50 million do yoga, courtesy Art of Living

Some 50 million people across 132 countries observed the first International yoga day on Sunday with the Art of Living, the spiritual group said.

The day found resonance worldwide with people celebrating yoga with a lot of fervour and zeal, it said in a statement.

"From India to New York to Australia, yoga enthusiasts created a wave of unity and harmony along with a message of the universal essence of yoga," it said.

Paris added a unique twist to the day by practising yoga on boats across the river Seine, Art of Living said.

Nepal rose with the world to yoga in front of the iconic Pashupatinath temple. China joined in with over 500 students exploring yoga at Peking University.

Many countries like Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Kuwait, Jordan and Sri Lanka contributed with their enthusiastic participation, it said.

"Multiple cities in Russia, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia took to celebrating the day with a lot of zeal and passion."