First International Yoga Day celebrated

Above: Guests doing yoga at Indian wellness retreat Ananda in the Himalayas

The inaugural International Yoga Day was held on Sunday, June 21. 

The day, underpinned by a United Nations resolution supported by 175 countries, saw mass yoga sessions take place all over the world. 

More than 35,000 people gathered for outdoor yoga on the Rajpath boulevard in New Delhi, India. 

The yoga session was lead by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who brought the suggestions of an international day of yoga to the UN in September last year. 

The resolution was subsequently adopted by the UN on December 11, 2014. In an official statement, UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon said: 

“Yoga is an ancient discipline that has grown in popularity to be enjoyed by practitioners in every region.

By proclaiming 21 June as the International Day of Yoga, the General Assembly has recognised the holistic benefits of this timeless practice and its inherent compatibility with the principles and values of the United Nations.” 

Millions of people across the globe are believed to have participated in the first-ever International Yoga Day. 

Other locations around the world where yoga-related classes and events were held on Sunday include New York, London, Bangalore, Taiwan, Paris and Beijing, to name just a few. 

June 21 was chosen as International Yoga Day because, as the date of the summer solstice, it is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.