Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi who is also a yoga practitioner has praised yoga as a way of building a “protective shield” of immunity against the coronavirus, as his nation battles a surge in infections. He recently shared the benefits of the ancient Indian practice in a YouTube message ahead of World Yoga Day on Sunday the 21st of June.
“We all know that until now nowhere in the world have, they been able to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 or coronavirus. Which is why right now, only a strong immunity can act as a protective shield or a bodyguard for us and our family members… yoga is our trusted friend in building this protective shield (of immunity),” said Modi.
The Indian leader set up a ministry to promote yoga, Ayurveda and other traditional Indian treatments when he came to power in 2014. He initially proposed World Yoga Day to the United Nations, winning approval in 2014.
World Yoga Day normally see masses of people gather for public yoga events worldwide but because of Covid-19 regulations of social distancing, Modi is encouraging people to “go indoors”. He also hailed yoga as a way to ease the extraordinary stresses people are enduring because of the virus.
In January 2020, the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy) released an advisory on how ancient homoeopathy and Ayurveda remedies could help Indians combat the coronavirus.
“Yoga has the potential to cater to the mental, physical and psychological challenges. It puts to test how one can live in challenging times,” said Modi. But experts, including the US’ National Institutes of Health, have warned that “no scientific evidence that any of these alternative remedies can prevent or cure COVID-19”.
None the less, India’s national and state governments have also stressed the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing.
