The Nation Newspaper

Tag: YOGA

  • Celebrating the World Health Day

    The World Heath Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on the 7th of April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization ( WHO ).

    It is a known and popular saying that health is wealth; regardless of the amount of cash you have stashed in your account, a deficient health is tantamount to poverty.

    The theme of this year’s celebration of global health is “Good Health Adds Life To Years”.

    WHO as an international body is saddled with the responsibility to help people around the world attain the highest possible standard of health.

    It also collaborates with governments, organisations and communities to provide access to responsive health care, and give recommendations to policy wonks that can help deliver better and more effective health care system.

    The annual event to corroborate the world health day is aimed at encouraging people to pay close attention to their health habits and activities. This it does by educating people and raising their consciousness about specific health issues they might have overlooked.

    WHO is doing its best to reduce the cost of medical treatment so that the common man on the street can afford quality health care.

    It is also a strong supporter of the Yoga. Yoga is a form of physical and natural source of healing people, especially when they cannot afford expensive medical treatment, as well as people who think “alternative”.

    Statements like – therapy is the answer to medical issues, is credited to the World Health Organisation, which is dedicated to extensive studies and research across the globe to foster knowledge and encourage preventive techniques from health problem.

    In conclusion, regardless of your position in the social, political or economic stratosphere, it is important that you pay premium attention to your health. In the end, what is the use of working tirelessly to earn currencies, only to spend it all on sickness and diseases – those we could have prevented in the first place.

     

  • ‘More Nigerians engage in Yoga practice’

    More Nigerians are engaging in Yoga practice, Mrs Simran Magnani, President of Yog Shivir, an Indian Yoga coaching organisation, said.

    Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated from India, which focuses on bringing harmony between the mind and body.

    Magnani spoke at an event jointly organised by the High Commission of India and the Indian Cultural Association (ICA) in Lagos to mark the 2017 International Yoga Day.

    “In the last three years that we have been observing the International Yoga Day in Lagos, there is growing awareness among Nigerians of the benefits of Yoga. There is currently a high level of its awareness among more Nigerians. Many are becoming more enthusiastic about Yoga practice. I presently have more than 30 Nigerians that have joined my Yoga sessions in Lagos alone,’’ she said.

    Magnani said it was important for Nigerians to realise that Yoga practice was different from physical exercises, because it works on the mind and enhances calmness and relaxation.

    According to her, it is imperative for more Nigerians to know that Yoga is the art and science of healthy living.

    ICA President Chief Sanjay Jain enjoined Nigerians to avail themselves of the benefits of practising Yoga.

    Jain said Yoga practice enhances vitality, focus, memory, productivity, body, mind, emotional stability, strength and stability of the spine.

    He said it was also imperative for Nigerians to know that its practice assists in relieving back pain, stress, anxiety and tension.

    “We believe that the celebration of the International Yoga Day here at the premises of the High Commission of India in Lagos these past years is to sensitise Nigerians on the benefits of Yoga.

    “We still want to encourage more of our Nigerian brothers, sisters and friends to adopt the practice of Yoga,’’ he said.

