Take a Laughter Yoga Class

Everyone has heard the saying 'laughter is the best medicine'. The saying is somewhat trite and overused, but it is also - to some degree - true.

More than a decade ago, an Indian doctor and student of Yoga - Dr. Madan Kataria - was writing a paper for a medical journal about the medicinal benefits of both laughter and Yogic breathing exercises. Dr. Kataria clearly realized that laughter can not be prescribed - it does not come in a bottle - and in his desire to find a way to provide the health benefits of laughter to the masses. Prescribing a whoopee cushion to each of his patients seemed a little over-the-top, so instead he came up with the concept of Laughter Yoga. Pure genius.

Everyone knows that laughter makes us feel good. It turns out that a session of twenty minutes of laughter can actually have a positive effect on our general health and wellbeing. Laughter is not a strenuous exercise, but the fact that it fills your lungs and body with oxygen, deep-clears the breathing passages, and exercises the lungs makes it a good exercise for those people who do not have a regular aerobic exercise routine.

Western science - which is always a little slow on the uptake when it comes to natural remedies - is just beginning to discover some of the great effects of laughter. When we enjoy a good chuckle, our bodies release a mixture of hormones and chemicals that have a positive effect on our systems. The level of stress is reduced, blood pressure drops, the immune system is boosted, and of course it is beneficial to the symptoms of depression.

Dr. Kataria is responsible for more than five thousand laughter clubs and laughter studios throughout more than fifty countries - including in the United States. There is a week-long course that can be taken to become a certified laughter educator, qualified to run one of the Laughter Yoga clubs. Some instructors tell jokes, but many like to involve the members in physical comedy - the simple act of being silly can produce laughter either at yourself or at the people around you.