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Minister urges Nigerians to engage in natural things that will make them happy

By Paul Adunwoke
24 March 2022   |   2:36 am
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on Nigerians to always engage themselves in natural activities as a way of making themselves happy

Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called on Nigerians to always engage themselves in natural activities as a way of making themselves happy, because happiness reduces the chances of mental health problems, depression, personality disorder among others and encourages relaxed minds.

The minister spoke in Victoria Island, Lagos, at an event organised by Africa’s holistic health and wellness centre, the Happiness Centre to celebrate International Day of Happiness 2022. He said that Federal Ministry of Information and Culture would be partnering with Happiness Centre to host the World Cultural Day with the aim of achieving physical, emotional and mental balance for individuals, Lagosians and Nigerians at large.
 


The Managing Director of the Centre, Mr. Akshay Jain, said breathing and meditation exercises go a long way to ensure the relaxation of the mind.

He explained that stress affects the state of mind because when you are angry, you breathe faster, and when you are happy, you breathe gently. “Anger is stress brought about by what happened in the past, while fear is stress brought about by what will happen in the future. We believe that life should be lived as an expression of happiness; hence we try to offer solutions to stress. Through the breathing and meditation exercise, the mind is relaxed,” he emphasised.

Jain stated that the centre is an arm of the International non-governmental organisation, and art of living foundation, fully equipped with modern and world-class infrastructure in a serene and calm environment. He said the centre harnesses the power of alternate medicine, herbal remedies, yoga, breath-work and meditation, with the aim of achieving physical, emotional and mental balance for individuals. It provides customized rejuvenating and therapeutic treatments by experienced ayurveda practitioners and a team of well-trained Panchakarma therapists, osteopaths, physiotherapists and yoga experts, and it encourages a calm, focused, and blissful state of mind along with a healthy body, which will help an individual rest, rejuvenate and immerse in the holistic environment of health and wellness, as part of its mission to make the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal three, good health and wellbeing possible in Nigeria. 

 
He said: “We at the Happiness Centre have decided to select some high profile individuals as our ambassadors because of the smiles they have brought through, the impacts they have recorded in their respective fields.

“They will be the frontline of happiness and represent our brand on days like this when we have to commemorate the International Happiness Day. The Happiness Centre was commissioned in Lagos, Nigeria in November 2021, and since then, 90 per cent of its customers have been Nigerians, which shows that the centre is not just for the expatriates, but for all.” 

The General Manager of the Centre, Francisca Ukabiala, reiterated that as Lagos is known for traffic and stress the center is all around, the energy that keeps the city moving and most importantly it is in the haven that is created to ensure that people have greater bouts of positive energy once they walk in and out of our doors and experience bespoke wellness services.”

However, the Founder of the Centre, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, disclosed that the centre is founded in order to harness the power of alternate medicine in Nigeria. “The Happiness Centre realises that the everyday scramble and the never-ending pressures of balancing work, familial and other social demands, drains an individual and takes a heavy toll on his or her physical and mental health, hence the center provides stress relief programme that helps an individual relax, rejuvenate and improve vitality through multiple practices,” he stated.

 

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