Person doing yoga in a narrow alley, performing a triangle pose, with a blurred street scene in the background.

Urban Yoga

The Mood of Yoga is Changing

Urban Yoga is a visual meditation — a portrait series that weaves the ancient practice of yoga into the fabric of modern city life.

Captured in London and Shanghai, these images speak of stillness found in motion, of presence carved out amidst noise. Yoga spills onto pavements, stands tall in alleyways, pauses on platforms and under neon lights. These are not just poses — they are quiet acts of reclamation, breath held against the rush.

In this project, every body becomes a shape of meaning. Every face tells a story of return — to breath, to ground, to self. The city doesn’t vanish. It becomes the backdrop, the contrast, the co-creator.

This is yoga as everyday art.
As resistance.
As belonging.

Because the mood of yoga is changing. It’s no longer confined to polished studios or silent sanctuaries. It’s alive in the streets, in the people, in the moment.

Urban Yoga reminds us:
There’s space for stillness everywhere.
There’s beauty in the ordinary.
There’s power in breath — no matter where you are.

Person meditating in a yoga pose on a train station platform at night, with a moving train in the background.
Two people meditating in lotus position against graffiti wall
Black and white photo of a busy urban scene with a large number of people using stairs and an escalator to ascend a platform. A man is sitting cross-legged and meditating on the escalator in the opposite direction, creating a contrast. High-rise buil
Person doing a standing forward bend yoga pose on pavement, close-up view of feet and hands touching the ground.
Person meditating in lotus position near urban wall, black and white photo, laundry hanging nearby.
A black and white photo of a stone horse statue in a dynamic pose surrounded by rocks and plants, with a person crouching and interacting with the scene.
Man practicing yoga outdoors with stretched arms, wearing black clothing, in a park setting with urban architecture in the background.
Black and white photo of a person performing a dance or pose outdoors, with arms extended. City buildings are visible in the background.
Woman in yoga pose surrounded by fallen leaves
Black and white photo of a person reaching upwards inside a crowded subway train.
Black and white photo of a woman doing a split on a rooftop with apartment buildings in the background.
Black and white close-up of an older man with a serious expression, extending his hand forward. The image focuses on his face and hand.
Two people on a pedestrian walkway; one is exercising with raised arms, the other wears a visor helmet. Skyscrapers and a road are in the background.
Black and white photo of two hands and feet with rings and bracelets, on a rough surface.
Black and white photo of a person doing a yoga pose in a subway station next to a stationary train.
Woman meditating on subway stairs, hands in prayer position, black and white photo.
Person performing yoga pose on subway, passengers seated, grayscale photo.
Person performing yoga pose on crosswalk in front of car and "the Guardian" sign.
Black and white photo of a person doing yoga on a sidewalk beside a bicycle leaning against a wall, with a pedestrian crossing light overhead.
Black and white photo of a man doing a handstand on a sidewalk, with a passing scooter and a busy street background in front of a building with a large sign advertising a computer services center.
Person with short hair holding a brick in front of a brick wall, wearing bracelets.
Man practicing yoga pose on rooftop
Black and white photo of a person performing a dance pose on a crowded subway, surrounded by standing passengers.
A black and white photo showing three people on a stone path in a garden. One person is performing a backbend on stones while two others watch. Trees and foliage surround them. A pair of flip-flops is on the ground, and a sign with Chinese characters
A black-and-white photo of a person doing a yoga pose under a traffic sign that reads "Give Way" at night. They are on a mat on the sidewalk, next to a brick wall, with a blurred car passing by in the background.
Person practicing martial arts in an urban setting next to a parked van and barrels.
Woman performing yoga pose in subway station, with passersby watching.
A person is lying on a wooden cart in an urban outdoor setting. The cart is on pavement near a brick wall and surrounded by construction materials and debris.
Black and white image of a horse statue and a person interacting with a natural rock formation.
A person sits cross-legged on the ground, meditating with hands in prayer on a busy street. Black and white photo.
Person performing parkour on a building ledge
Black and white photo of a person doing a handstand on a city street at night, with streetlights and buildings in the background.
Black and white reflection of a person and trees in a water puddle, with surrounding buildings and debris.
Black and white photo of a person balancing on their hands and feet. Feet are in sandals, and toes have rings. Hands are adorned with rings and bracelets.
Person lying face down on a newspaper, hands clasped, grayscale image.
Person in hoodie sitting outdoors on grass, holding their bare feet, with trees and buildings in the background, captured in black and white.
Person performing a yoga pose on a mat under an overpass at night with car parked nearby, black and white image.
Black and white photo of a street scene at night under a bridge, with a person bending near the rear of a car with open trunk.

“The physical asana are just the beginning to equip the Sadhaka for higher experience. This Hatha yoga is: cleaning, trimming, preparing the equipment-that is, the gross body-so that finally a gateway to the subtle body may be opened with the tools that have been prepared.”

— Swami Veda Bharati

Man performing a headstand in a parking garage, black and white photo.
Person practicing yoga with hands in prayer pose
Person in a yoga pose outdoors, wearing a tank top and necklace, looking upwards, with blurred urban background.
Black and white photo of a person practicing yoga on concrete stairs, performing a balancing pose with one leg extended.
_DSC1660.jpg
04.jpg
095.jpg
DSC_6440-152.jpg

“Yoga is not an ancient myth buried in oblivion.

It is the most valuable inheritance of the present-

it is the essential need of today and the culture of tomorrow”

— Swami Satyananda saraswati