Ninth International Yoga Day

That this House joins celebrations on 21 June for International Yoga Day, adopted by the UN in 2015, supported by 177 countries; recalls that, in the words of Indian Prime Minister Modi, at a time when the world seeks peace, yoga is an invaluable gift of India’s ancient tradition, it embodies unity of mind and body, holistic approaches to health and well-being, a means to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and nature; notes that medical research shows yoga’s health benefits for a range of disorders; urges the application of yoga in prevention and well-being initiatives within the NHS along with other natural, prevention-oriented and cost-effective modalities from India’s traditional sciences, such as ayurveda; is aware that there are 5.5 million people suffering from long covid and that the APPG has taken a lead to encourage a pluralistic approach to health through the NHS and seeks opportunities to bring parties together to research in yoga and ayurveda, of which an example is the current study at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine into ashwaganda in treating long covid; recommends that yoga is widely available throughout the education system, bringing balance and harmony to students and teachers; encourages industry to make yoga learning widely available and provide facilities to enhance the well-being and productivity of employees; and calls on the Government to introduce yoga chairs in medical schools so upcoming generations of doctors gain a thorough grounding in this time-tested knowledge for themselves and their patients.