In UK Parliamnet the Lords had an hour-long yoga session
Mid-week, mid-day - one would have thought it would be business as usual at the UK Parliament. But in one of the large rooms near the House of Lords in the giant Westminster building, some Lords were seen in meditation. An audio-visual footage on the history of yoga was playing in the background.
The Lords began 'Pranayama', with a yoga teacher taking the participants through the breathing exercises. Slowly, they took off their shoes and suit jackets, rolled up their sleeves and got adventurous. From Ardhachandrasana to Vrikshana - they attempted it all.
The lesson was tailormade. "Sway your legs more... make sure you do not kick your neighbours even if they are not from the same political party as yours..." instructed trainer Neil Patel.
And that was how yoga made a grand entrance today into the UK Parliament as part of the International Yoga Day.
It was Lord Karan Billimoria had led the House of Lords to participate in the 60-minute session in presence of Indian High Commissioner Ranjan Mathai.
"We are very fit you see," Lord Bilimoria said. "We have just eight minutes from the time the bell goes to come and vote from wherever we are in the vast lobbies of this grand building. We run to make it... So this yoga session was very welcome."
Lord Tom King, who served in the UK Cabinet when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, said, "I am a very senior (in age) but I could easily do yoga. This was my first time and I can say it was a lot easier than I thought. "
Parliamentarians in the UK are known to be fit. Many take tubes and public transport to work. There is also a state-of-the-art gym inside Parliament which seldom collects cobwebs.
"They are such sports. They attempted each 'asana' with style, they are 'Lords' after all. One doesn't need to do the most complicated asanas to keep fit. A little bit of simple yoga a day would be good for inner peace and health," said Neil Patel.