International Yoga Day: 300,000 participate in world's largest yoga session

June 21 (UPI) -- A group of nearly 300,000 people gathered in India on International Yoga Day to participate in a record-breaking yoga session.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev shared photos on Twitter, as hundreds of thousands of people lined up on yoga mats in Ahemdabad before being presented with the Guinness World Record for the world's largest yoga session.

"Lakhs of Yogis made a Guinness World record of largest yoga session of the world in Ahemdabad today," Ramdev wrote.

Attendees set more than 20 other records, including the highest number of people performing yoga at multiple locations, and the Deccan Chronicle reported politicians were also on hand. The event sought to promote the practice of yoga throughout India and the rest of the world.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated that a new world record should be set in Yoga. Due to [Bharatiya Janata Party] chief Amit Shah's guidance, and Gujarat government's support, the event was a massive hit and we were successful in setting 24 new world records," Ramdev said.

Ramdev added that he plans to visit the United States and Canada to promote yoga and pledged to work with the government to open free yoga studios across India.

"We have taken an oath that in the coming 3-5 years, [1,100,000] free classes will be created across the country," he said.