Bangkok, July 11: Twelve boys and their 25-year-old football team coach were rescued from a cave after being stuck there for 18 days in Thailand on Tuesday. The boys of the Wild Boars soccer team, all under 17, were healthy and flashed smiling faces at the media, leaving everyone amazed at how calm they were despite being with limited food and air in the Thuam Luang caves in Chiang Rai city. According to reports, it was the coach's meditation that kept the boys going.

Coach Ekapol Chanthawong was a Buddhist monk before joining the football team. "Coach was a Buddhist monk before joining the team, he used his knowledge of meditation to keep the boys calm. Thailand has learned Buddhist wisdom from India through Lord Buddha," said Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Thai Embassy. (Also Read: How India Helped In Thai Cave Rescue)

Video: How Meditation Helped Boys Survive in Thai Cave

“Look at how calm they were, sitting there waiting. No one was crying or anything. It was astonishing,” said the mother of one of the boys rescued, as quoted by AP. As quoted by CNBC, Stanford University meditation expert Leah Weiss, who was taught by the Dalai Lama, also said that meditating was probably crucial to keeping the group alive. “​For Buddhists, meditation is a go-to when distressed or in danger,” he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 11, 2018 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).