RUSSIA'S judo black-belt president Vladimir Putin promised yoga-loving Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (July 8) that he'll try some yoga poses, despite feeling daunted by the challenge.
"I've tried so many things, but I haven't tried yoga, though it is certainly appealing," Putin told Modi during talks in the Russian city of Ufa.
"I'll see what I am able to do based on my physical aptitude," he added. "When we see real yogi, it seems impossible to reach such perfection, and that's what stops people."
Modi, who recently took to a mat and led some 35,000 people in performing poses like the half camel and cobra in a mass outdoor yoga session on International Yoga Day, came to Russia for the BRICS summit which starts Thursday (July 9).
The prime minister, who says yoga helps him work long hours, thanked Putin for sponsoring the International Yoga Day in Russia, adding that the activity should inspire everyone who wants to keep a healthy way of life.
Putin, who has cultivated a strongman image, is a longtime judo enthusiast, enjoys hockey and has been photographed bare-chested on horseback as well as swimming the butterfly stroke in a Siberian river.
