Indians stretch, breathe and balance to mark International Day of Yoga

NEW DELHI — Tens of thousands of people across India stretched in public parks and on sandy beaches Saturday to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga.

The mass yoga sessions were held in many Indian states, where crowds attempted various poses and practiced breathing exercises. Indian military personnel also performed yoga in the icy heights of Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas and on naval ships anchored in the Bay of Bengal.

Similar sessions were also held in countries including Malaysia and Indonesia.

''I feel that yoga keeps us spiritually fit, mentally fit and helps us manage stress. That's why I feel that people should take out at least 30 minutes every day for yoga to keep themselves fit,'' said Rajiv Ranjan, who participated in an event in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Yoga is one of India's most successful cultural exports after Bollywood. It has also been enlisted for diplomacy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has harnessed it for cultural soft power as the country takes on a larger role in world affairs.

Modi persuaded the U.N. to designate the annual International Day of Yoga in 2014. The theme this year was ''Yoga for One Earth, One Health.''

Modi performed yoga among a seaside crowd in the southern city of Visakhapatnam city, and said ''yoga leads us on a journey towards oneness with world.'' Amid a checkerboard of yoga mats covering the beach, Modi took his spot on a mat and did breathing exercises, backbends and other poses.

''Let this Yoga Day mark the beginning of yoga for humanity 2.0, where inner peace becomes global policy,'' he said.

As Modi has pushed yoga, ministers, government officials and Indian military personnel have gone on social media to show themselves folding in different poses.

In the capital, New Delhi, scores of people from all walks of life and age groups gathered at the sprawling Lodhi Gardens, following an instructor on stage.

''Yoga for me is like balancing between inner world and outer world,'' said Siddharth Maheshwari, a startup manager who joined the event.

In Malaysia, more than a thousand people, from yoga enthusiasts to first-timers, showed up for a session at the Batu Caves, a popular tourist attraction and site of Hindu festivals on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. People of all ages, including children, exercised next to a giant golden statue of a Hindu God and the rainbow-colored steps that lead to the temple cave.

The event was organized by the Indian High Commission in Malaysia.

''It has been really good and relaxing for the mind body and soul," said Lee Ann.

Tourists, students and yoga enthusiasts also rolled out their colorful yoga mats at sunset in a park near Nusa Dua Beach in Indonesia's resort island of Bali, which is home to more than 4 million people who are mainly Hindu in the mostly Muslim archipelago nation.

The event was organized by a government tourism agency and the Indian consulate in Bali.

''Yoga brings amazing benefits, especially to restore balance and calm a busy mind. This ancient tradition needs to be preserved because it has a positive impact on the wider society,'' said Ayu Sangjiwani, a participant.

Similar events were also held in the capital, Jakarta, and in the cities of Makassar and Yogyakarta.

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Associated Press journalist Syawalludin Zain in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Firdia Lisnawati in Denpasar, Indonesia, contributed to this report.