If you were one of those people looking forward to practicing your downward dog on Vancouver’s Burrard Bridge later this month, it looks like you’re out of luck.

Growing criticism caused two sponsors to back out of Om the Bridge, a mass yoga session meant to be one of the largest International Day of Yoga celebrations in the world.

B.C. Premier Christy Clark responded to the backlash on Friday by tweeting that she would not participate in the June 21 festivities.

“Unfortunately, the focus of the proposed Burrard Street Bridge event has drifted towards politics, getting in the way of the spirit of community and inner reflection,” Clark said in a statement. “It was for that reason, I decided not to participate.”

Yoga Day is a great opportunity to celebrate peace and harmony - it's not about politics. I don't intend to participate. — Christy Clark (@christyclarkbc) June 12, 2015

Yoga apparel retailer Lululemon and yoga studio chain YYoga then announced they would no longer sponsor the event. Both companies have said their decision was based on growing public disapproval of the proposed celebration.

Om the Bridge would have shut down the Burrard Bridge -- a major traffic route in Vancouver -- allowing hundreds to partake in a mass yoga class on the bridge.

The event, Clark originally said, was intended to strengthen relations with India, following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Vancouver in April.

Since the event was announced on June 5, Om the Bridge became the target of a variety of widespread disapproval on social media with several First Nations groups calling the planned event disrespectful because it coincided with National Aboriginal Day.

Government watchdog group IntegrityBC also raised ethical concerns about Lululemon sponsoring the event. The high-end yoga apparel company has donated money to the B.C. Liberal Party in the past.

Others said the estimated $150,000 in costs for the event should have been put towards provincial issues such as education and healthcare.

Backlash against the event reached its peak on Thursday after Clark joked about the opposition to the event on Twitter.

A photo posted to Clark’s Twitter account showed her standing in front of a Taoist Tai Chi centre, with the caption: “Hey Yoga Haters- bet you can't wait for international Tai Chi day.”

Hey Yoga Haters- bet you can't wait for international Tai Chi day. pic.twitter.com/1sEfIwKbG3 — Christy Clark (@christyclarkbc) June 11, 2015

Within minutes, Clark’s tweet drew a flurry of responses criticizing her comment.

Clark later defended her stance at a Nanaimo, B.C., event, saying it was the United Nations -- not her government -- that chose the day for the yoga event.

“It’s being celebrated all over the world – at Times Square in New York,” she told reporters.

The premier said that in a province focused on “health and well-being,” she didn’t understand why people are taking aim at an event centred on health and finding inner harmony.

Opponents to the event had planned a protest on the Burrard Bridge the day of the event.

On Friday, Clark said she hopes British Columbians will continue to take part in yoga events elsewhere, despite the province being forced to cancel Om the Bridge.

With files from The Canadian Press