We may regularly feel tired, lacking energy and concentration and generally below par. Enter Laughter Yoga! Laughter Yoga is a unique concept where we laugh for no reason- there's no humor, no jokes and no comedy. We simply laugh for laughing's sake! Laughing is done as an exercise where fake laughter leads to real laughter. This leads to a reduction in cortisol, the stress hormone and an increase in the production of endorphins, the body's own natural feel-good chemicals. The body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter- the benefits are the same! Laughter Yoga combines deep belly laughter with deep breathing exercises. This facilitates longer exhalation and deep breathing through the diaphragm which helps in flushing the lungs of stale residual air and increasing the net supply of oxygen. Improvements in motivation, creativity, productivity and focus are just some of the benefits of all this lovely oxygen. Laughter yoga changes your mood in minutes lasting throughout the day and up to 24 hours. It strengthens your immune system and lowers stress. Laughter Yoga connects people creating caring and sharing relationships. Of course, it's easy to laugh when life is good and not so easy when things get tough-Laughter Yoga helps builds resilience helping you to cope with life's ups and downs. Did you know that children laugh more than 100 times per day while adults laugh only 10-15 times? This is because adults use their cognitive ability to first comprehend humor and then to laugh. It relies on the ability to understand what's funny and amusing- the extent to which a person laughs at a joke depends on the quality of the joke, the narration and also the state of mind of the listener. Laughter on this basis is therefore conditional. If you watch children, you'll see that they laugh the most while playing. Their laughter comes straight from the body and does not make use of any intellectual capacity of the brain-it's unconditional. Laughter Yoga and laughing without any reason helps to cultivate this childlike playfulness. Once you learn to play, laughter is a natural outcome. When you learn to laugh in the body, the mind just falls in step. Therefore we can laugh even if we are not happy. Other health benefits of Laughter Yoga:
* An effective cardiovascular workout
* Increases blood circulation
* Stress buster
* Increased self-confidence
* Maintains emotional balance
* Makes you look younger!
* Boosts the immune system
* A healthy heart and lower blood pressure
* Improves mood
* Natural pain killer
Quite simply, Laughter Yoga has many physical, psychological and social benefits and anybody can do it!
