You’ve heard it many times—laughter is the best medicine.
And people all over the world are experiencing the healing
effects of laughter through laughter yoga, the brainchild of Dr.
Madan Kataria from Mumbai.
Just what exactly is laughter yoga and what are its benefits?
According to Sebastian Gendry, World Operations Director of
Laughter Yoga , founder and manager of the American School of
Laughter Yoga, ”laughter helps us keep healthy by enriching
the blood with ample supplies of oxygen, the lifeline of our
system. It helps to remove the negative effects of stress, acts
as a pain killer and boosts the immune system. Native and
traditional healers have long believed that without an uplifted
spirit there is not enough energy or vital force for a person to
completely experience healing.”
But there is more to laughter, he claims. “Laughter puts us
intensely in the moment. The ability to fully live and
experience the ‘now’ is of utmost importance because it is
the only moment where we can experience happiness.” In
essence, laughter is something that can be done any time of the
day, by any one. Simple, unrestrictive, it is an activity that
has truly democratic values. And the positive effects of
laughter are numerous.
Laughter is a stress buster. It reduces levels of stress
hormones epinepherine and cortisol. Laughter strengthens the
immune system. Recent research into the effects of laughter by
Dr. Lee S. Berk, Professor at Loma Linda University, California,
demonstrates that laughter increases the count of natural killer
cells and antibody levels. Laughter therapy also helps to
increase antibodies( immunoglobulin A) in the mucous of the nose
and respiratory passages. Healing can be promoted through
laughter.
Laughter is also anti-ageing. Laughing contractions tone
facial muscles and expressions. They increase blood supply to
the face, which is why people look flushed when they laugh. The
influx of blood supply and nutrients nourishes the skin and
makes it glow. People look younger and more approachable when
they laugh. By the same token, their laughter can be infectious
and generate more laughter.
Laughter is aerobic exercise; it stimulates heart and blood
circulation. Dr. William Fry of Stanford University claims that
one minute of laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing
machine. It contributes to a sense of well-being because more
oxygen is taken in during laughter. It is also an exercise
suitable for all, including those confined to a bed or
wheelchair.
There is no doubt that laughter is an universal
tonic.According to Henri Bergson in his essay on the meaning of
the comic, laughter is not only the great equalizer, it is the
great masseuse of emotions: ”It is the business of laughter to
repress any separatist tendency. Its function is to convert
rigidity into plasticity, to readapt the individual to the
whole, in short, to round off the corners wherever they are met
with.”
We have all experienced the cathartic effect of a good laugh.
Think of the last time you had a deep belly laugh and think of
the way your laughter dispersed whatever tension you had in your
body. An internal massage, laughter restores us to holistic
wisdom—everything, even the worst and most unacceptable
becomes soft and approachable within a comic perspective.
The upshot of it all is: laugh and the world laughs with you.
Live life laughing. You have nothing to lose, except your grumpy
corners!
Copyright 2006 Mary Desaulniers
Mary Desaulniers Ph.D will be interviewing
Sebastian Gendry on VoiceAmerica 7th Wave Network
Internet Radio show "Reclaiming The Body's
Wisdom" beginning October 5/06 . Get details at
http://www.GreatBodyat50.com
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