Laughter Yoga is a low impact aerobic exercise program that anyone can do anytime and anywhere that results in health and happiness. Given that there is no compulsion to do any of the exercises in a particular way there is no limitations as to who can participate. Laughter Yoga is a unique and often misunderstood concept mainly due to the name. Here is some background information.
1. It was created by a Medical Doctor in India in 1995. In 1995 Dr Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga, was a practicing physician in India who was writing about the benefits of laughter. He thought that there should be a club where people could attend to just laugh. This was the birth of the Laughter Club movement as we know it today.
2. It combines laughter exercises with yoga breathing
People will often ask “Why is it called Laughter Yoga?” and this is the answer.
3. It doesn’t rely on comedy or jokes
Comedy and jokes appeal to our state of mind. We put the laughter into the body that overrides the conscious mind. Comedy and jokes are about trying to make others laugh. We provide an environment where they can laugh from the body.
4. The body can’t differentiate between real and fake laughter
By simulating laughter from the body, the laughter then becomes real.
5. With eye contact and childlike playfulness, the laughter becomes real
Looking into people’s eyes triggers mirror neurons in the brain. If we smile at someone, they are likely to smile back automatically. The childlike playfulness is about the “inner child” and letting go to laugh freely as we did when we were children. Here are the 6 major benefits of Laughter Yoga
There are thousands of benefits derived from Laughter Yoga, but these are the ones that are the most common and relevant to the general population, that we can mention without being medical practitioners or scientists.
1. It boosts the immune system
The movement of the diaphragm creates a vacuum to draw the lymph into the blood stream to detox the body. It increases the number of lymphocytes and killer T cells that attack disease.
2. It regulates blood flow
If your blood pressure is too high it reduces it, and if it’s too low then it increases it. Laughter gives you whatever you need to provide a balance.
3. It increases oxygen to the brain and body cells
Laughter is an extreme exhalation process. The best way to get more oxygen in, is to exhale out first. The brain requires 25% more oxygen to function better, and oxygen into the cells of the body provides energy. Much disease is caused by lack of oxygen.
4. It decreases depression and anxiety
Depression lives in the past and anxiety in the future. Laughter puts you in the present moment. It firstly stops the negative thought process, and then provides a shift towards a balanced state of mind.
5. It provides pain relief
When we laugh endorphins provide pain relief when they are released into the spinal cord to impact the nervous system. They are our body’s natural pain killers. Laughter also increases our tolerance to pain. It’s once again all about a balance.
6. It manages stress
Stress is a constant. When we experience excessive stress levels, our immune system shuts down, our blood flow is changed due to muscle tension, we start to shallow breathe, we become anxious, and can cause inflammation to parts of the body that result in pain. Note that these are points 1 to 5. Cortisol levels also increase. When we laugh, serotonin is created which reduces the cortisol levels and takes care of points 1 to 5 as described above. The chemicals that get released when we laugh are…
1. Dopamine. This is our reward drug.
2. Oxytocin. This is our love hormone. Doing a kind act for someone can increase the oxytocin levels in both the giver and receiver.
3. Serotonin. This decreases stress levels; decreases the cortisone in our body.
4. Endorphins. These are our body’s natural pain killers. Endorphin means with morphine
5. Melatonin. This is the sleep drug.
