Lawns in many residential complexes turned into makeshift yoga arenas on Sunday morning as hundreds of residents across age groups gathered to practise yoga alongside their neighbours.

While some participants were seasoned practitioners, many were first-timers who joined in enthusiastically, even if they needed a chair’s support to perform the exercises.

“This was the first time we organised such an event. We expected 70-80 participants but the turnout was double that,” said K.L. Lalani of Urbana.

The housing complex held separate sessions for adults and children, drawing around 160 and 30 participants respectively. Many elderly residents performed the exercises seated on chairs, with a professional yoga trainer conducting the sessions.

Satyabrata Banerjee, 71, a resident of Diamond City West in Behala, has been practising yoga for nearly a decade. But celebrating International Yoga Day with his neighbours on the housing complex grounds was a “unique experience”, said the retired central government employee.

Residents of Diamond City West perform Yoga on International Yoga Day

Banerjee was among around 30 residents of the complex who gathered outside their homes to mark the occasion together.

He said it was a last-minute initiative and participation would have been higher with more advance notice.

“We were worried about the weather, but it turned out to be perfect,” Banerjee said, adding that residents had decided to organise more such sessions in future.

For many participants, the event was also an opportunity to encourage younger family members to take up the disciplined practice of yoga.

Namita Dasgupta, a resident of South City Residency, said she brought her nine-year-old daughter, Nayesha, to the session in the hope of encouraging her to take up yoga. A regular practitioner herself, Namita performed the exercises alongside her daughter and neighbours within the housing complex.

A total of 56 residents participated in the event, said South City Residency secretary Debasish Basu on Sunday.

Residents of South City Residency perform Yoga on International Yoga Day

While many housing complexes marked the day with yoga sessions in community halls and open spaces, residents of some complexes chose to join the Prime Minister’s event at Red Road.

“We have regular yoga classes. But today, the instructor decided to take all the participants to Red Road, so there was no separate event in our housing complex,” said a resident of Siddha Galaxia, a housing complex in New Town.

Residents of Avidipta phase II not just celebrated the day with a session of Yoga but also turned it into a “health day” with several interactive sessions with in-house residents and a medical camp, said the housing secretary Priyanko Chakraborty.