Millions of people twisted their bodies in complex positions in celebration of U.N. International Yoga Day on Tuesday.

CCTV America’s Ahmad Coo reports.

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.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi performs yoga along with thousands of Indians in Chandigarh, India, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

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.

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Similar yoga events were held in villages, towns and cities all over India, as well as all over the world.

Last year, the United Nations proclaimed June 21 as International Day of Yoga on Modi’s proposal and with the endorsement of 175 member states.

Children perform yoga to mark the International Day of Yoga in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, June 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

“Yoga is a sport that can contribute to development and peace,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “Yoga can even help people in emergency situations to find relief from stress.”

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.

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)

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.

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. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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.

This year’s Yoga Day highlights the importance of healthy living in the realizing sustainable development goals, Moon said.

“Practicing yoga can also help raise awareness of our role as consumers of the planet’s resources and as individuals with a duty to respect and live in peace with our neighbors,” Moon said.

Story by the Associated Press and CCTV America, with information from the United Nations

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