Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an event marking the seventh International Yoga Day on Monday morning, underlined that during difficult times of the pandemic “Yoga has become a great medium of self-confidence”.
“Today, when the whole world is fighting the corona pandemic, yoga remains a ray of hope. ….Even though major public events have not been organized in countries around the world and in India for two years, the enthusiasm for Yoga Day has not diminished,” Modi said.
PM Modi also said that Yoga will “continue playing its preventive, as well as promotive role in the healthcare of masses”. “If there are threats to humanity, Yoga often gives us a way of holistic health. Yoga also gives us a happier way of life. I am sure, Yoga will continue playing its preventive, as well as promotive role in the healthcare of the masses,” Modi said.
During the event, the prime minister also launched a mYoga app that will be available worldwide. “In collaboration with WHO, India has taken another important step. We will be launching the mYoga app which will have yoga training videos in different languages for people across the world. This will help us achieve our ‘One World, One Health’ motto,” he added.
Stating that Yoga helps in the “healing process,” PM Modi added, “When I talk to frontline warriors and doctors, they tell me that they’ve made Yoga a shield for protection against the virus. They’ve used Yoga not just for safeguarding themselves, but also patients. Today even medical science lays emphasis on the healing process, besides medical treatment. Yoga helps in healing process.”
In view of the pandemic, celebrations will be held virtually this year.
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.
Modi also emphasised that Yoga shows us the way from stress to strength and from negativity to creativity. “The sages of India, whenever India has spoken of health, it has not only meant physical health. That is why so much emphasis has been laid on physical health as well as mental health in yoga, “ Modi said.
This year, the theme is ‘Yoga For Wellness’. Elaborating on it, PM Modi wrote on Twitter: “The theme this year is ‘Yoga For Wellness’, which focuses on practising Yoga for physical and mental wellbeing.”
The idea of International Yoga Day was conceived by PM Modi, who proposed the concept on September 27, 2014, during his speech at the UN General Assembly. The resolution to adopt June 21 as International Yoga Day was introduced in the UN by India’s Ambassador, Ashoke Kumar Mukerji. The resolution had received support from 177 nations, the highest number of co-sponsors for any UN Resolution. Currently, countries ranging from Canada to the USA participate in this event.
