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Twist and Om: Millions exercise together for global Yoga Day

CHANDIGARH, India (AP) - Millions of people twisted their bodies in complex positions in celebration of International Yoga Day on Tuesday.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined a crowd of 30,000 schoolchildren and other residents of the northern city of Chandigarh for a mass yoga session.

Before starting, Modi urged people to make yoga a part of their lives, saying the practice - which began in ancient India - doesn't differentiate between the rich and poor, and is accessible to all.

"With zero budget, yoga provides health assurance and it does not discriminate between rich and poor," Modi told participants at the event.

Similar yoga events were held in villages, towns and cities all over India. Last year, the United Nations proclaimed June 21 as International Day of Yoga.

At the United Nations in New York, various yoga poses were projected on a side wall of the U.N. headquarters building to highlight the role yoga can play in helping the U.N. achieve its sustainable development goals.

The day will be celebrated outside the U.N. building with a demonstration by Jaggi Vasudev, also known as Sadhguru, and a musical incantation.

Thousands of people had gathered in New York's Times Square on Monday to celebrate the summer solstice by doing downward dogs.

Yoga classes were held all day amid the chaos of Midtown.

Many believe that practicing yoga is the best way to calm the mind and the best form of exercise for the body.

In New Delhi, hundreds of thousands gathered at several venues where mass yoga exercises were organized by the government in parks and in a central plaza.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Kashmiri students perform yoga at an event to celebrate International Yoga Day in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) The Associated Press
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi practices yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh, center in middle row, performs yoga with others at an event to celebrate International Yoga Day in Lucknow, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) The Associated Press
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with others in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das) The Associated Press
Indian army soldiers perform yoga ahead of International Yoga Day in Ahmadabad, India, Monday, June 20, 2016. The International Yoga Day will be marked on Tuesday, June 21. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) The Associated Press
Indians perform yoga to celebrate International Yoga Day in Ahmadabad, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) The Associated Press
Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, third left, laughs as yoga guru Sri Vachananand Swamiji, second right, performs yoga at an event to celebrate International Yoga Day in Bangalore, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. On the right is India's southern state of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) The Associated Press
Kashmiri students and government employees perform yoga at an event to celebrate International Yoga Day in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan) The Associated Press
Indians perform yoga on the International Yoga Day at the Lodhi Garden, home to 15th and 16th century tombs of Mughal emperors, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. Millions of yoga enthusiasts are bending their bodies in complex postures across India as they take part in a mass yoga program to mark the second International Yoga Day. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) The Associated Press
People perform yoga as they gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge, during the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, in Wiltshire Tuesday June 21, 2016. (Andrew Matthews/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT, NO SALES, NO ARCHIVES The Associated Press
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