Published: 07/22/2018 - Updated: 01/27/2019
Author: MSc. Miriam Reyes
They say that 5 minutes of laughter are a substitute for pain killers without side effects. But it’s not only that: laughter boosts serotonin production, a hormone in the brain with calming effects, which causes us to feel liberated, and more dynamic and satisfied when we laugh.
Laughter prevents heart attacks and hypertension because the ideal state that creates happiness in the body also increases and strengthens hemoglobin. Every time we laugh the excess cellular oxygenation produced eliminates stress, tiredness, exhaustion, apathy, bad moods, and even rage! And if that wasn’t enough, laughter produces certain effects that slow aging in the face, as each time you laugh, at least 15 muscles in the face are moved.
Spontaneous laughter benefits the digestive system, helps eliminate fatty acids and contributes to toxin elimination which helps purge the body and boost weight loss!
Perhaps it’s because of all these benefits that development and therapy groups have sprouted up, including laughter as the primary healing element. Laughter Yoga is one of these new therapies in which laughter is used as the primary way of eliminating negative and harmful energy from the body, and for overall health in general.
Laughter yoga clubs
The idea of Laughter Yoga clubs came about on March 13th, 1995, and was introduced by Dr. Madam Kataria, a doctor in Bombay, India.
This type of therapy consists of participating in group laughter for 15 to 20 minutes, without needing a good mood or jokes. These laughter exercises (simulated laughter) and yoga breathing are combined, which then continues into spontaneous and real laughter.
The second part of Laughter Yoga is called smile meditation, during which time the group members sit in a circle on the floor. After sitting in silence for some time, they begin to simulate a smile, small bursts of laughter, or small smiles until a true smile spontaneously bursts forth, becoming more and more profound and natural without any type of humor involved. After this part, all participants let out a deep sigh of satisfaction and pleasure for their liberation, and they lay down on the floor with closed eyes and let the laughter flow if it comes. (Continued in part 2)
Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 01/27/2019
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