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Yoga on Elephants in Jaldapara National Park: Viral Controversy

Wednesday, June 24, 2026
5 min read
Yoga on Elephants in Jaldapara National Park: Viral Controversy

That video from Jaldapara National Park just blew up. It’s this thing where forest rangers are practicing yoga right there, sitting on elephants deep in the woods. Shared for International Yoga Day 2026. It just caught everyone's attention because it’s so weird and peaceful all at once.

It was posted by an Indian Forest Service officer named Parveen Kaswan on X. He showed forest personnel doing yoga poses while they were calmly sitting on elephants, surrounded by all that dense Greenery of the national park. You get aerial shots too. Just the whole landscape hanging there. It really hammers home this connection the staff, the wildlife, everything living in that space. The atmosphere felt incredibly calm, which made it stick online fast.

Kaswan mentioned something about the theme for Yoga Day 2026. He talked about "Yoga for Healthy Ageing." Said it’s all about bringing yoga into daily life to keep people healthy mentally and physically at any age. Simple enough, but tied up with this scene.

It just became one of those clips everyone shares now. It brings health, mindfulness, and nature together in one weird moment. Not the usual Yoga Day stuff. This wasn't a typical celebration picture.

The social media response? Messy. A real mix. Some people loved it immediately. One user wrote something about how yoga isn't just exercise; it’s actually living in harmony with nature, community, tradition. Beautiful reminder.

But then you get the pushback. And it came fast.

There were comments that went totally off the rails. One person joked, “I know hatha yoga but this is haathi yoga.” Pure humor maybe.

Then another one got heavy. It was a real disaGreement about the premise. Some people pushed back hard. They argued about whether it was actual harmony. They said elephants don't like carrying people. They aren't built for that. That you have to break their spirit to make them do it. Until India stops this, they aren’t in harmony with nature. A big ‘Sorry.’

And then there was the PR angle creeping in. Some folks saw it purely as a photo opportunity. “Elephants are not needed for yoga at all.” They suggested the staff just dragged trained elephants into the frame for a backdrop. Pure nonsense. If this happened in Europe, it would be animal abuse outcry instantly. But here? It’s framed as a beautiful tradition. Wow.

Another comment was just pure appreciation, though. Someone else saw it and said it was a beautiful Yoga Day celebration. Mentioning someone named Gannuus doing yoga too. Just enjoying the view.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

#sensational#top news#global#trending

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