Walt Disney did it with his legendary creations of characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and others. No matter your age, it is hard to watch a Disney cartoon
without the reaction of a good laugh. Laughter seems to soothe and relax the whole body into a state of openness allowing good things to happen. And that is exactly what Laughter Yoga says it can do. The brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, an Indian physician from Mumbai, it has moved all over the world with more than 6,000 social laughter clubs in 60 countries.
Gita Fendelman trains people from the Phoenix area to become Laughter Yoga leaders and she is holding a Certified training session in Tucson on June 27 and 28. Contact her at 520-777-7544 or E-mail Gita at gitajill@gmail.com. Be sure and take a look at her website, Laughter Yoga with Gita. She has been teaching and practicing yoga since 1971, then after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2004, Gita discovered Laughter Yoga. She says that just 20 minutes of laughter can make her pain go away for hours.
Dr. Kataria, also known as the “Guru of Giggling,” is the founder of Laughter Yoga International and Laughter Yoga Clubs. The concept “…combines unconditional laughter with yogic breathing [or] Pranayama.” Kataria says anyone can laugh anytime they want to and for absolutely no reason. And the very act produces positive results. He says it is based on scientific fact that your body doesn’t know the difference between fake and real laughter.
Although no specific studies are cited, clinical research has been done in Austria, India, as well as in the United States. It shows that laughter lowers the level of stress hormones in the blood, according to Dr. Kataria. Further, that it will promote a positive attitude, resulting in less stress and depression. This new innovation is spreading to schools, the business world, among seniors, with cancer patients and in prisons.
Norman Cousins, who did research on the biochemistry of human emotions, believed they were the key to human beings’ success fighting illnesses. Battling heart disease and arthritis, once being told he had a slim chance of surviving, he developed a treatment program using massive doses of vitamin C, along with a positive attitude, and…laughter. He used Marx Brothers films to get a good ten minutes of what he called a “genuine belly laugh.” It resulted in two hours of pain-free sleep. Cousins died 16 years after his doctors first diagnosed his heart disease
But Dr. Kataria contends that you do not have to rely on produced comedy. His approach involves a group body exercise employing eye contact and “childlike” playfulness. He claims it will turn into “contagious” laughter.
His Laughter Yoga clubs are free to the public in an atmosphere of socialization and have developed into a “…worldwide community of like-minded people who believe in unconditional love, laughter and fellowship.”
Belonging is important to many these days, but when this includes a situation where you can get a few laughs while experiencing a kind of holistic healing process, it doesn’t take much to convince the average individual to at least give it a try. And, thousands are now giving it a try all over the world. Back in 2000, almost 10,000 people came to Copenhagen Denmark just to laugh together. It was a brand new mark for the Guinness book of records.
There is one club in the Phoenix area in Avondale. The contact is Norma Richardson at 623-872-8606 or E-mail her at: TheBodyKnowsBest@gmail.com. The club is named Avondale Laughter, and they meet the first Monday of each month from 6:15-7:30. Are you in need of a laugh today? Contact Norma!
Please leave your comments or e-mail me: jack.dundiv@cox.net
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Applications for Laughter Yoga
Comments
I'd say you're the laugh. This article is strong proof of it.
Yes, I'm laughing, too --- whenever I read Jack's blither.
It's become a ritual to gather regularly with my whole family to read Jack's latest articles so we can all start laughing together. Usually by the second or third sentence we're all hysterical. Uncle Matt usually starts laughing so hard he starts coughing, and we have to stop reading and get him some water!
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