NEW DELHI (Reuters via euronews) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led 25,000 people in performing various yoga asanas (“exercises”) to mark the fifth International Yoga Day on Friday.

Modi performed breathing and stretching exercises with fellow enthusiasts at Prabhat Tara in the eastern city of Ranchi. Modi called on people around the world to embrace yoga and make it a part of their lives.

An enthusiastic practitioner of yoga himself, Modi set up a new ministry for yoga in 2015 to promote yoga and traditional medicines as he embarked on a mission to increase awareness about home-grown health treatments.

The United Nations in 2014 declared June 21 as International Day of Yoga after adopting a measure proposed by Modi.