Quantum


HEALTH


Issue 11 April 2011


In class, our instructor echoed those words, explaining that to do Laughter Yoga we did not need to feel happy at the moment, have a good sense of humour or even have a reason to laugh. The only requirements were that we be willing to be childlike, to play and to have eye contact with others in the group. We were about to learn to laugh at ourselves, not for any particular reason or because of anything anyone else was doing. As class began, I felt somewhat silly at first. The whole idea of forcing myself to laugh seemed. . . well. . .laughable.


One hour later, our diverse group was in stitches, and feeling pretty good. A connection had quickly formed between us, and the group became cohesive amid the happy atmosphere. As famous British actor John Cleese had once said after his own experience of Laughter Yoga, “I am surprised how laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re howling with laughter.”


Although yoga is usually based on body postures, called asanas, you wouldn’t recognise any of the more traditional postures in this class. We practiced asanas called Greeting Laughter, Milk-shake, Rag-doll and Vowel Movement. The familiar Mountain Pose was transformed into the Ha-Ha-Ha Mountain Pose. And I defy any yoga


BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER


Physical Health Benefits • Boosts the immune system by increasing antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of immune system T-cells


• Reduces levels of stress hormones: epinephrine, adrenaline, dopamine


• Releases “feel good” hormones, such as endorphins


• Serves as a natural pain reliever


• Relaxes muscles, especially tight shoulder and neck muscles


student to do the Wiggle-worm posture without collapsing in a fit of hilarity.


A Short History of Laughter Yoga In 1995 in Mumbai, India physician and author of Laugh for No Reason Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife, Madhuri, a yoga instructor, developed Laughter Yoga based on Dr. Kataria’s exploration of how incorporating regular laughter into our lives improves well-being. He started adding to his own daily quotient of merriment by telling jokes and stories–then he ran out of material! That was when he discovered that simulated laughter–laughing just for the sake of laughing– offered the same health benefits as laughter purposefully induced by something funny. Research has shown that the brain and body do not differentiate between fake or forced laughter and the real thing. The benefits are the same–and Dr. Kataria believed that fact was no laughing matter. He and his wife incorporated some of the traditional aspects of yoga, such as deep yogic breathing and simple asanas and stretches, into the programme, but the primary point of this new yoga was to laugh and feel happy. And it works! Force a laugh for long enough and pretty soon you are laughing for real and feeling a lot happier for doing so. The Katarias attribute the rapid spread of Laughter Yoga to its nearly instantaneous feel-good effects. After all, who


• Helps controls high blood pressure and reduces factors that may contribute to heart disease by improving blood circulation to coronary arteries and dilating blood vessels


• Has anti-inflammatory effect by causing the adrenal glands to manufacture the natural anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol


• Releases tension in the diaphragm to facilitate deeper breathing


• Enriches the blood with oxygen and enhances blood supply to internal organs


• May help regulate diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels


32 Quantum Health www.quantumhealthmagazine.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78