(Secretos de salud) Are you bemoaning the lack of joy in your life? Have you become too serious? Call out to the universe and you might find Laughter Yoga as your answer. Research is showing that just 10-20 minutes of laughter has a profound effect on the human body. And it does not matter if the laugher is real or fake. Laughter Yoga is an exercise routine that uses laughter and Yogic breathing (pranayama) as a complete well being workout. Laughter Yoga is done in groups in which the laughter that is initially generated may be fake, but soon results in real laughter as the members of the group use eye contact and childlike playfulness to stimulate real contagious laughter.
Laughter Yoga is based on the scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter. Each conveys the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Laughter Yoga does not rely on humor, jokes or comedy, just the flow of laughter which makes it the world’s easiest method to exercise the entire body system. Es mucho más divertido que una bicicleta de papelería!
The most obvious effect of Laughter Yoga is on the mood state, as laugher has the ability to elevate the mood within seconds. Laugher releases endorphins, natural opiates which kick start good feelings and make one feel safe and comfortable. Laugher is also known to keep away negative emotions like anxiety and depression, which tend to weaken the immune system. It relieves stress, a common cause of heart and blood pressure problems.
Laughter Yoga improves lung capacity and oxygen levels in the blood and thus reduces complaints of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory complications.
The increased level of endorphins reduces the frequency and intensity of arthritic pain and muscular spasms. Laughter is also known to help with insomnia, migraines, allergies and ulcers.
Indian physical Dr. Madan Kataria pioneered the concept of Laughter Yoga and launched the first laughter club at the park in Mumbai, India in 1995. The first club had only five people. The laugher movement is now a global phenomenon with over 6000 laugher clubs in 60 countries. Thousands of laugher clubs meet every morning in public parks. They are social clubs that are free for all comers, and there is no enrollment or forms to fill out. The clubs are run by volunteers trained as laughter yoga teachers and leaders. The clubs are non-political and non-religious.
The stated goal of Laughter Yoga is to bring good health, joy and world peace through laughter, which is a universal way to communicate with no language and cultural barriers.
Realizing the tremendous power of laughter and its efficacy as the best prescription for wellness, laughter clubs have brought smiles and laughter to the lives of many people suffering from physical, mental and emotional upsets.
Visit the Laughter Yoga website and lean how to start your own laughter club.