Bengaluru: Sree Thanuja has been selected for the ‘Yoga Queen’ honour at the Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 – Season 2, recognising her inspiring journey of resilience and service, and her sustained efforts in empowering women through yoga, mindfulness, and emotional strength.
The award ceremony is being organised by Team Abhaya, in association with the Bangalore Sports Lovers Association.
Award ceremony details
- Event: Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 – Season 2
- Category: Yoga Queen
- Venue: Alliance Française de Bangalore Auditorium
- Date & Time: Friday, 6 March 2026, 5.00 pm onwards
A journey shaped by responsibility and resilience
Raised in a nuclear family, Sree Thanuja’s life was shaped early by responsibility and adversity. At the age of seven, she faced a life-altering phase when her mother suffered a severe fire accident, while her father, a sales manager, was frequently away on work across states. These circumstances compelled her to shoulder household responsibilities at a tender age, nurturing independence, emotional maturity, adaptability, and a deep understanding of human behaviour.
Her mother’s resilience became a guiding force in her life, instilling values of patience, commitment, adjustment, and a strong belief in education and lifelong learning. Encouraged by this environment, Sree Thanuja explored multiple art forms including Mandala, Madhubani, Warli art, painting, and crochet. Her dedication to crochet culminated in the achievement of three Guinness World Records, a rare distinction that reflects discipline, perseverance, and creative excellence.
From personal loss to purposeful healing
An MBA graduate by qualification, Sree Thanuja’s life took a profound turn in her early thirties following a severe ligament tear that left her physically incapacitated. This phase coincided with the loss of her father and a close friend’s accident, plunging her into depression and serious health challenges.
In search of healing, she turned to yoga—initially as therapy, and gradually as a transformative life practice. The physical recovery soon evolved into emotional and mental renewal, inspiring her to pursue professional training in yoga and clinical nutrition.
Empowering women through yoga and mindfulness
Drawing from lived experience, Sree Thanuja developed life coaching skills and began guiding others through yoga, meditation, motivation, and self-awareness. She started writing short motivational reflections for women struggling with emotional distress related to family life, marriage, financial insecurity, and self-worth. These reflections became a source of daily positivity for many, gradually leading women towards yoga and meditation practices.
Today, she dedicates nearly seven hours daily to teaching yoga and meditation. Her work focuses on helping women build emotional awareness, inner balance, resilience, and self-trust—qualities she believes are essential for true empowerment.
Supported by her husband and inspired by her two children, Sree Thanuja continues to lead by example, firmly believing that empowerment begins within and radiates outward to families and society at large.
The Yoga Queen honour at the Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 recognises her remarkable transformation from personal adversity to purposeful service, and her unwavering commitment to uplifting women through holistic well-being.
