Gothenburg, May 18 (IANS) Promoting Ayurveda, an ancient holistic healing system originating from India, in Sweden as Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his successful and historic visit to Gothenburg on Sunday, Ayurveda Sweden Association Chairperson Stina Andersson said that “PM Modi is one of the only leaders in the world right now who have a vision for the planet and for the future and that’s what we need right now in this world”.

Ayurveda operates on the principle that health depends on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit. It achieves wellness by harmonising your unique constitution through personalised diets, lifestyle routines, yoga, and herbal therapies.

Asked as someone promoting Ayurveda in Sweden, what message she would like to give to Prime Minister Modi during his visit, Andersson on Sunday said, “… When we start this Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and when we will execute it, there will be great opportunities for people from Sweden to go to India and also from Indian people to come here and to all over Europe, I feel. Ayurveda is really needed. I believe that Ayurveda is one of the most important knowledge that could be shared in the world today, since we are facing so much crisis in our healthcare system and in healthcare systems all over the world today, so we need Ayurveda here.”

The Ayurveda Sweden Association Chairperson added, “Ayurveda is very cost-efficient when it comes to health, because it’s aiming to see how people themselves can use daily routines to heal. And all the treatments that are available are so efficient, so when we use Ayurveda as an integrative medicine system, we can benefit from both Ayurvedic medicine and from modern medicine, and that’s a huge impact on our economy.”

When asked Prime Minister Modi has often spoken about traditional wellness systems so how can Ayurveda contribute to healthier lifestyles globally, Andersson said, “So 80 per cent of all the diseases today is because of our lifestyle. And Ayurveda has a fantastic way of understanding how we can create our own health if we follow the daily routines and the seasonal routines and eat what nature provides that specific season. But Ayurveda is also a science that goes very, very deep and very advanced technology can be applied in the Ayurvedic science… For example, AI and nanotechnology, when we also see how the herbs can interact with our bodies. So I feel when we take Ayurveda here, we need to establish the foundation first and go into the daily routines and seasonal routines because then the body will adjust.”

Ayurveda Sweden Association Chief adds, “Well, as I see it, without our health we cannot contribute to the world in a proper way. So health is the basics for the human. And I feel that Ayurveda is a fantastic wisdom that has been kept for such a long time in India. And now we feel that Sweden is ready to also make use of it… We have established Ayurveda here on a very basic level and now we are ready to take the next step.”

Asked if Sweden has shown growing interest in Ayurveda and natural healing practices so how does she view the future of Ayurveda cooperation between India and Sweden, Andersson says, “I think there’s a great opportunity for Indian people, Indian Vaidyas and doctors to come to Sweden to also share with their knowledge and for Swedish people to come to India to learn more. And when we establish these collaboration agreements, then it’s so easy for us because we also need to understand Ayurveda from our perspective in the Nordic countries, which is so different from India, how it is practiced there.”

When asked how you see Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit strengthening India-Sweden relations in the fields of wellness, Ayurveda, and holistic healthcare, Ayurveda Sweden Association Chief adds, “It was a fantastic experience and I was so excited also to meet with him today. It’s a huge step for Sweden and especially for what I feel, Ayurveda.”

–IANS

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