Laughing Yoga? Yes, it Does Exist!
Many people say that "laughter is the best medicine" and quite a number of people roll their eyes when they hear people say that "laughter is the best medicine". But all facts considered, laughter has been shown to help improve the health and general well being of patients.
So the next time if you feel the urge to stifle a laugh, don't. People who laugh more are generally less prone to chronic ailments. Laugher has been shown to boost the immune system and help undo the more serious effects of depression. It has also been shown to protect the heart from premature malfunction and has been attributed to have a beneficial effect on an extremely wide variety of ailments.
Oddly enough, even faked and forced laughter has been shown to have the same benefits as real laughter on a physiological level. Laughing yoga is a modern day adaptation of ancient Indian practices with a view on trying to make the benefits of both yoga and laughter attainable.
Laughing Releases Tension
If you watch a lot of television, you would probably have heard of laughing yoga by now. Laughing yoga, or Laughter yoga, as it is properly called, is a system of exercises influenced by traditional yoga techniques, which aims to release tension in an individual. It was developed by Mumbai, India-based physician Dr. Madan Kataria. The first club started in 1995 and now there are over 5000 of these clubs in 40 countries. These are mostly free and for public use. If laughter really is the best medicine, Patch Adams clearly has nothing on Dr. Kataria.
The exercises in laughing yoga involve yoga breathing and stretching, just like in most other yoga schools of thought. The biggest distinction is in the chanting of sounds of simulated laughter and clapping while the exercises are being done. When done correctly, practicing laughing yoga will result in… you guessed it, real laughter.
Laughing yoga as a practice is quite physical, though not nearly as strenuous as other types of yoga. The difficulty of the sessions is easily scalable to suit the motivations and abilities of the students. The practice of this kind of yoga is intended to be don primarily in group, though it could be done alone when needed. Sessions are quite short, usually lasting less than half an hour.
Dr. Madan Kataria also envisioned laughing yoga to have another purpose as well. She envisioned it to promote world peace through personal transformation with a view on eliminating boundaries put up by religion and sectarianism.
