Welcome to another blog series! This blog is about one of my passions – Laughter Yoga.
I meant to write this blog last May, but then as my life goes I finally found the perfect Laughter Yoga teacher for me. She has two small children and did Laughter Yoga classes for seven years in a park near her home. Life took some twists and turns and she stopped teaching the course. Then in May, 2018 I found her. We communicated and much to my surprise she agreed to meet and talk. We got along wonderfully and she agreed to do the class for the summer.
Karena was a perfect match to what I was looking for. her energy was exactly what I thought a Laughter Yoga teacher should be. So I contacted the trainer of Laughter Yoga teachers in Denver and told her I finally found someone who would do the class in Boulder because if I hadn’t found anyone she was willing to drive up once a week and I wanted her to know she didn’t have to do that. When I talked to her she wanted to know who I had found. I told her Karena and she said :Oh! Karena is probably the best Laughter yoga teacher in the state!”
So through the summer we did Laughter Yoga outside in Boulder once a week and it was absolutely amazing. Everything I had discovered (including on YouTube and Udemy and in Yoga Journal) are true. Now Karena is looking for a inside venue for us in the winter and possibly stay with year round.
On the surface Laughter Yoga is too simple to be a breakthrough technology that it really is and has become. Dr. Madan Kataria started a social Laughter Club in Mumbai, India in 1995 with 5 people. Today there are thousands of Laughter Clubs in over 72 countries. It has become a rapidly growing global phenomenon. Laughter yoga is practiced in companies, homes for the elderly, schools, colleges, fitness centers, community centers, prisons, hospitals, homes for the developmentally disabled and healing self-help groups. There are many that rank Laughter Yoga as one of the best alternative health therapies for complete body – mind wellness.
Our world has become high pressured and competitive. Many seem to be robbed of their ability to laugh. Experts report that more than 70- 80 % of illnesses are related to stress. The world is full of seriousness. People are bombarded by negative news or reporting on either disasters or impending doom daily. It has become a challenge to combat stress and maintain good health. Laughter is the simplest therapy and yet is one of the best.
Laughter has been scientifically established as having a profound impact on the body and mind. It appears to help prevent the onset of sickness by way of strengthening the immune system. One dose of laughter is the one solution that has the power to unwind stress and help people find joy in their lives daily. It has the power to slow down a racing heart and strengthen the mind and help people raise their spirits. All of this is in an instant.
Clinical research is being conducted around the world and it seems to prove that laughter lowers the level of stress hormones in the blood. Research has also shown that people who participate in Laughter Yoga groups are experiencing long lasting health effects from laughter.
For hundreds of years , laughter was referred to as the best medicine for the body and mind. Laughter Yoga has taken laughter to a new level. It is a complete delivery system allowing laughter to actually be prescribed as part of a daily routine in order to realize all of the health benefits. It helps everyone laugh, even those who are serious people.
There is so much more to talk about, including an interview with Karena my Laughter Yoga Teacher which I will continue with in the next blog in early February. If you would like to experience a short laughter yoga session (about 10 minutes) there are many youtube videos you could watch and get a feel for this amazing and healing technique for all of us!
Blessing, Patricia