  • Broome: Football and yoga go wonderfully together

    Broome: Football and yoga go wonderfully together

    Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Do you feel the energy that flows through your body?”
    Phrases to that effect are sure to have been heard a great deal over the last few days at the headquarters of the Germany national team in Evian, where they are based for the European Championship. The reason? Optional daily yoga sessions have been offered to Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and Co for more than ten years now, and will continue to be on the agenda in France, where Germany face Ukraine in their opening UEFA EURO 2016 encounter on Sunday evening.
    “Football and yoga go wonderfully together,” said yoga instructor Patrick Broome, who has been in all of Germany’s European Championship and FIFA World Cup™ camps for the last decade, in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com. “It’s a very good addition for athletes to experience their body through different movements and to use their body in a non-competitive way. On top of that, it’s a good way of preventing injuries. We can stretch and extend muscles that are overused and relax them. It helps with recovery. It’s a wonderful way to relax. At major tournaments all the players complain that they can’t sleep because there’s so much tension. Yoga’s good to help establish a bit of distance and to feel more relaxed again.”
    Was Germany’s fourth World Cup title at Brazil 2014 therefore a consequence of his work? “It was certainly one of many important pieces of the mosaic that combined to form that perfect whole.”
    Broome, a trained and certified psychologist, runs a Jivamukti Yoga Center [Jivamukti is a branch of traditional yoga that was developed in the USA in 1984] in Munich, and counts several members of the Bayern Munich squad as regular visitors. Furthermore, he has given seminars all over the world for the last 20 years.
    “I once asked a player to put his arms above his head,” Broome said. “He tried but couldn’t do it; he just had so much muscle that he couldn’t raise his arms above his head anymore. But I also have others who are as agile as cats. Those kind of muscle-bound players are virtually extinct in the game now though,” he said with a wink.
    Earning acceptance in football was not easy for Broome at first. There used to be a lot of prejudice and scepticism and even today he gets the occasional questioning look when he talks about his work with Germany. “Nowadays most of the players are happy and enthusiastic to do it,” Broome continued. “When I’m travelling with the team and meet members of different delegations, sometimes they’re amazed that a yoga instructor is part of the staff. However, I know that a lot of football clubs in Germany, England and Spain now have yoga instructors.”
    Yoga exercises have even been included into everyday training in semi-professional football too. The German Football Association (DFB) recorded several video sequences with Broome so that youth players could learn how to stretch the back of their thighs and take care of themselves from a young age in order to make sure their muscles do not stiffen.
    It was thanks to Olivier Bierhoff that Broome’s collaboration with the DFB started in 2005. The former Germany striker, who scored the Golden Goal in the 1996 European Championship final, took up yoga after retiring and got to know Broome. When Bierhoff became general manager of the national team he brought him into the Germany set-up. “A lot of the exercises are toned down and geared towards football; in concrete terms that means I don’t do anything that could risk a player getting injured,” Broome said. “Everything flows from physiotherapy. It’s yoga that’s tailor-made for professional athletes.”
    Jurgen Klinsmann, who was Germany head coach when Broome first became involved, also proved to be very influential. “Klinsmann had the courage to try anything that could squeeze out the last few percentage points from the players,” Broome said. “Back then he was ridiculed because he used rubber bands, but now every amateur club uses them too. Among the technical staff here at the DFB, Klinsmann is still very highly regarded because he had the courage and power to implement changes. He opened doors.”
    In France, the 46-year-old Broome will be tasked with keeping Germany’s players relaxed as they chase another title. And anyone who remains unconvinced about the power of yoga need look no further than one player who has been especially keen on taking Broome’s sessions: Mario Gotze – the man who scored the winning goal in extra time against Argentina in the World Cup Final on 13 July 2014.

  • Lenovo cuts smartphones’ prices, unveils YOGA series laptops

    Lenovo has reduced the prices of its P70 and A5000 smartphones in Nigeria, in a drive to deliver rich mobile experiences and superior smartphone technology to more Nigerians.

    Through this offer, customers can now purchase the Lenovo P70 or A5000 smartphones from accredited retail outlets nationwide at a recommended retail price of N41,500 and N23,000.

    Executive Director, Mobile Business Group at Lenovo Middle East and Africa (MEA), Shashank Sharma, described the move as a demonstration of its commitment to strengthening its bond with its Nigerian consumers.

    “Our P70 and A5000 smartphones are built to meet Nigerians’ demand for mobile phones with first-class design, smarter features and improved functionalities. We have reduced the retail prices in these categories so that a larger set of consumers can enjoy the optimal mobile experience that smartphones provide at even more affordable rates. We believe that every Nigerian should have access to the exciting world of smartphones and these new prices provide another platform through which we can achieve this goal,” he said.

    The Lenovo P70 Smartphone features a huge 4000mAh battery with a ‘Quick Charge’ feature that allows you to charge the battery to 100 per cent in just three hours, power-saving software that extends the battery even further and an OTG charging functionality to power other devices.

    The Lenovo A5000 smartphone also features a long-lasting 4000mAh battery with a Quick Charge feature, energy saving software as well as a splash-proof Nano coating that protects from rain and spills.

    In sync with its drive to provide consumers with innovative and consumer-oriented technology products, Lenovo also announced the availability of three brand new members of its ground-breaking YOGA series of convertible laptops – the YOGA 300, the YOGA 500 and the YOGA 3 Pro – in Nigeria.

    As with other members of Lenovo’s YOGA family, the new YOGA range of laptops offers 360 degrees of flexibility and can be used both as tablets and laptop computers. The devices boast of four user modes – Laptop, Stand, Tent, and Tablet – with intelligent software that optimises user experience.

    Lenovo’s YOGA series of laptops were first introduced in 2012 for the premium market segment but with a N89,000 price tag for the new YOGA 300, the company has brought the category to individuals who are looking for powerful and stylish convertibles at affordable costs.

    “Globally we are the leaders in the consumer convertible PC space. We achieved this by constantly innovating and stretching the boundaries of what a PC stands for. The YOGA franchise is the representation of this consumer-centric design and engineering. We are happy to make the YOGA franchise, through this new line of products, accessible to a much wider audience,” Sharma said.

    The YOGA 300 laptop features an 11-inch high definition display, the new Intel Pentium processor which enables users to multitask effortlessly and a battery that can last up to eight hours, while the YOGA 500 laptop, powered by the latest Intel Core I series processor for brilliant performance, boasts a 14-inch wide-range, anti-glare display and built-in security features to help keep users’ data safer.

    The 14-inch YOGA 3 Pro laptop, one of the slimmest convertibles in the market, boasts Intel’s Core M processor which is ideal for multimode devices that require great energy efficiency and a ground-breaking hinge design that maximises stability.