Laughter is good medicine

Taking care of our health is a serious matter. The medical system is becoming more and more restrictive our air, water and food are filled with chemicals time, finances and responsibilities mount up stress political correctness is a pre-requisite for everything, and one more thing – we need to become more serious about laughter!

The benefits of laughter have absolutely no risks or costs. In fact, a good laugh costs you nothing while it lowers your blood pressure, reduces stress, strengthens abdominal muscles and boosts your immune system. Researchers are studying the health benefits of laughter. The research of Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California can be found in the September/October 1996 issue of the Humour and Health Journal.

The benefits are so great that Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India, and his wife Madhuri Kataria developed the concept of Laughter Yoga. Laughter yoga is a combination of simple, empowering and otherwise "tension-releasing" laughter exercises combined with gentle yoga stretches and breathing techniques. Laughter Yoga got its start in a park. After researching the healing affects of laughter in 1995, Dr. Kataria set out to start a laughter club. He went to his local park and managed to motivate four people to laugh with him. This small group quickly grew to over 50 participants within a few days. The format was the turn-by-turn telling of jokes or anecdotes.

Within two weeks the stock of good jokes ran out and the participants were quickly losing interest. Throughout the two weeks, Dr. Kataria realized that the laughter was less about the joke and more about the contagiousness of laughter. So he experimented with the idea of laughing for no reason and it worked well.

Dr. Kataria promotes his Laughter Yoga as non-political, non religious, non-racial, non-threatening and non-competitive. There are no jokes or comedy, therefore no opinions or judgments. No thinking = no judgment, no room for conflict or power struggle. There is sufficient data available from medical research to show that even if you pretend to laugh or act happy your body produces chemicals that encourage a positive perspective. Our mind does not know the difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it. Therefore, whatever may be the source of laughter, it leads to the same set of physiological changes occurring in our bodies elated mood, lower blood pressure, stress relief, relief of body pain, decreased aggression and irritation.

Another theory is “Motion Creates Emotion”. If you put your body into an act of happiness, your endocrine system will create the chemistry within your body that produces a correlating behavior, which directly impacts your mood state. Your body is in a state of enjoyment no matter what kind of situation or circumstances your analytical mind has to say.

Where laughter yoga and traditional yoga intersect is with the breath (initially), and with the connection of the mind and body (ideally). Yoga teaches that the mind and body are mirror one to another and that the breath is the link between the two. In Laughter Yoga, "Laughter" is used as a form of breath work to breathe deeper into the abdomen. It gently expands the lung capacity by increasing abdominal breathing. It effectively flushes the 2/3 of "stale air" that most people unknowingly keep inside. Repeated practice helps the diaphragm to become stronger and more flexible for deeper and more quality breaths. Healthy breathing helps one to properly oxygenate the body and focus the mind for his/her goals. It helps us to become more aware of the moment and expand our appreciation and realize the opportunities of each moment.

When we are laughing we are thinking of very little else! This is part of the Laughter Yoga experience which is called Laughter Mediation. At the end of the session participants relax and absorb the benefits of the healing exercise they just accomplished. This is where individuals are able to restfully articulate the feelings of joy that the laughter has led them to. Often, this will lead to more authentic laughter.

Laughter yoga is not the only method to help us laugh more. Simple exercises like putting photos up that remind you of fond memories, looking for the humorous side of situations, look at yourself in the mirror and simply laugh. Taking yourself less seriously will seriously help your health.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.