The High Commission of India collaborated with local yoga studios to hold the event, including Canberra studio Yoga Mandir whose instructor Darryl Alexander led the session.

Bonner local, Praksh Penchl brought along his three- and seven-year-old children to whom he teaches the poses at home.

Originally from India's sprawling metropolis Ahmedabad, he learnt yoga at school, but said the mass session was something totally different.

"It's amazing, it's a completely different feeling. When you do it at home you might do 10-15 minutes of yoga but in a big crowd you can do a variety of yoga poses," he said.

Yoga Mandir teacher and office manager, Caroline Plunkett, said she was excited by how varied the crowd was

"It's quite amazing to see everyone here and be so open to it.

"We thought a number of our students would come, but there are people here who do other kinds of yoga or who have never done any yoga before. It also looks like a lot of the Indian community have come out which is amazing," she said.

She said the studio had responded to a surprise call from the embassy to help hold the event.

"The Indian embassy approached us to help celebrate International Yoga Day after the UN resolution was passed last year in December. I'm not sure how they found us," she said.

Beth Slatyer, of O'Connor, said she, too, was struck by the myriad of locals attempting to downward dog.

"You look at the crowd here and the incredible diversity of Canberrans who came along," she said.

Ms Slatyer said in the years she has been doing yoga, Canberrans of all stripes have taken up the hobby.

"It seems to be something that time seems to have come. I think it's gone past the idea that it's some exotic eastern thing that nobody understands," she said.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was pictured joining a mass session in New Delhi on Sunday to mark the first International Yoga Day.