If someone is interested in laughter Yoga, here an article…
Have you ever laughed so hard tears slide down your cheeks and your abs are about to explode? Isn’t it the greatest experience? You feel so light and cheerful afterwards, and it’s such a complete workout as well.
Did you know that when we laugh we use 50 facial muscles and more than 300 group muscles in our abdomen, head, neck, back, shoulders, arms, hands, and legs? The stimulation our body receives is amazing, our healing process and immune system is enhanced, stress hormones are reduced, and our lungs and heart receive an internal massage by our diaphragm muscle which contracts energetically while laughing. No spa can give us such a remarkable massage session!
So what does laughing have to do with yoga? Well in 1995 Dr. Madan Kataria decided to gather a group in India with the purpose of stimulating laughter. He prepared a yoga class which started by doing some pranayama and meditation exercises. Then he encouraged people to make eye contact and free their more foolish and playful side. Someone then started laughing on purpose and the rest of the class was instructed to laugh as well. Pretty soon everyone was laughing wholeheartedly.
It turns out that fake laughter has the same positive effects as genuine laughter, mainly because the brain doesn’t sense a difference between them. So even though some people weren’t feeling so cheerful or were reluctant to try something that may have looked kind of weird, this fake laugh was having the same physiological effects as spontaneous laugh, and everyone was feeling the positive effects of the endorphin liberation, muscle relaxation, increase in oxygen, overall wellness and lightness of heart.
Laughing Yoga is highly recommended for people with asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and cancer. Different health care centers, like the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, are now providing Laughter Yoga to cancer patients as part of their treatment. Ten minutes of belly laughter gives you up to two hours of pain free.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find a place to practice this kind of Yoga, especially in Costa Rica. Fortunately you don’t need to have previous experience; you don’t even need other people. In the comfort of your home you can take a few minutes every day to just laugh. You can also add some breathing exercises if you wish. Just let your childlike playfulness flourish and enjoy being silly!
Wha is your experience with laughter Yoga?