Review: Laughter Yoga

On paper, it’s a match made in heaven; yoga and its health benefits, combined with laughter, which research suggests is good at aiding recovery and boosting well-being. But can being made to imitate a train and shout in a stranger’s face really be good for us? Emma Robertson found out when she experienced the worldwide phenomenon that is laughter yoga.

‘When did we grow up and get so serious? Kids laugh up to an amazing 400 times a day, but as adults our rib-tickling reflexes are lucky if they get any more than 18 pathetic daily doses of mirth. We need to cheer-up; especially as research not only shows happy people heal faster but that laughter can recharge health and turbo-boost well-being.

Yoga has become the trendy remedy of the decade since Madonna brought it to the attention of the masses. So, imagine the double-whammy benefits when gentle breathing and stretches are merged with the feel-good effects of belly laughter? Sounds like a winning combination. Time to cash-in my inner Little Miss Misery guts for a piece of side-splitting action, courtesy of laughter yoga.

Okay, so it might sound like yet another wacky health fad from Bonkersville, but the potency of laughter yoga is not to be sniffed at. In 1995 Dr Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India, began the first ‘laughter club’ to further his fascination with the impressive science supporting the mind and body’s profit from laughter.

The internal hokey-kokey our bodies experience when we laugh is a great aerobic workout and is thought to stimulate the release of feel-good hormones. These beauties boost the immune system while reducing stress and tension. Our natural painkilling endorphins also increase with mirth, which supports the suggestion that laughter really is the best medicine.

Dr Kataria’s interest was further compounded by the book Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins. This American journalist reversed his crippling spinal illness, ankylosing spondylitis, with a 10-minute daily session of hearty laughter. Simply put, he self-medicated with Marx Brothers’ films and Candid Camera re-runs which achieved the pain-relief a cocktail of codeine, sleeping pills and Aspirin could not.

What began as five people telling jokes in a park in India has snowballed into a worldwide phenomenon with 5,000 laughter groups now scattered around the globe. What’s more, even people who are challenged in the chuckle department can make the most of the Dr Kataria’s technique.

“Fake it, fake it till you make it,” goes the laughter motto. Either way the same happy hormones are released into our system because the human mind can’t distinguish between real and phoney laughter. And let’s face it, with sky-high stress levels and depressing news headlines, we grown-ups need all the help our laugh-o-meters can get.

Organise Your Environment

The space around you is often a strong indicator of what’s happening inside you.  A cluttered or disorganised home or office makes for just as much clutter and disorder in your mind.

To steer clear of the chaos and confusion, spend five minutes every day cleaning up or clearing out the easiest targets for clutter accumulation in your home or office.  Junk mail continue to pile up on the ktchen counter?  Miscellaneous items always end up on your night stand?  Now’s the time to clear the clutter.

Do Something for Someone Else

With so much thought consumed by personal matters, it can be easy to overlook the problems of others.  This not only keeps you from lending a hand to those in need but also from experiencing a sense  of contribution and connection only possible through doing something for someone else.

Host a blood or food drive, volunteer at the local library, or share the gift of literacy with those who can’t yet read.  Gather extra clothes or blankets and donate them to your local shelter or the Salvation Army.

One Life

Last week-end, I attended the One Life exhibition in Olympia, London. There were many excellent stalls, demonstrations, and seminars there. One of the seminars I attended was entitled ‘Transform Your Career’ which I’d like to share with you here. Basically, the seminar introduced a series of steps, designed to help you with your career. I’ll share those steps with you here.

Step 1

-What kind of work do you find meaningful and challenging?
-What outcomes does your present, or next employer really seek?
-How can you exploit the overlap, or create one?

Step 2 Making an Impact.

Your message is contained in:

Your CV, application letter, interview answers to the big questions.

Your message in a nutshell:

‘I want to be in a job which allows me to do ………………. and ……………………….. in an organisation that is doing ……………………………. and ………………………… and …………………….

Step 3 Don’t put the decision in the wrong place

-Talk to someone who has the job you want
-Beware the perfect job
-Open out the possibilities

Step 4 Defeat your stone age brain

-Yes, but ……………………………
-Negative influencers
-Either/or thinking
-Defeat those internal blocks

Antidotes:

-Seek career refreshment
-Learn to idea build
-Avoid prophets of doom
-Activate a support group

Choose people who are:

-Positive
-Encourage exploration
-Good at making connections

Lucky people are:

-Open
-Exploring
-Curious
-Inviting