in Amritsar, access to education became easier, but the discipline developed during those early years stayed with him. At Khalsa Senior Secondary School, he discovered another defining influence in the form of sport. Judo soon became more than an extracurricular activity. Representing his school at the Punjab School State Games, he secured second place, which opened the door to a more structured athletic training.
A promising Judo career interrupted by injuries
Balwinder’s performances earned him selection to the Punjab Sports Department’s Sports Fund Academy in Ludhiana, where he trained while living at the Guru Nanak Stadium Sports Hostel. The academy years combined rigorous athletic preparation with academics. He completed higher secondary education at Arya Senior Secondary School while competing at increasingly higher levels.
Representing Punjab at the School National Games, he won a silver medal in Judo. Later, at Arya College Ludhiana, he added another silver medal at the Inter-College Judo Championship and qualified for the Inter-University Championship.
The trajectory, however, changed unexpectedly. Recurring injuries prevented him from competing at his highest level. Although he transferred to Khalsa College in Chandigarh, completed his Bachelor of Arts and won a bronze medal at the Inter-College Championship, the physical setbacks continued. Eventually, repeated injuries brought his competitive Judo career to an end. “Although it was a difficult to leave Judo, it opened the door to a new purpose when I discovered Yoga,” says Balwinder.
Balli Balwinder with Team USA medal winners at the First World Yogasana Championship
Finding a new direction through Yoga
Yoga first entered his life as part of recovery. What initially began as rehabilitation gradually developed into a long-term academic and professional pursuits. To deepen his understanding, he enrolled at Punjabi University, Patiala, completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Consciousness and Yogic Science. “From a practice for healing, Yoga became a lifelong path of personal growth, education and service.”
He later earned a Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed.).Yogic Science. Alongside formal education, he continued expanding his knowledge through professional certifications covering nutrition, exercise science, anatomy, stress management, mental toughness, fitness instruction, anxiety intervention and evidence-based wellness practices.
Teaching Yoga in Punjab
Balwinder’s professional teaching journey started at Shri Ram Ashram Senior Secondary School in Amritsar. Working with students introduced him to a broader dimension of Yoga beyond individual practice. The classroom became a place to integrate physical education, healthy habits and structured learning.
The experience also reinforced an idea that would later shape his organisations that Yoga education could become more effective when delivered through organised programmes and institutional partnerships.
Teaching Yoga in Thailand and Vietnam
Seeking international exposure, Balwinder moved to Pattaya, Thailand, joining the internationally recognised Fairtex Sports Club as a Yoga instructor. The assignment introduced him to multicultural classrooms and different approaches to health and fitness.
During this period, he also volunteered at the First Asian Yoga Championships, gaining experience in organising international Yoga events and observing the emerging competitive dimension of Yogasana. While working overseas, he continued his education, completing his Master of Physical Education through distance learning.
His next move took him to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he became Yoga Coordinator at California Fitness & Yoga Center. Teaching members from different cultural backgrounds expanded his understanding of corporate wellness, fitness instruction and community health. These experiences also prompted a shift in perspective.
Balli Balwinder with his students in Vietnam
Promoting Yoga through two organizations in the United States
After several years working across Asia, opportunities took him to Connecticut in the United States, where he began focusing on institution building alongside Yoga education. By the time he moved to the United States, Balwinder had taught in three countries and observed that while Yoga was widely practised, structured pathways for teacher education,
Yogasana competition, and athlete development were still evolving during the time. To address the need in the United States, he laid the foundation of two organizations focused on education, governance, competition and community outreach. Both United States Yoga Association Inc. and the United States Yogasana Sports Federation Inc. that he established in 2016 seeks to create an ecosystem connecting education, sport and community engagement.
Teaching broadened my understanding of how Yoga can positively impact people from different cultures and backgrounds, inspiring me to think beyond teaching and toward building organizations that could promote Yoga on a much larger scale.
Balli Balwinder
Today, alongside leading the two nonprofits, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Yogic Science and continues professional development through courses in nutrition, exercise science, stress management and evidence-based fitness.
Balli Balwinder with Yoga enthusiasts in the United States
Vision beyond competitions
Balwinder sees Yoga education extending into schools, universities, recreation departments and community programmes. His approach combines education with organised sport, encouraging participation across different age groups and backgrounds. His organisations also emphasise professional development, technical standards and collaborations with institutions within and outside the United States.
My vision is to establish the United States as a global leader in Yoga education and Yogasana sport by developing world-class athletes, coaches, officials, educators and community programs while promoting health, discipline, excellence and international friendship through Yoga.
Balli Balwinder
A milestone at the first World Yogasana Championship
Years of organisational work translated into international representation when Team USA participated in the First World Yogasana Championship 2026, held in Ahmedabad, India. The championship marked an important moment for Yogasana as a competitive discipline.
While virtually inaugurating the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described it as the beginning of a new chapter for global sports, expressing confidence that Yogasana could eventually find a place in international sporting competitions. Held ahead of International Yoga Day, the championship brought together athletes from numerous countries, reflecting Yoga’s expanding global reach.
Continuing the journey
From a child walking to school in rural Punjab to an athlete, teacher, international instructor, nonprofit founder, sports administrator, and representing the United States in India, Balwinder’s journey has evolved through several distinct chapters.
Reflecting on the road ahead, Balwinder says, “Yoga has no beginning and no end. It is a way of life. My journey continues in service to humanity.”
As Yoga continues to gain recognition across education, health and organised sport, his work remains centred on creating pathways where learning, competition and community development can exist together under a shared framework.
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