Yoga Day
Rehearsals at Rajpath, Delhi for International Yoga DayTwitter/MEA Spokesperson

This Sunday, India and the rest of the world will mark the first ever International Day of Yoga. 

The United Nations had declared 21 June as International Yoga Day last December, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a day dedicated to yoga during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last year.

Modi himself will lead the first International Yoga Day in India by performing asanas at Rajpath in Delhi along with more than 35,000 people, in what could go down as a world record. 

The Prime Minister has also been educating his 13 million followers on Twitter about the different asanas with daily posts.

Here's an example:

Across the country, school students, the armed forces and citizens are preparing for the Yoga day with rehearsals and training.

Rajpath is being readied for the big day, which is believed to be as grand as Republic Day celebrations. The venue will be fitted with 23 LED screens and 150 CCTV cameras and will be manned by 3,000 police personnel.

Here's a look at Yoga rehearsals at Rajpath:

The Indian armed forces are also preparing to join in the Yoga Day celebrations in full force, with an event reportedly planned even in Siachen, the highest battleground in the world.

The Indian Navy has been holding training sessions even at sea.

However, it is not just in India that the buzz around Yoga Day is growing. The day will be observed in over 250 cities in 192 countries.

New York, United States

At Times Square in New York, the International Yoga Day will see thousands of people performing Yoga, given that it also falls on the day of the summer solstice on 21 June.  Yoga enthusiasts have been gathering every year at Times Square to perform day-long yoga during the summer solstice, and on this Yoga Day, the 'yogis' will have a stronger purpose.

China

In China, a Yoga Festival is already underway, having started on Wednesday and culminating on the International Yoga Day on Sunday. Hundreds of yoga enthusiasts have been training under Yoga teachers at the India-China International Yoga Festival in Dujiangyan, which lies in the southwestern Sichuan province of China.  In fact, China also got its first Yoga college, following PM Modi's visit in May this year. 

Dubai, UAE

Dubai has planned several large-scale events for the Yoga Day on Sunday, with thousands expected to join.  More than 12,000 enthusiasts have reportedly registered to participate in the Indian consulate's 'Dubai Wave' event for Yoga Day, according to Khaleej Times. Indian Olympic medallist Mary Kom will be the chief gueast at the event. 

Dubai already held a Yoga event on 12 June.

Paris, France

In Paris, hundreds of people will gather to perform Yoga at the foot of the iconic Eiffel tower.

UK 

Several Yoga events have been planned in the United Kingdom for Sunday, including at the House of Lords in London, and across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Coventry, Leicester, Manchester and Birmingham.

In fact, the Indian High Commission in London has shared a calendar of all yoga events planned in the UK.

Canada

The Indian High commissioner in Canada has said that there has been an 'overhwelming response' for participation in Yoga Day events in Ottawa, Canada.

Russia

Several yoga events have also been planned in Russia, and Indian External affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup shared pictures of rehearsals in Russia for Yoga Day. 

 This list will be updated with events planned in other countries. 

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