This great Laughter Yoga anthem was created by Jan MacQuarrie and Susan Lapp-Guelph from Orangeville, Canada.
This Laughter Yoga song and dance was developed for our Laughter Yoga sessions in South Africa. The lyrics and music is by Andre Combrinck, a local artist in South Africa. This song (Gypsy) in our Laughter Show - 'What A Laugh'. More info: www.laughter4africa.org.za - download the song for Free!
One of Dr. Kataria’s objectives for Laughter Yoga is to promote World Peace through Laughter. Some people find this idea fanciful, but an understanding of the science of emotions and emotional contagion in particular shows how this might be achieved. The practice of Laughter Yoga causes the body to release into the bloodstream high concentrations of communication substances related to feelings of happiness, warmth, unconditional love, bonding, tolerance, forgiveness, generosity, and compassion. Let’s call this a joy cocktail. The presence of this ‘JOY COCKTAIL’ of hormones and neuro-peptides precludes the production of other hormones and neuro-peptides that correspond with hatred, fear, violence, jealousy, aggression and the emotions associated with war and oppression. By practicing Laughter Yoga in groups or laughter clubs, the level of joy cocktail is raised to high concentrations through the multiplier effect: People leaving Laughter Yoga sessions go forth and interact with many people who are in turn affected to varying degrees by this powerful emotional state of joy. They in turn ‘infect’ other people they come into contact with… and so on.
Studies have
shown that laughter reduces stress, lifts your mood and is a powerful antidote
to depression and anxiety. It also has some physical advantages – it’s been
known to boost your immune system and to help to control blood pressure, to
name a few. "The act
of vigorous laughter energises our physiology in much the same way that aerobic
exercise does, increasing heart and respiration rate and activating various
muscle groups. After an episode of laughter, however, our bodies enjoy a relaxation
effect," reports a US
study on Workplace Laughter and Personal Efficacy by Beckman, Regier and Young.
The study findings were published in The Journal of Primary Prevention. It all sounds
good and well, you might say, but in between deadlines, traffic jams, mortgage
payments and escalating crime rates it’s not that easy to find something to
laugh about. Fake it
‘till you feel it
There are, however, ways to reap the benefits of laughter without humour or
comedy. In 1995 Dr
Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai,
India,
developed Laughing Yoga – a series of laughing techniques designed to imitate
laughter through playful exercises. It quickly gained popularity, and today
there are more than 5 000 laughter yoga centres around the world. "Your
body can’t tell the difference between pretend laughter and spontaneous
laughter," says Martin Combrinck from Laughter for Africa.
"Anybody
can laugh for 15 to 20 minutes without a sense of humour, jokes or
comedy," says Combrinck. "In laughter yoga we use laughter as a tool,
not an emotion. Simulated laughter soon becomes real when practised in a
group." How do they
make you laugh?
It might be difficult to imagine what one might laugh at if there are no jokes,
humour or comedy. A laughing
yoga session kicks off with childlike, almost silly, exercises – such as
greeting one another with a laugh (even a fake one) rather than saying
"hello". Another amusing exercise is fake laughter, where you
"Ho-ho-ho-ha-ha-ha" like a hysterical Santa Claus. The fake laugh quickly
turns in to real laughter when one person laughs at another, or at him/herself.
You laugh because they laugh, they laugh back – and the next thing you know
everyone’s hollering like a pack of hyenas. The second
part of laughter yoga is called "laughter meditation". The group
members sit down in silence for a few minutes and then start faking laughter
until it flows spontaneously. The session
ends with some relaxation and breathing. What is its
purpose?
"We laugh as a way to improve health, increase wellbeing, and promote
peace in the world through personal transformation," says Combrinck. What’s more, a
recent US study on the effect of laughter yoga on employees’ sense of
self-efficacy in the workplace found that purposeful laughter actually enhances
employees’ morale, resilience, and personal efficacy beliefs. A study
conducted in India,
which measured the effect of laughter on stress levels in the workplace, showed
a significant decrease in stress levels reflected in reduced heart rate and
blood pressure, reduced cortisol levels and an 11% decrease in perceived stress
levels. Funny
business
It seems laughter yoga is the trendy new thing to do at conferences and
business meetings. "It’s very popular in the corporate environment,"
says Combrinck. Laughter for Africa also gives laughter yoga seminars. "It
breaks down barriers and social hierarchy – bosses and employees connect in a
new way," says Combrinck. "Laughter yoga boosts creativity as well as
productivity in the workplace."
Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple and profound. An exercise routine, it is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout. The brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a Physician from Mumbai, India, launched the first Laughter Club at a Park on March 13, 1995, with merely a handful of persons. Today, it has become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 Social Laughter Clubs in about 70 countries.
Laughter Yoga combines Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.
The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits. Participants of Laughter Yoga report significant general health improvements. Many have felt a reduction in the frequency of respiratory infections like common cold and flu, and some others reported overcoming depression, relief/cure from chronic medical problems. With people's committed participation, Laughter Yoga has helped many people become healthier.
Scientifically Proven
Clinical research on Laughter Yoga methods, conducted at the University of Graz in Austria; Bangalore, India; and in the United States has proved that Laughter lowers the level of stress hormones (epinephrine, cortisol, etc) in the blood. It fosters a positive and hopeful attitude. It is less likely for a person to succumb to stress and feelings of depression and helplessness, if one is able to laugh away the troubles.
A Laughter Club is informal groups of people who get together to laugh as a form of exercise. They are fully independent, not-for-profit, non-political, non-religious and non competitive community-based associations of diverse people who choose to be happy. Everyone is welcome. Each club defines its own meeting frequency.
There are more than 6,000 Laughter Clubs in over 70 countries around the world,
which offer fun for people of all ages when they take part in a thirty
minute Laughter Yoga session. In some countries people begin each day with
laughter, attending their local Laughter Yoga Club.
Make sure to find and join your nearest Laughter Club in South Africa!
Watch this video on a Laughter Club in Victoria, Australia.
Some Benefits of Joining a Laughter Club
•Communication skills improve. •Self-confidence improves. Introverts loose their fear of speaking in public. •You develop more connections and make new friends. •You get to be in the news (Laughter Yoga is very media friendly). •Your capacity to laugh goes up significantly, adding more laughter into your life. •Your ability to cope with challenges improves a lot.
•Your health improves.
•You forget your worries.
•You go home with a refreshed mind.
•You contribute to making the world a better place. It is the responsibility of every laughter club member to help to make those around them happy. Laughter should be reflected in one’s behavior and attitudes towards others. The members of laughter clubs do not only laugh, but they also practice ways and means of sensible living.