Introduction of Laughter Yoga

Regular practice of yoga has countless health benefits. While there are many forms of yoga and types of asanas, there is also a branch of yoga called Laughter yoga or Laughing yoga (LY).

Laughter is believed to be beneficial to individuals because it reduces anxiety and stress, renders pain manageable and bolsters the immune system. By laughing, the theory goes, you’re able to keep your cool in a stressful work situation, make peace with the hurt and pain in your past or deal with the stress of a serious illness.

Laughing yoga involves a series of movements and breathing exercises that promote deliberate laughter. Laughter therapy can’t take the place of conventional therapies entirely, but there is increasing evidence that a few hearty chuckles can help you along the road to recovery.

Benefits of Laughter Yoga

• Effective cardio workout – improves cardiopulmonary endurance and helps burn calories.
• Aerobic exercise – Laughter Yoga exercises are devised to facilitate longer exhalation and deep breathing through the diaphragm. This helps in flushing the lungs of stale residual air and increasing the net supply of oxygen to the body and brain. This helps us feel healthier and more energetic and relieves of pain and stress.
• Increases Blood Circulation – Laughter dilates blood vessels and improves pumping of the heart, thereby increasing blood circulation. It is like ‘internal jogging’ that massages and promotes circulation to the digestive and lymphatic systems. It increases circulation to flush the body and organs of waste products leaving us ready to operate at peak performance.
• Best Stress Buster – laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine and triggers the release of a feel-good chemical known as ‘Endorphin’ in our body which puts us in a good mood naturally.