World rolls out mats for Yoga Day

'Padmasana,' 'chakrasana,' 'halasana' and many other 'asanas' became a common sight on Thursday as a number of countries celebrated the fourth International Yoga Day with full fervour.

President Ram Nath Kovind performed Yoga asanas along with his Suriname counterpart Desi Bouterse in the Latin American country.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on the occasion, addressed the European Parliament in Brussels, where she highlighted the importance of Yoga.

In South Africa's Pretoria, the Yoga Day was celebrated at the historic township of Soweto, where a large group of school children took part in group sessions.

"Today, in Soweto to celebrate #InternationalYogaDay2018 wd @hci_pretoria & @indiainjoburg. A memorable morning with school children in this township of South Africa. #ZindagiRaheKhush" High Commissioner for India to South Africa and Lesotho Ruchira Kamboj tweeted.

Further, in Cape Town, a group of young people performed yoga on its historic Table Mountain.

"#Yoga is in the air. Enthusiastic yogis and yoga practitioners are all set to celebrate #YogaOnTableMountain . #InternationalDayofYoga2018 #InternationalYogaDay2018" posted India in Cape Town twitter handle.

The Consulate General of India in South Africa also released a statement to extend Yoga Day wishes.

"Consulate General of India, #CapeTown wishes all a happy International Day of #Yoga. Today we celebrate an international heritage that espouses harmony, peace and holistic wellbeing. #InternationalDayOfYoga2018 #IDY2018 #ZindagiRaheKhush," it tweeted.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka also celebrated Yoga day along with 10,000 participants at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

"The High Commission of #India, #Dhaka celebrated the 4th International Day of #Yoga (IDY) on 21 June 2018 with around 10,000 people practising the ancient Indian discipline at #Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka," it wrote on Twitter.

Herat City in Afghanistan celebrated the occasion with a performance of Herati folk music by tabla maestro Jawad Tabish.

In Singapore, a Yoga session was chaired at a nursing home for the elderly. Similar sessions would be held until June 24 here.