Bengaluru, June 21 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty participated in a state-level event here to mark the inaugural International Yoga Day on Sunday, with over 10,000 people performing yoic exercises.

"Yoga is for peace, yoga is for health and yoga is for harmony," Siddaramaiah told 10,000 yoga enthusiasts at Kanteerava stadium here.

Children from many schools, nurses from hospitals and policemen from Karnataka State Reserve Police Force attended the event.

Earlier, the chief minister participated in the Yoga Day celebration at the Vidhan Soudha for an hour in which many bureaucrats also joined in.

Shetty, who demonstrated Vrikshasan and other postures, advised everyone to practice yoga for a healthy life.

Later, Shetty tweeted: "Enjoyed a great yoga session under the sky with 10,000 people joining me in doing the asanas. What a historic day. Happy International Yoga Day."

Elsewhere in the city, the Art of Living Foundation also celebrated the day at its international centre where about 500 people participated and performed Hatha Yoga.

The programme was followed up with a yoga dance performed by as many as 1,000 school students.