Yoga on horses, at sea & with dogs: India celebrates International Yoga Day in strange places

International Yoga Day is stretching out across the globe as fans celebrate in some very creative and bendy ways. The most impressive examples were in India, the home of yoga, where even the dogs joined in on the flexible fun.

Indians celebrated the 5,000-year-old exercise at large and inventive events across the continent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the celebrations in Ranchi, Jharkhand, where 40,000 yogis gathered to practice alongside the limber leader. “Let our motto be – Yoga for peace, harmony, and progress,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga during a mass yoga event on International Yoga Day in Ranchi © AFP / Rajesh Kumar

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The Indian Army showed off a number of impressive poses high up in the mountains, with the stunning snowy Himalayas providing a beautiful backdrop.  

A huge crowd of Navy members gathered on the deck of the INS Ranvir to get their yoga on at sea, carrying out a large scale practice in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, while other Navy members stretched out on the deck of the INS Viraat in Mumbai. 

Members of the Indian Navy perform yoga on the flight deck of INS Viraat, Mumbai © Reuters / Francis Mascarenhas

The Border Security Force's equestrian team took yoga balancing to the next level when they performed stretches while on horseback in Gurugram, making them look more like an impressive circus act than a security team.

And only in India would the dogs be just as good at yoga as humans, as the BSF canines demonstrated when they showed off their impressive moves alongside their trainers in Jammu. It should come as no surprise that they nailed the ‘Downward Facing Dog’ stretch.

Yoga was practised inside the UN General Assembly hall in New York for the first time on Friday, where the packed room seemed to be enjoying a very energetic yoga session.

Buddhist monks take part in a yoga session at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, India © AFP / STR

The first International Yoga Day took place in 2015, after it was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) after being suggested by Modi.

Yoga promotes health, well-being, and the unity of the body, mind, and soul through stretches, breath control, and meditation.

A Sadhu or Hindu holy man performs yoga on a tree ahead of International Yoga Day on the banks of the river Ganges in Prayagraj, India © Reuters / Jitendra Prakash

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