GWD 2025
GWD 2025. in Serbia
Global Wellness Day (GWD) 2025 was marked by a central event – a major gathering in Kuršumlijska Banja at the Planinka Hotel, along with events organized by other members of the Cluster. 14.06.2025
Celebration of GWD 2025 in Kursumlijska Banja
Karl Nielsen – Masterclass – “Dragon of Happiness”
President of the Mindfulness In-Me Association from Berlin, Prof. Dr. Karl Nielsen, held a fantastic MasterClass titled “The Happiness Dragon” as part of the Global Wellness Day (GWD) celebration.
In this training, the metaphor of “The Happiness Dragon” represents the inner challenge each of us must overcome in order to find true happiness.
Here, the dragon symbolizes an obstacle—ancient programs in our brain that, throughout evolution, have been wired for survival (fight, flight, freeze), rather than for joy, gratitude, and presence. The dragon is everything that unconsciously leads us into stress, dissatisfaction, and the need for external validation and constant achievement—instead of simply “being.”
In this training, we “tame the Happiness Dragon” by working on transforming our inner states through mindfulness, NLP, and body-based exercises. We face ourselves, develop awareness, and instead of running away, we choose to live from within—present and conscious.
Just as the hero in a fairytale must face the dragon to find the treasure, we, too, in this process, discover our own potential for inner freedom, joy, and authenticity.
Prof. Dr. Karl Nielsen is a professor of psychology at UCN and Azteca University. His visit represents an important step in strengthening international cooperation and increasing Serbia’s visibility on the mindfulness map of Europe.
