Thousands of Taiwanese gathered for a mass yoga session on Sunday, in front of Taiwans Presidential Palace.

Organizers estimated about 7,400 people attended Sundays event, which attracted yoga lovers from around the country.

The hour-long session kicked off at 8 a.m. in the morning with a round of meditation.

Then the 7,000 strong group of yoga enthusiasts bent their bodies into positions such as the downward facing dog, cobra, and childs pose.

The participants, ranging from young adults to 80-year-olds, raved about the benefits of the ancient exercise.

Yoga can help us to release stress from our body and soul. The flexibility of our bodies can increase slowly and you can become more agile, said 23-year-old Chen Jing-kai.

My leg was broken, and I was getting fat while I was recovering. I wanted to lose weight. I saw a TV show teaching yoga, but at the time there wasnt anyone teaching in Yilan (county). When my teacher came, I started to learn and Im becoming as skinny as before, said 81-year-old Jiang A-mei.

Pure Yoga, a Yoga training chain of the Pure Group and the event organizer, said it hoped to promote Yoga as a sport to elevate peoples health and energy.

Pure Yogas CEO Colin Grant said he was happy with Sundays turnout.

The main reason for doing this event is to increase wellness of yoga and also to force kind of a healthier, better lifestyle. And I think the more people practice yoga, they will be healthier, they will be happier. And its very good in Taipei we have very good turnout today, Grant said.

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Crowd of 7,000 gather for outdoor yoga event