Laughter Yoga

1. Laughter Yoga is a unique concept where anyone can laugh for no-reason without relying on humor, jokes or comedy.

2. We initiate laughter as an exercise in a group but with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.

3. The reason we call it Laughter Yoga is because it combines laughter exercises with yoga breathing. This brings more oxygen to the body and the brain which makes one feel more energetic and healthy.

4. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter if done with willingness. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.

5. It was started by a medical doctor Dr. Madan Kataria from India with just five people in a Mumbai Park in 1995. Today there are thousands of Laughter Clubs in more than 70 countries.

In addition to social Laughter Clubs, Laughter Yoga is also practiced in companies and corporations, Fitness centers, Yoga studios, Centers for Seniors, Schools, Colleges, Universities, Physically and mentally challenged and Self-help cancer
groups.

laughter

Why Laughter Yoga – 3 Reasons

1. In order to get the scientifically proven health benefits of laughter, we need to laugh continuously for at least for 10 to 15 minutes. Since in Laughter Yoga we do laughter as an exercise, we can prolong our laughter as long as we want. On the other hand, natural laughter comes for just a few seconds here and there and is not enough to bring about physiological and biochemical changes in our body.

2. To reap the health benefits of laughter, laughter has to be loud and deep coming from the diaphragm. It should be a belly laugh. It might not be socially acceptable to laugh loudly, but Laughter Yoga clubs provide a safe environment where one can laugh loudly and heartily without any social implication.

3. Natural laughter that courses through our life depends upon many reasons and conditions, but there are not many reasons which make us laugh. That means we are leaving laughter to chance, it may happen it may not. In contrast, in Laughter
Yoga clubs we are not leaving laughter to chance, but doing it out of commitment. This is a guaranteed way of getting the health benefits of laughter.

1. Elevates Mood

Laughter Yoga can change your mood within minutes by 1 releasing endorphins from your brain cells. This makes you feel good and if you are in a good mood you do everything well. It makes you cheerful all throughout the day.

2. Health Benefits

Laughter Yoga reduces stress and strengthens the immune system. If your immune system is strong you will not fall sick easily and if you have chronic health conditions, it will help to heal faster.

3. Business Benefits

Our brain needs 25 % more oxygen for optimal functioning. Laughter exercises can increase net supply of oxygen to our body and brain which helps to improve efficiency and performance. You will feel energetic and can work more than you normally do without getting tired.

4. Social Connector

Quality of life depends upon quality of our friends and our relationships. Laughter is a great connector of people and brings
lots of good friend with caring and sharing relationship.

5. Laughing Through Challenges

Anyone can laugh when times are good, but Laughter Yoga teaches people to laugh unconditionally so that they can laugh even when times are hard. It provides strength in adversity, a coping mechanism to help people keep a positive mental attitude regardless of circumstances

1. Adds More Laughter To Life

Laughter Yoga is ideally suited to helping seniors live a more laughing life. It does not rely upon a sense of humor or cognitive function. Therefore, anyone can laugh heartily. It also helps people understand that they do not need a reason to laugh. As we grow older, we laugh less and less. Because of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, seniors often times can’t get jokes or find anything funny. This is because humor is mental and cognitive phenomena. Therefore Laughter Yoga is ideally suited for seniors to do laughter as a form of exercise and get multiple health benefits from it.

2. Promotes Physical Health

As we grow older because of wear and tear most seniors have many ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma and other diseases of aging. Laughter Yoga helps in healing from illnesses by strengthening immune system, increasing oxygen to the body cells and bringing a positive mental state.

3. Supports Good Mental Health

Many seniors suffer from depression, frustration and anger. As they lose loved ones and their health, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a positive mental attitude. Laughter Yoga changes a person’s biochemistry in a way that supports good mental health regardless of their circumstances.

4. Increased Social Connection

Laughter Yoga allows for strong social bonding with friends, relatives, fellow residents at care facilities as well as care givers and medical personnel. Even persons with dementia can forge meaningful connections with Laughter Yoga. This development of friendship decreases loneliness and increases quality of life.

5. Laughter Yoga Adds To Longevity

Laughter Yoga gives the Elders a reason and purpose to living fully every day. This simple and easy to do exercise routine is being practiced even by people in their 70s, 80s & 90s. As the population becomes increasingly older every day, Laughter Yoga is a tool for transformational aging & increased longevity.

The corporate world can truly benefit from Laughter Yoga. These 5 categories can help you explain how Laughter Yoga is so well suited to building stronger businesses. When you make a presentation with business people, you should focus more on issues like stress management through laughter, peak performance, team building, communication skills, positive work environment, self confidence, leadership and creativity.

1. Reduces Stress

Laughter Yoga is the quickest, most effective, most economical way to help employees reduce stress. This helps prevent worker burnout and absenteeism from stress-related illness.

2. Creates Emotional Well-Being

Laughter Yoga helps employees balance and manage their emotional lives. It increases positive emotions and decreases negative emotions. This smoothes workplace relations and helps people develop a work life balance.

3. Promotes Peak Performance

Laughter Yoga increases the net supply of oxygen to the body and brain, thus, promoting peak performance. The brain requires 25% more oxygen than the rest of the body. The laughing and deep yoga breathing of Laughter Yoga enables the brain to attain this much needed oxygen supply so that it can function at its highest level. How much you can work depends upon your mood states. If your mood is good, you do everything well. Your mood states are paramount to your peak performance. Laughter Yoga changes your mood within minutes by releasing chemicals from your brain cells like endorphin.

4. Enhances Creativity

The playfulness of Laughter Yoga frees right-brained thinking, the basis of all creativity. Out of this creativity, new ideas and concepts can grow, giving your business the edge it needs to move forward.

5. Builds Team Spirit

Laughter Yoga connects people and this builds team spirit. Communication skills are enhanced and employees engage with one another in a helpful, mutually-supportive environment.