Yoga a ray of hope during pandemic, PM Modi addresses nation on International Yoga Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation on International Yoga Day. Photo: Screen Grab

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation during the 7th International Yoga Day programme on Monday.

"Yoga remains a ray of hope when the world fights Covid pandemic. In these difficult times, people could have forgotten, ignored yoga; instead, their love and enthusiasm for it have increased," the Prime Minister said. "Yoga leads us from stress to strength and from negativity to creativity. I am sure yoga will continue to play a preventive and promotive role in the healthcare of the masses," he added.

The PM also said that the world will soon get M-Yoga app. It will make videos on yoga training based on common protocol available in many languages.

This will help us in making the 'One World, One Health' motto successful, he said.

The prime minister noted that there may not have been any major public events in countries around the world and in India for around a year and a half, but the enthusiasm for Yoga Day has not diminished.

For most of the countries of the world, Yoga Day is not their age-old cultural festival and in this difficult time, people could have forgotten about it and ignored it, but on the contrary, people's enthusiasm for yoga has increased, he said.

"When the unseen coronavirus knocked on the doors of the world, no country was prepared for it in terms of resources, capability and mental state. We all have seen that in such difficult times, yoga has become a great source of inner strength," he said.

Yoga shows us the way from stress to strength and from negativity to creativity, he asserted.

Modi noted that the medical science focuses as much on "healing" as on treatment, and said yoga plays a role in healing.

Many schools now begin their online classes with yogic exercises like pranayam, he said, adding that this prepares children physically to deal with Covid.

The prime minister expressed confidence that yoga will continue playing its preventive, as well as promotive role in healthcare of masses. 

The event which started at 6:30 am on all Doordarshan channels on Monday, also includes an address by Minister of State for Ayush Kiren Rijiju and a live yoga demonstration by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.

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