American Academy of Yoga and Meditation to supply co-ventilators to help India fight COVID-19

The announcement was made by American Academy for Yoga and Meditation (AAYM) during celebrations of International Yoga Day on Monday, which was attended, among others, by V Murleedharan, the Minister of State for External Affairs.

“The second wave is yet to ablate, and there are signs that India may have a third wave. We are transferring co-ventilators to India," said Dr Indranill Basu-Ray, chairman of AAYM.

“Given the deadliness of the delta strain we anticipate a greater need for ventilators than just oxygen concentrators," said Dr Amit Chakraborty, head of the global disaster initiative and a vice-chairman at the AAYM, which held the virtual conference called the "Yoga Con USA 2021,” to mark the occasion.

In his remarks, Murleedharan said the world needs yoga and meditation to stay focused and positive and enabling the strong mind and healthy body. The programme was inaugurated by the lighting of the inaugural lamp by Dr. HR Nagendra, the Vice-Chancellor of SVYASA, the world''s largest Yoga University and Hospital.

Nagendra praised the vision of the AAYM for its consistent contribution to the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCD) through the integration of modern medicine with Yoga as a preventive and therapeutic entity.

The conference was also addressed by authors Deepak Chopra, David Frawley, and Alyssa Worsel, the CEO of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

"This conference will be online and hosts many eminent physicians, scientists, and yoga experts to speak on the use of Yoga in different disease states, including heart disease, cancer, psychiatric afflictions, to name a few," said Basu Ray.