Yoga connecting world, says Modi as millions stretch and bend

LUCKNOW, India – Agence France-Presse

Yoga has connected the world with India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on June 21, as he rolled out his mat along with millions of others across the globe to celebrate the ancient practice.

Enthusiasts across India rose at the crack of dawn, many braving monsoon showers, to mark the third International Yoga Day.

Celebrity yoga guru Baba Ramdev claimed to have set a new world record for the largest yoga session by gathering more than 300,000 practitioners at an open-air ground in the western city of Ahmedabad.

Officials from Guinness World Records were checking data from the event, but if confirmed, the numbers easily beat the previous record set two years ago in New Delhi with 36,000 participants.

This year, police in New Delhi closed roads to make room for a mass yoga session held amid tight security in the heart of the capital.

India’s prime minister, a teetotal vegetarian who practices yoga daily, led some 50,000 people in an early-morning session in Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

“Many countries which do not know our language, tradition, or culture are now connecting to India through yoga,” Modi said in an address to the crowd.

“Yoga connects body, mind and soul. It is playing a big role in bringing the world together too,” he said after performing various poses.