Russia's Putin, a man of action, may finally try yoga

The leaders of the BRICS geopolitical bloc are meeting yet again, this time in the Russian city of Ufa. The meeting brings together dynamic and important emerging economies (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) and Russia (less dynamic and certainly not "emerging").

First dreamed up as a hypothetical acronym by a Goldman Sachs economist, the BRICS bloc has become an influential player on the world stage, and a byword for the shifting balance of power in the 21st century. The BRICS governments are now ironing out details about a new BRICS bank, which is being billed as an alternative to the World Bank, headquartered in Washington.

But it's not all about grand politics. On the sidelines of the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would consider embracing his counterpart's passion for yoga.

"I've tried so many things, but I haven't tried yoga, though it is certainly appealing," Putin told Modi, according to Agence France-Presse.

"I'll see what I am able to do based on my physical aptitude," the Russian leader added. "When we see [a] real yogi, it seems impossible to reach such perfection, and that's what stops people."

Given Putin's well-documented athletic prowess, his expressed timidity in yoga comes as a bit of a surprise.

The former KGB officer recently earned his eighth degree as a black belt in judo. He scores loads of goals in ice hockey, likes to ride horses, flies alongside migratory birds, dives for ancient artifacts and chases after exotic sea creatures.

Now perhaps Putin can learn downward dog.

Modi, for his part, has been a huge proponent of yoga. The Indian prime minister is said to rise every day at 5 a.m. to practice yogic stretches and breathing exercises. Under Modi's watch, the Indian government pushed for the world's first International Yoga Day, which was held June 21.

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