After googling for Laughter Yoga, I was in silent mirth when I read that laughing is a serious matter.  What an oxymoron!  Nevertheless, I do agree that laughing is serious, especially when I recall that tickling a person to induce excessive laughing is a form of torture.

Why Laughter Yoga, and not just plain laughing (if laughter could ever be plain)?  Last Sunday, I had an interesting discussion with Marcus, a good friend and yoga instructor, about Yoga.  He taught me Yogic breathing, and another type of breathing which regulated the flow of our meridian channels in our bodies.  This meridian regulatory breathing adopted the hand gesture of a effeminate man delicately obstructing one nostril at a time, at a snail’s pace.  Having tried out Yogic and effeminate breathing, I gained greater clarity  in thought and an increased sense of well-being.  Hence, combining Yogic breathing and laughter, which entails deep intakes of air, we enrich our bodies with more beneficial oxygen!

Some of the holistic benefits of Laughter Yoga (Dr Kataria School Of Laughter Yoga, 1995-2005) include an  increased sense of general well-being, reduced stress levels, increased immunity, pain relief, reduced depression and anxiety, better sleep quality, reduced snoring and a natural flush to our cheeks!  More important perhaps are the mental and emotional benefits of Laughter Yoga which include a greater tenacious disposition, a greater sense of “flow”, a better perspective of things, as a catalyst of change, an enhanced enjoyment of social relationships, increased self-confidence, a focus on maintaining an abundant mentality, increased trust, an increased sense of humour, and the unlocking of infinite potential through playfulness!

The unlocking of infinite potential through playfulness really resonates with me!

Laughing is still one of my greatest enjoyments in life which I endeavour to do so more often now.  Perhaps I should edit my slogan for this article to “Shanshine.com … Laugh! Are you shining yet?”

References

Dr Kataria School Of Laughter Yoga (1995-2005). Laughter retreats: Therapeutic benefits of laughter and humour. Retrieved April 24, 2008, from http://www.laughteryoga.org/about-benefits-laughter.php