International Yoga Day, marked annually on June 21, puts the spotlight on the highly recommended ancient practice that provides long-lasting benefits not just for the body, but for the mind and soul as well. In today's world, where people often keep searching for inner peace, yoga offers them a time-tested path to serenity and mental balance.

Whether for sport or spirituality, practitioners say, yoga has solidified itself as part of the fabric of the United States.

Thousands of people across India stretched themselves in public parks and on sandy beaches to mark the 11th International Day of Yoga by practising the ancient physical, mental and spiritual disciplin