If you’ve ever wondered what you can do to improve your mood immediately and consistently, then consider the new world of laughter yogaCreated by Dr Madan Kataria in India, Laughter Yoga has been created with those goals in mind.The difference between laughter yoga and just plain laughter is that this form of exercise does not require jokes or some external event to provoke laughter. Rather, the aim is to generate laughter internally, without the aid of comedy or a funny event.There are numerous benefits to laughter – belly laughter is very good at exercising the diaphragm -which is why when people are laughing helplessly they frequently clutch their stomach and the abdomen can start aching. The reason is that the diaphragm is moving up and down and getting fatigued as proper belly laughter occurs.5 Reasons why you need more laughter
Stress – there are 25 scientific papers on LY benefits including physical and mental stress reduction -in fact, Laughter is one of the fastest ways to reduce stress – it is the physiological opposite of stress. It can have an immediate effect and last for a long time.
Depression – Laughter can act as an antidote to depression. It elevates mood and increases endorphins – if you laugh for 10-15mins a day will elevate happy mood chemicals. Increases serotonin, which also elevates mood – Depressed people rarely laugh – those that laugh a lot are less likely to get depressed.
As children, we laugh more – as we grow up we lose our laughter hours. Laughter tends to become dependent on conditions, whereas children don’t need conditions to laugh.
Laughter has preventative effects and well as therapeutic effects. It has an effect on almost every system in the body. It is the cheapest medicine. Laughter can lower blood pressure, reduces pain, and increases immune system response.
It can also increase oxygen to cells in the body and brain. The effect of the diaphragm moving up and down when laughing brings increased air into the body, which increases levels of oxygen in the body, oxygenates the body and brain, and promotes health and vitality.
Have you ever wondered how actors create the ability to be able to cry at will? Similarly, the ability to laugh at will can also be created through practice. Once we have learned to laugh at will, we can start to use this ability to generate more laughter in our lives.The first time I tried cold water therapy (literally dipping into a bath of very cold water), as I was doing it I decided to start laughing. The obvious reaction is to start wincing or hyperventilating – or to feel the pain and meet it with fear or discomfort.Photo by James Cheney on Pexels.com I decided to transmute the experience by laughing at my bodily reaction. Of course, I looked rather ridiculous to any observers (fortunately there were only a couple of people present!) however the reaction of laughter enabled me to stay in the water for longer than if I had started to show fear or discomfort.Practising laughter also enables the laughter connection to increase, so that more things are found amusing after the practice. This is a great antidote for anyone who doesn’t usually feel their mood light or uplifted. It creates the neuro pathways to experience more laughter, and hence joy, in your life naturally.If you’d like to get involved, there are free classes hosted weekly by the founder here.To watch a short video of me doing laughter yoga with some children in a school in Phuket, click here.
