India gears up to celebrate International Yoga Day

Thousands of people gathered at different venues across the country for an early start to the International Day of Yoga on June 21. (Express Photo)

Chennai: College students with painted faces during an event to commemorate International Day of Yoga 2018. (Source: PTI)

Students practice yoga on the eve of International Day of Yoga 2018 in Kozhikode on Wednesday. (Source: PTI)

The United Nations recognised June 21 as the International Day of Yoga, three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea in 2014. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Yoga, which originated in India, has become immensely popular over the years around the world. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

People during a Yoga session at Lodhi Garden in New Delhi on Tuesday. Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal also attended the session.(Source: PTI)

The students of Anjuman-e-Islam High School practice Yoga in their school ahead of International Yoga Day. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

On June 21, a state-level Yoga event will be organised at Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

Girls practicing Yoga wearing tri-color dupattas. (Express Photo by Javed Raja)

The FRI campus was closed for visitors for two days to prepare the venue for the event, while women officials led a 'Walk for Yoga' through the main roads of the city to motivate people to turn up in large numbers to ensure its success. (Source: PTI)

Baba Ramdev conducted a yoga session with nearly 11,000 inmates of Tihar Jail and also promised jobs to some of them. (Source: Twitter/@yogrishiramdev ‏)

Soldiers at army base camp, Leh, practice yoga under the guidance of founder of Isha Foundation, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev ahead of International Yoga Day. (Source: PTI)

Fests, seminars, workshops, musical and cultural programmes based on yoga are being organised across the country. (Source: PTI)

Yoga enthusiasts practice yoga on the eve of International Day of Yoga 2018 in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (Source: PTI)