‘Yoga ray of hope in pandemic’

New Delhi, Jun 21 (PTI):
Yoga is a ray of hope and source of strength in the fight against Covid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as tens of thousands of people across the globe touched their toes, stretched towards the skies and breathed in and out mindfully to mark the seventh International Day of Yoga.
From mountains to beaches and town squares to neighbourhood parks, and in homes in distant corners of the world and country, people spread out their mats to perform asanas’ and pranayama’ breathing exercises, some as part of their daily fitness routine and others to take part in the celebration of the ancient Indian wellness discipline. Linking the practice of yoga to the battle against the pandemic, Modi announced the ‘M-Yoga’ application in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The application will have many videos of yoga training based on ‘common yoga protocol’ available in different languages. Terming it a great example of the fusion of modern technology and ancient science, the prime minister also expressed the hope that the M-Yoga app will help in spreading yoga the world over and contribute to the efforts of ‘One World, One Health’.
President Ram Nath Kovind described yoga as one of India’s greatest gifts to the world. “#InternationalDayOfYoga greetings! Our ancient seers’ vision of bringing mind-body together to achieve holistic health and happiness has benefited millions over millennia. One of India’s great gifts to the world, it can be especially helpful during Covid-19. #BeWithYogaBeAtHome,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted, along with a picture of Kovind performing yoga. Addressing a yoga day programme, the prime minister said there were several instances of doctors and nurses conducting yoga sessions in hospitals and experts stressing the importance of yogic breathing exercises in strengthening the respiratory system. “At a time when the whole world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic, yoga remains a ray of hope,” Modi said.
In the last one-and-a-half years, lakhs of new yoga practitioners were added in every corner of the world, Modi 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 toughness. We all have seen that in such difficult times, yoga has become a great source of inner strength,” he said.
Yoga, Modi added, tells us that so many problems might be out there, but we have infinite solutions within ourselves.
“At times, the lives of people exist in silos. These divisions reflect in the overall personality as well. The shift from silos to union is yoga. A proven way to experience a realisation of oneness is yoga,” he asserted.
Despite the pandemic, this year’s theme for International Yoga Day “Yoga for wellness” has raised the morale of the people.He wished for the health of every country, society and individual, and hoped that “we will be united and will strengthen each other”.
Yoga shows us the way from stress to strength and from negativity to creativity, Modi asserted.
Many schools now begin their online classes with yogic exercises like ‘pranayama’, he said, adding that this prepares children physically to deal with Covid.
Indian missions across the world organised special events to mark the day.
At the iconic Times Square in New York, for instance, over 3,000 people assembled to perform asanas’, with social distancing in place, to celebrate the day
As the city opened up following the COVID-19 pandemic, people turned out in huge numbers for the event that included yoga, meditation and exercise sessions by renowned yoga practitioners.