Happiness can be evasive given the negative news of political and economic hardships as well as life’s pressures in today’s world but at the Happiness Centre, run by Indian entrepreneur and healthy lifestyle expert, Akshay Jain, the feeling of peace and harmony can be achieved through alternative medicine and meditation, reports Vanessa Obioha
In the latter part of 2021, Akshay Jain, an Indian entrepreneur who has taught happiness and is associated with the Art of Living Foundation set up a health and wellness centre: Happiness Centre.
The name of the centre often conjured activities that are associated with the state of happiness such as getting freebies or playing games with friends but the facility situated in a quiet neighbourhood in Victoria Island, Lagos offers therapies and techniques that can ease mental relaxation.
These therapies according to Jain who is the Managing Director of the centre, if wholly embraced will help Nigerians enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Having lived more than a decade in Lagos, Jain is not a stranger to the hurly-burly of the city. Therefore, the Happiness Centre is designed in such a way to give one a state of peace and harmony. Its environment is surrounded by trees and plants to give room for interactions with nature.
Happiness means different things to people but is essentially about having a positive state of mind.
“Happiness is a state of mind. It is the nature of the mind,” Jain said in a recent encounter. “When the mind is stressed, it shrinks your consciousness, but when you are happy, it is expanded. So stress is a major culprit here. It takes away from your nature and then all the negative emotions such as anxiety, and anger now affect you.”
Indeed, in the world today, happiness can be evasive given the negative news of political and economic hardships as well as life’s pressures. While there are many ways one can achieve happiness on a short term basis such as indulging in drinking and smoking, Jain believes that one can be connected back to a state of happiness if one intentionally practises mind relaxation. This he said is the objective of the Happiness Centre.
“Everyone knows that drinking and smoking are bad for one’s health but people indulge in it because of the short term relief it provides. It is a form of escapism from this stressed world. Happiness however connects you to your inner self to give you peace.
“The organisation behind this centre which is Art of Living has achieved great success all over the world in spreading peace and happiness. The mission of the organisation is to bring peace to eradicate violence and to bring smiles on everybody’s face.”
Elaborating more on short term happiness, Jain said that anything external or material can bring happiness but because it’s short-lived, it leads one to a new quest for happiness.
“So we then tend to live life in pursuit of happiness. You do something for a day or two or whatever time, then next, you’re looking for something else. So your happiness is somewhere in the future. But if you realise that your nature is happiness, you can be happy and still achieve what you want.”
Contrary to the popular belief that religion plays a vital role in one’s happiness, Jain argued that it can be attained through one’s mental state and lifestyle. Yoga, he said, is one way to have a positive state of mind.
“Yoga is a way of living. It means the union of mind, body and spirit. It is attained by the certain knowledge of life. It is done with means of physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation. A combination of these helps us to relax and focus positively because when the mind relaxes, that is the beginning of the experience of positivity.”
The way Jain sees it, we feel negative emotions when our mind and nerves are too tight and the ripple effect causes our body to be stiff. Therefore, at the Happiness Centre, one is first taught the techniques to relax the mind and followed by emotional control.
There are courses and programmes tailored to achieve these. For instance, the level one programme is called the Happiness programme where breathing techniques and mind relaxation are taught. Jain emphasized that the programme is time tested and taught with the new insights researched and validated.
Another means Jain and his team of professionals help people achieve a healthy lifestyle is through alternative medicine known as Ayurveda. Ayurveda, meaning “science of life”, is an alternative medicine system that has been in existence for over 5, 000 years originating from India. It is acclaimed to be one of the best traditional medicine systems in India. It is heavily practised both in India and Nepal.
Relatively new in Nigeria, Jain said the practice is now formalised and has universities in India teaching aspiring doctors Ayurvedic medicine. At the centre, there is an Ayurvedic doctor that attends to patients with different ailments such as people suffering from diabetes or arthritis.
Jain however shrugged off critics who question the credibility of Ayurvedic medicine. Having been introduced to the alternative medicine in 2004 and seeing its benefits, as far as he is concerned, western medicine is constantly researching to find solutions to problems. Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted that research is continuously done to find the best vaccine to deal with the capricious coronavirus.
“I am not saying that western medicine is bad. It has its own twist. If you fall, if you break your hand, you have to go and get operated on. But there are certain types of diseases or certain lifestyle-related disorders, which can be fixed by natural needs and Ayurvedic products and which is much more healthy.”
He stressed that there has been evidence at the centre of people treated via Ayurveda.
“We have seen so many cases of diabetes being reversed. Very simple lifestyle changes. You start exercising and you have the right type of food and at the right time, you sleep well. You see how deeply impacted the product is.”
He continued: “There is a reason to satisfy the logical mind by evidence but human beings are such a complex structure where you don’t have answers for everything today. We should be open to the traditions that have been passed on to us. The good thing is that it does not have adverse effects.”
Committed to spreading the gospel of happiness in Nigeria, for the first time, the Happiness Centre marked the UN International Day of Happiness in Nigeria. The event was attended by the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed and representatives from the office of the First Lady of Lagos State as well as professor of political economy Pat Utomi who sits on the board of the centre.
“It was a good occasion to spread awareness, information on how we can have a better life with the knowledge of meditation and breathing techniques which affects everyday life and lengthens your life. And secondly to understand and live a healthy life through Ayurveda,” he concluded.
Quote“Having lived more than a decade in Lagos, Jain is not a stranger to the hurly-burly of the city. Therefore, the Happiness Centre is designed in such a way to give one a state of peace and harmony. Its environment is surrounded by trees and plants to give room for interactions with nature”
