Laughter Yoga
What Is It?
Laughter Yoga started in 1995, at a park in Mumbai, India by a medical doctor, Dr. Kataria. He developed the laughing/breathing exercises and found remarkable results! Don’t worry, you don’t need to put your body in any pretzel-like moves. You just need to make eye contact and smile.
Take a look-see at CNN’s clip!
Check out the LY website at www.laughteryoga.org. We all know that laughing is FUN, but did YOU know that LAUGHTER is (a):
- Stress buster, reduces cortisol (THE stress hormone) and increases endorphins (Happy hormones).
- Strengthens the immune system (increases your own natural antibodies to fight off disease).
- Anti-aging (tones facial muscles and increases the blood supply to the face and nourishes the skin).
- Aerobic exercise (Stimulates the heart and blood circulation). Stanford University claims one (1) minute of laughter is equal to ten (10) minutes of cardiovascular exercise.
- Internal jogging (Laughter massages the internal organs by enhancing the blood supply and increasing their efficiency). Also, helps tone the abdominal muscles and improve overall muscle tone.
- Natural Pain Killer (increases endorphins) and can reduce pain in certain medical conditions, such as, arthritis, muscle spasms and spondylitis.
- Controls High Blood Pressure (reduce blood pressure by reducing cortisol, THE stress hormone). This is not a substitute for seeking medical advice if you have high blood pressure.
- Reduces depression and anxiety (sleep better, reduce the strain and stress of everyday life).
- Reduces Bronchitis and asthma (laughter increases oxygen to the lungs and lung capacity).
- Makes you FEEL good (You will notice a change in your mood for the ENTIRE day following a laughter session).