http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EGTETc5oFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DftnPRUEsc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahhN3Ryw4O4 - Discovery Channel
Laughter is now being prescribed as the best medicine for wellness. Countless studies have validated the efficacy of laughter and its therapeutic power in dealing with physical, mental and emotional health. With enormous physiological and psychological benefits, it is the most powerful remedial tool that has the ability to dramatically change the perspective of life by quickly relieving stress and depression and elevating mood states. It also helps to get in touch with reality and control emotions and feelings under adverse situations. Besides healing the mind and mitigating emotional pain, laughter even alleviates physical pain due to injury and disease and helps in speedy recovery.
Laughter is most effectively used in Laughter Yoga, which is the fastest growing health and fitness exercise routine. Thousands of practitioners around the world have reported remarkable improvement in health conditions. Based on unconditional laughter, it does not rely on humor or comedy, which makes it the easiest and the simplest exercise to rejuvenate the body mind system.
Physiological healing power of Laughter Yoga
Weak immune system: The weakening of the immune system due to physical illness or mental stress and depression undermines health and leads to frequent infections and disease.Regular practice of Laughter Yoga boosts the immune system. Laughter increases the natural killer cells that have the ability to destroy tumors and viruses. It increases disease-destroying antibodies and also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against the entry of infectious organisms through the respiratory tract. Laughter Yoga basically brings balance to all the components of the immune system and heals the pain.
Oxygen: Oxygen is one of the primary catalysts for biological energy in the human body. Stress reduces breathing and starves the body of oxygen, promoting the spread of illness. Laughter Yoga flushes the lungs and fully oxygenates the blood and major organs leaving one bursting with energy and vitality and free from disease.
Research has also shown that cancer cells are destroyed in the presence of oxygen. In fact, many parasites and bacteria don't survive well in the presence of oxygen; therefore an increase in the oxygen levels with laughter exercises is a great way to combat certain killer diseases.
Pain: Laughter triggers the release of a natural opiate called endorphin into the bloodstream. This provides immediate pain relief typically lasting for two hours. It can relieve headaches, muscular and joint pain and is powerful enough that a number of practitioners have undergone surgery using laughter instead of anesthetics!
Diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and heart related problems, asthma and respiratory complications, arthritis, senile dementia and even cancer to some extent have also been largely affected by laughter.Laughter chemistry: The impact of laughter is based on a wealth of healing biochemicals. One minute of laughter produces body chemicals which are immune boosting and generate a healthy chemistry. Some of these are brain-altering chemicals created by engaging in healthy laughter would actually carry a hefty price tag if one went out to purchase them. But, once again, one can create these chemicals at no cost by simply laughing.
Lymphatic system: Stress switches off the lymphatic system while laughter moves the lymph fluid around the body simply by the spasms during laughter. This helps clear out old, dead waste products from organs and tissues.
Psychological healing power of Laughter Yoga
According to Dr. Kataria, the reason for the rapid spread of Laughter Yoga is that it gives instant results and can be enjoyed right away. There is no special clothing; there are no difficult techniques or postures to learn. Anyone can join a laughter yoga session and experience the results within 30 minutes.
Stress messes with our mind, with side effects that include depression, feelings of intense fear, psychological distress, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation and sensations of choking or smothering.
Laughter is nature’s counter to stress, and hearty laughter has surprising positive results the on the body. Stress increases blood pressure and heart rate, laughter reduces both and dilates blood vessels for better circulation.The feeling of health and energy from laughter yoga is often compared to the ‘runner’s high'. It keeps people coming back to laugh again and again.
Emotional balance: Laughter Yoga makes it easier to cope with life and its challenges. It 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.Catharsis: Laughter makes us feel good because it defuses the most painful emotions by releasing them through the painless mechanism of catharsis. That release, in turn, prevents or stops conflicts, eases tension, and helps people to see one another's point of view better and heals all harbored hurt and resentment that can get detrimental to one’s emotional health. It invokes feelings of joyfulness and happiness. Laughter Yoga lifts the spirits and provides new insights.
Circulation and mobility: Laughter Yoga boosts circulation and increases the net supply of oxygen to the body and the brain. The deep diaphragmatic breathing massages the mid body and provides a respite from the flexibility of various joints throughout your body. So it's a bit of physical exercise and healthful body movement as well.
Laughter Yoga is a good antidote to mental and physical illness. It has the ability to blow away pain and heal both the body and the mind.
By: Dr Kataria ( Famous laughter yoga trainer)
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