Yoga's global appeal: The many interpretations of an age-old practice

How far reaching and widespread-and amusing even-the mighty yoga’s spread is evident in these recent images from around the world. Hold a posture while browsing these

Curated By: Madhu Kapparath

Published: Jun 21, 2018

1/27

DELHI, INDIA - JUNE 21: Yoga practitioners gather at dawn in the inner circle of Connaught Place in New Delhi on International Yoga Day on June 21, 2017. The United Nations declared the 21st June as the International Yoga Day after adopting a resolution proposed by the Indian Government in 2017.

2/27

FENGXIAN, CHINA - MAY 27: An aerial view of yoga enthusiasts performing yoga exercises at a park on May 27, 2018 in Fengxian County, Jiangsu Province of China. Chinese President Xi may well be pleased, the formation resembles the organisational structure of the Chinese Communist Party itself.

3/27

SOCHI, RUSSIA - JUNE 16 : Jan Vertonghen defender of Belgium doing a yoga exercise during a training session of the National Soccer Team of Belgium prior to the FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia group G phase match between Belgium and Panama at the Fisht Stadium on June 16, 2018 in Sochi, Russia, 16/06/2018

4/27

It was a yoga course on the move for locals on the 10.03 local to Virar on World Yoga Day . Alighting at stations to change coaches and trains, a group of yoga teachers taught yoga techniques all day to people headed for offices and colleges. The initiative was led by Raksha Vadhaiya, who told The Hindu that she wanted to ‘break the cycle of hurry and worry in the local train’.

5/27

You may have mistaken this for a large artwork spread out to dry its inks by a well meaning Mumbai artist. It is merely students of N.H English Academy in the suburb of Mira Road in Mumbai taking a breather after performing on the Yoga Day.

6/27

A primal practice in the most primal of spaces found on Earth. Yoga enthusiasts take part in a class at the Samalayuca dunes, on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on April 28, 2018. The sands here are knee deep, and constantly shifting. Legendary accounts from 19th century speak of mules and wagon trains sinking to oblivion in these sands.

7/27

Can one concentrate on a posture while goats playfully nuzzle you or clamber on your back? Well, the classes which caught the world’s attention are all booked up at the five acre Jenness Farm in Nottingham, New Hampshire, U.S. (May 18, 2017)

8/27

Members of Indian Navy perform yoga on the flight deck of INS Viraat, an Indian Navy's decommissioned aircraft carrier during International Yoga Day in Mumbai, India (June 21, 2017)

9/27

Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev announced his plans to launch 10,000 wellness and health centres globally to popularise yoga. Ramdev’s Patanjali empire - a billion dollar consumer products business - is among the country’s fastest growing brands. (May 4, 2017)

10/27

"An experience to counter the effects of an overloaded and exhausted nervous system” is how an attendee described the "Yoga for Techies Meet Up" at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Film Interactive Festival 2017 in Austin, Texas, U.S. (March 12, 2017)

11/27

Congress attendee drawing with the Lenovo Yoga Book during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. And no, it can’t flex like a yoga mat, but don't rule that out yet. (February 28, 2017)

12/27

Taiwanese pop star Yoga Lin performs during 'The Great Yoga' world tour concert in Hong Kong, China. According to a reviewer, Lin’s abilility to ‘transfer emotions of detachedness at times and indescribable warmth at others suits the name Yoga perfectly.’ Huh? (June 17, 2017)

13/27

Yoga teacher Mahesh Yogiji attempting a world record for the longest yoga session in Ahmedabad, ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21. According to Guinness World Records, the longest yoga marathon undertaken by a man lasted 69 hours and was achieved by V Gunasekaran in Tamil Nadu in June 2016

14/27

People take part in a "Sup Yo, Boston" stand up paddle board yoga class on Fort Point Channel on International Yoga Day in Boston, Massachusetts, US. The challenge? Trying not to fall in, even if you're there for the love of water. (June 21, 2017)

15/27

Santa Jerry Julian of Colorado Springs, Colorado shows some yoga moves outside the Santa House in Midland, Michigan, U.S. The work as a Santa can be grueling, he sees as many as 15,000 kids in a season! (October 27, 2016)

16/27

Dolly Singh, a yoga enthusiast is proudly breaking down body image stereotypes in India. This 34 year old media professional began learning yoga after a doctor advised her to lose weight following an injury. And she’s now winning an army of admirers for her Instagram page, yogaforallmumbai, and her public yoga sessions in Mumbai

17/27

Wang Ruoyu, 37, poses with her new tattoo at Samurai Tattoo in Shanghai, China. Ruoyu had a caesarean delivery (C-section) because her baby weighed 4.25 kilo-grams at birth. She began practicing yoga for postpartum recovery and became a yoga coach. She chose the pattern of a crown with wings to cover the scar. (April 12, 2017)

18/27

A group of young people doing yoga at Etno Drum Fest, a festival of ethnic music and dance that attracts the fringe in Homolshansky nature reserve, Ukraine. (July 08, 2016)

19/27

Nepali mountaineer Min Bahadur Sherchan was 77 when he first climbed the Everest in 2008. In May this year, at the ripe age of 85, he was preparing to climb Everest again when he passed away at the base camp. He was amazingly fit and was photographed performing yoga in Kathmandu, Nepal. (April 12, 2017)

20/27

Hollywood actor Jackie Chan with Bollywood actor Sonu Sood and actress Shilpa Shetty during promotion of their action-adventure comedy film Kung Fu Yoga at JW Marriot in Mumbai, India. According to a HT film critic, the Chinese-Indian coproduction had a lot of kungfu and no connection to yoga! (January 23, 2017)

21/27

If the sight of a levitating yogi in the Krakow Central Square isn't causing any tourist to stop and gawk, blame it on the numerous websites that have laid bare the illusion trick! (3 April, 2017)

22/27

This is no illusion! Chinese yoga fans perform on a 2,000-meter high precipice on Laojun Mountain during Women's Day in Henan Province of China. According to China Yoga Industry Development Report, a first ever official study, affluent young women living in the city are behind the Yoga fever sweeping the country. (March 8, 2017)

23/27

A sadhu performs yoga on a branch of a tree in Allahabad. In ancient times, yoga was referred to as a tree, a living entity. (June 21,2017)

24/27

Muslim women perform yoga at an event to mark the International day of Yoga during the holy month of Ramadan in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (June 17, 2017)

25/27

It is what it says it is, finding your inner peace between body contorting stretches of an asana and the refreshing sip of an ice-cold beer. Participants in a beer yoga course at OMMO Studios Bangkok, Thailand. (March 25, 2017)

26/27

AcroJam is a sport that’s fast catching on in Sydney. A mix of acrobatics and yoga, it involves balancing on others, an act of trust. Here a yoga group named AcroJam Sydney perform in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art during the Vivid Sydney festival of light and sound in Sydney, Australia. (May 31, 2017)

27/27

Victoria’s Secret Angel Martha Hunt does a yoga leg lift in a head-turning lace and strap as they celebrate the Sexy Little Things Launch at the fashion destination Angel Oasis in Indio, California. Need we say more! (April 15, 2017)