On the occasion of International Yoga Day 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation at 6:30 AM on Sunday and said that many of the asanas in Yoga, like 'Pranayam', may prove to be key in helping the body ward off the COVID-19 threat. "Many congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the 6th International Yoga Day. This day is a day of solidarity and universal brotherhood," said the Prime Minister while delivering the speech from New Delhi early this morning.

He was earlier scheduled to visit Leh for the occasion and address the country from there but it was called off due to the prevailing COVID-19 crisis.

Modi spoke about the importance of Yoga Day and said that Yoga enhances our quest for a healthier planet. "It has emerged as a force for unity and deepens the bonds of humanity. It does not discriminate, it goes beyond race, colour, gender, faith, and descent," said Prime Minister Modi.

He said that the world is realising the need for Yoga, even more, today, due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. "If our immunity is strong then it helps in fighting against the disease. There are Yoga practices that boost our immunity and improve metabolism," said the Prime Minister.

To this end, Modi provided the example of a specific asana that may prove to be a key in helping the body fight off the COVID-19 threat. "Coronavirus attacks our respiratory system," said Prime Minister Modi, "A breathing exercise called 'Pranayam' is something that helps us the most in making our respiratory system strong."

His address and the event was broadcast on DD National, DD News, All India Radio, besides social media handles of PM Narendra Modi.

The entire broadcast can be watched here.

Earlier in the day, Modi took to his official Twitter account to let know of the speech. "Greetings on #YogaDay! Sharing my remarks on this special occasion.," a tweet from his official handle on the microblogging website said.

Greetings on #YogaDay! Sharing my remarks on this special occasion. https://t.co/8eIrBklnLI

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2020

Last year, PM Modi was the chief guest at an event on the occasion of the International Yoga Day in Ranchi.

Meanwhile, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patel had expressed hope that at least 10 million people will join him in performing Surya Namaskar on this year's International Day of Yoga on Sunday. He is set to perform Surya Namaskar at Purana Qila and urged everybody to join him in performing Surya Namaskar from their homes.

The minister also posted a video message on social media and urged all to share their Surya Namaskar videos with #10MillionSuryaNamaskar & #NamasteYoga hashtags on social media platforms so that it can become a public movement and creates health awareness among fellow citizens.

With the COVID-19 lockdown in place, this year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family', and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 6 AM on June 21.

It will go digital for the first time since 2015 when it began to be celebrated annually across the world.