What is Laughter Yoga?
Laughter Yoga is a form of exercise that combines unconditional laughing with deep yogic breathing, which results in extensive health benefits. With Laughter Yoga, anyone can laugh for the health of it without the need for humor, jokes, or comedy. Laughter is initially simulated as a physical exercise and soon becomes contagious and natural. Scientifically, your body cannot tell the difference between spontaneous and self-induced laughter. So you still get the same physical, mental, and emotional health benefits from Laughter Yoga exercises even if your laughter is initially… faked.
What are the origins?
Laughter Yoga was created in 1995 by a medical doctor from Mumbia, India named Dr. Madan Kataria and his wife, Madhuri, who is a yoga instructor. Today you will find laughter clubs in over 100 countries around the world!
How can you participate in Laughter Yoga?
You can get started now by following along with a video, like the ones on my Laughter Yoga Together YouTube channel, or by joining a Laughter Club near you. To get the full health benefits, aim for at least 10-15 minutes of sustained laughter for each session. Be sure to do hearty, belly laughs with your diaphragm. When you do Laughter Yoga every single day, consistently for at least 6-8 weeks, you will start experiencing long-term health benefits.
What if you don’t feel like laughing?
Those are the times when it is most important for you to laugh! The most amazing thing is from ONE Laughter Yoga session, even follow-along videos, you WILL feel an elevated mood if you let yourself voluntarily laugh along. You do have to choose to laugh. And honestly, it can feel kinda weird initially. We all have these mental barriers that can get in the way. But if you commit to it, practice, and remind yourself that it’s an exercise for your overall wellness and wellbeing, you’ll soon find it easy to unconditionally laugh.
