THE sun rising behind the Royal Pavilion was a perfect backdrop for early bird yoga and meditation enthusiasts.

They stretched into gear with Brighton Dome’s two free “Rise and Shine” early morning sessions of meditative movement and music in the Pavilion Gardens.

There was an hour of yoga set to live Indian classical music from Pete Yelding on the sitar at 7am on Sunday.

Then yesterday at 7am Cheng Yu, an internationally renowned pipa (Chinese lute) and guqin (seven-stringed zither) virtuoso and specialist in Chinese music, created a meditative ambience for a tai chi class.

Pictures: Summer Dean