Laughter Yoga: It's Seriously Healthy

Oct 06, 2015

With more than 400 laughter clubs across the United States alone, and 6000 groups worldwide, laughter yoga is seriously taking hold as a holistic workout. It’s an infectious workout regime that helps you to stop taking things too seriously and to concentrate on the funny side of life.

If you’d like to go laughing through the day, with all the benefits laughter brings, practice laughing yoga. Laughter is healthy – through the restoration of laughter, you’ll regain happiness all too easily repressed in our serious, somber and speedy modern world. Turning this trend back to laughing more frequently can only be good. Here is how to get started in Laughter Yoga.

Health Benefits & Steps of Laughter Yoga

the cardiovascular system and reducing blood pressure; indeed, studies have shown that people suffering from heart disease are 40 percent less likely to laugh in many situations compared to people without heart disease. Laughter even speeds healing.
Stress relief: Laughter is a means to reduce anxiety and stress, as well as fostering a positive attitude and feeling of happiness. Within minutes of laughing, stress levels drop.
It’s an aerobic workout. Laughter Yoga workouts are good for your heart, diaphragm, abdominal, intercostal, respiratory, and facial muscles. As part of the “workout”, endorphins are released, giving you a sense of well-being.
It restores playfulness in your life. Children laugh up to 300-400 times a day during their formative years, and this reduces to 10-15 times a day as an adult. And, it helps reduce wrinkles to leave you looking and feeling youger!
Laughter can make you more attractive to others, improving your communications, relationships, and maybe even your dating life! Laughter Yoga was started by Dr Madan Kataria in 1995. It combines gentle yoga breathing (Pranayama), stretching, and simulated unconditional laughter.] When the laughter is practiced in a group setting, the laughter soon becomes genuine.

Accept that you don’t need a reason to laugh – just start laughing. Perform the Laughter Yoga exercises. The following steps will explain the Laughter Yoga exercises that make up each class or session. Your teacher or group may develop their own variants, but these basics are standard and knowing them will help you to practice at home as well as within the group.

Steps

Clap your hands in front of the heart chakra.

Focus on your stomach and laugh “Ho, ho.”
Focus on your chest and laugh “Ha ha.”
Change constantly between your abdomen and your chest up and down, and shout, “Ho ho, Ha ha, Ho ho”

Do the welcome laughter. Within a group, keep eye contact and laugh, until all people in the group are happy. At home, look in the mirror and welcome yourself. When you look into the mirror there is always something to laugh about.

Extend your hands to heaven. Concentrate on your chest and laugh “Ha ha ha” for a minute.
Think the mantra: “May all beings be happy. Let there be a world of laughing.” See all people in the world and see ourselves as laughing Buddhas, laughing gods, or laughing holinesses.

Sing the Om Song. At the end of your Laughter Yoga, sing the mantra “Om” for one minute. Sing it with your own melody. Sense in which part of your body the Om resonates best. Sing the Om until you are calm. Then proceed optimistically through your daily life.

“What happens is that over a period of time, laughter which starts as a simple exercise routine, penetrates skin deep and changes our outlook towards life. We become more loving, caring and sharing.” ~ Jagat Singh Bisht – Laughter Yoga Teacher

“Laughter Yoga can help children to cope with Stress and also replace some of the play and laughter time that they are losing to formalized educational systems and changes in lifestyle.” ~ Jagat Singh Bisht – Laughter Yoga Teacher

“The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter and the spirit heals with joy – All are inner connected. Laughter, that simple god-given gift we were all born with, was for me the key that not only dissipated my depression, but also unlocked the spontaneous joy that allowed my mind, body and spirit to heal.” ~ Sue Carter – Laughter Yoga Teacher

“…Because I laugh heartily every day and breathe fully, my body is oxygenated and invigorated which gives me energy in abundance!” ~ Lynda Andrews – Laughter Yoga Teacher

For More Information and Loads of Resources I Recommend to Visit:
Laughter Yoga – Global Movement For Health Happiness and Peace

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