New Delhi: On the occasion of International Day of Yoga, an initiative is being made wherein people will be performing asanas wearing air pollution masks across five cities in the country to bring to focus the need for clean air.

The initiative will be launched by Clean Air Collective in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Varanasi.

Noting that yoga is an important exercise which can help expand the size of lungs, Arvind Kumar, Chairman at the Centre for Chest Surgery, said that yoga cannot, however, clean the air that goes inside.

The Clean Air Collective is mobilising a movement in five cities across the country -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Varanasi -- tomorrow when people will be doing their asanas wearing air pollution masks to focus on the need for clean air, according to the NGO.

"So, therefore, even if we are practising yoga and we are in a poor air quality city, the damage to the lungs will happen nonetheless. So while I strongly recommend people to practise yoga and yogic lung exercises, this should by no means decrease the intensity of our efforts to clean the air we breathe, Kumar said.

New Delhi's air quality plunged to an alarming level last week at severe plus due to dust storms that prolonged for nearly a week.