Nowadays yoga is a fashionable exercise for weight loss and shaping in the eyes of many people, and you can enjoy all kinds of beautiful yoga photos as soon as you open your mobile phone and computer.

In fact, it is a very ancient, profound and mysterious culture in india, combining philosophy, science and art, with a history of over 5000 years.

Today we take a look at ancient yoga photos that prove that yoga has a long and always cool history.

1. Two ladies practising yoga on la garoupe beach in antibes, france, proving that taking yoga photos on the beach has always been cool - 1926.

2. A group of children practising cobra pose on a pebble beach in england in 1934. Beach yoga seems to have been all the rage back then!

3. Vera richardson proudly displays her bow pose at the "Keep fit" Conference in 1938.

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4. James hay-kellie introduced the black and white yoga movement in 1940.

5. Pamela fawn performs a yoga warm-up at the turnbridge wells ballet school, proving that you don't need a fancy yoga mat to deepen your practice - 1949.

6. A dancer relaxes in baby pose in 1950 wearing dancing shoes.

7. Marilyn monroe and indra devi studying yoga together in 1960. Together they brought yoga into mainstream american culture, making it more popular in many of monroe's yoga-inspired photographs!

8. Actor anthony quinn's handstand, to the delight of valentina cortese - 1963.

9. Laszlo szabo performing yoga for the hungarian public on budapest tv in 1963.

10. Yoga is only for women? See these men practising yoga in the park - 1970

11. Violinist yehudi menuhin is pictured practising yoga in 1970. His regular practice led to his success in 1982 conducting an orchestra with his feet!

12. Roseanna campbell learning ashtanga yoga from the founder at shri k. Pattabhi jois' school in mysore, india, in 1973.

13. Singer kristine sparkle practising yoga at her home in england in 1974.

14. Yoga echoes high fashion, and in 1976 khati produced these chic knitted trousers from the c&a autumn/winter collection.

15. Bks iyengar taught yoga at the international yoga conference in london in 1993. He's an amazing teacher, just look at how packed this class was!