India, June 21 -- By Reena Bhardwaj

New York [US], June 22 (ANI): Yoga practitioners gathered at New York's Times Square for the 12th edition of Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga -- one of the world's most striking annual wellness events and increasingly one of the most visible stages for India's soft power abroad.

The day's first session, which began at 7:30 am on Saturday, had participants stretching and balancing against a backdrop of flashing advertisements and the roar of Midtown traffic, a contrast that has become the event's signature.

Headlining this year's International Day of Yoga celebrations was Padma Dr HR Nagendra, president of S-VYASA University in Bengaluru and the man widely credited as the guiding force...