Stressing that yoga was a centuries-old Indian tradition, popular yoga guru Swami Ramdev urged the government and yoga organizations to prevent it from being patented overseas.
"Since there are attempts to patent this tradition (of yoga) in America, the Indian government and yoga organizations should take measures to prevent it," Ramdev said here."Yoga cannot be patented as it belongs to the entire country and humanity. Also yoga cannot be run like a company," he said here late Tuesday.
"I do not wish to name any individual, but how can yoga be taught at a controlled 45 degrees centigrade temperature when it is ideally taught in the cold Himalayas," Ramdev said, referring to Indian-born Bikram Choudhary's method of teaching yoga. Choudhary teaches this technique in California and has even reportedly patented this method of yoga recently.
Ramdev also criticised the Indian health ministry for "turning into an allopathy ministry by promoting only allopathy and neglecting ayurveda".
"The health ministry must sort its own health first and stop sending regular notices to me," he said.
"Around 10 percent of the population of India is suffering from diabetes. Yoga and ayurveda are one of the most effective ways to cure this deadly disease."
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Ramdev is here to conduct a yoga camp from May 17 to 22.
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Source-IANS
SRM/B
