Laughter is the best MEDICINE!

Laughing is infectious and more contagious than any cough, or sneeze. The laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people, it binds people together. Laughter also has important positive effects for your body and mind, and help you stay emotionally healthy, it triggers healthy physical changes in the body. 15 minutes of laughing is the same as getting 8 hours sleep and can add up to 8 years to your life.
There are no reasons not to laugh because it has physical health, mental health, and social benefits.

At the level of physical health benefits: The laughter strengthens the immune response by lowering the stress hormones and increasing the immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, which lead to resist diseases. Triggers the release of endorphin, is a body natural feel-good chemical that promotes the sense of wellbeing and also can relieve pain. Relaxes the whole body, when we laugh the physical tension and stress will disappear, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Prevents heart diseases, laughter protects your heart by improving the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

At the level of mental health benefits:When you're laughing you can't feel anxious, angry, or sad. So the Laughter dissolves distressing emotions and adds joy to life. It helps you relax by relieving stress and increasing energy, improves mood by allowing you to see the situation in a more realistic and less dramatic way.

At the level of social benefits:When we laugh with others, we create a positive bond. This bond acts as a barrier against stress and disappointment. The laughter strengthens relationships, attracts others to us, enhances teamwork, helps defuse conflict, and promotes group bonding.

Children laugh 300-400 times a day more than adult compared to an average adult laughing only 15-20 times a day. However this can depend on a person’s personality. There are thousands of languages but the laughter still the international language known by everyone. There are many types of laughter ranging from giggling to cackles: pigeon laughter is in the giggle range in which they laugh with closed lips, etiquette laughter is when laughing at someone’s joke that you didn’t find funny, it’s a polite laugh, sniggering laughter is when someone make fun of, silent laughter differ from the out loud laughter is that one is noisy the other is silent, chuckling laughter is a natured laugh somewhere in-between a silent laugh and belly a laugh, nervous laughter that shows our stress and nervousness, and makes the situation worse, belly laughter the most honest of all the types of  laughter there is no way to fake it, cackling laughter is disrespectful and the person who uses this type of laugh is opening taking pleasure in someone’s else pain, snort laughter is used by someone who thinks they are better than the ones around them by showing his little interest in other person’s opinion.

This priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use, so even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life. Here are some ways to start:

1.  Bringing humor into conversations, for example ask your friends “what is the happiest thing that happened to you this weekend?”
2.  Spend time with funny people who laugh easily and who find the humor in everyday tasks.
3.  When you hear laughter, move toward it so when you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
4.  Smile because the smile is the beginning of the laughter.
5. Count your blessings by making a list of the good things in your life that will distance you from the negative thoughts.
6. Watch a funny movie or TV show.
7. Go to a comedy club.
8. Read the funny pages.
9. Seek out funny people.
10. Share a good joke or a funny story.
11. Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
12. Host game night with friends.
13. Play with a pet.
14. Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
15. Goof around with children.
16. Do something silly.
17. Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).

What is laughter yoga???

Laughter yoga was developed by the Indian physician Madan kataria, his book “Laugh for no reason.” Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact and playfulness between participants. Forced laughter soon turns into real and contagious laughter. Laughter yoga does not involve humor or comedy. This type of yoga is practiced in the early mornings, started by groups of older men in open parks. Later was created a more formal version as “laughter club”. The first Laughter Yoga Club began on 1995 in Mumbai which beginning with 5 people. This concept has rapidly spread worldwide. As at 2011 there are more than 8000 Laughter Clubs in 65 countries. 

Laughter yoga is also known as Laughter Therapy or Humor Therapy.  It aims to use the natural physiological process of laughter to help avoid emotional and physical stresses or discomfort. It seems that this therapy is strange but you can't imagine or realize how laughter can be helpful in the treatment of cancer and chronic illnesses. In which many hospitals used the Laughter Therapy as a complementary treatment to illness. For example at the Cancer Treatment Center of America, they treat cancer patients and help their families use and enjoy laughter as a tool for healing. Laughter Clubs in which take the patients through a number of laugh related exercises including fake laughter and laughter greetings. These Clubs are not based on humor or jokes, but rather on laughter as physical exercises that are hard for people not to join in because laughter is so contagious.

SO LET’S WATCH AND PRACTICE THESE 100 EXERCISES BY DR. MADAN KATARIA ALONE

  

Humor takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, creative, joyful, and balanced perspective. So take yourself less seriously and see the lighter side in your life.