Laughter is the BEST medicine! Healing, for mind, body and soul!
A laughter session will leave you feeling motivated, in a good mood, high vibe and ready to go about your day on a high! Laughter also includes lots of breath work and inhalation of oxygen, this helps bring your body into an alkaline state and get rid of any excess carbon acids!
Laughter yoga has more focus on your breath and laughter than your physical abilities. Making laughter yoga suitable for everyone!
Many studies have been conducted into different areas of health and the benefits of laughter. There is evidence to show laughter helps with physical, mental and emotional health.
Some of the benefits include:
Facial feedback - this is when your brain releases the feel good hormones, due to your facial muscles being stimuatled! So even if you are faking it, your brain does not know the difference, and still tells your brain you are happy!
Because of these hormones, laughter makes you feel good, and this feeling can remain long after the laughter session has ended. The Psychological Association has stated that smiling as little as 20 minutes every day, even if “faked,” is effective in reducing symptoms in people that have been diagnosed with depression. Plus, because of the body’s physiological reaction
to smiling and laughing, it is impossible to feel pain, anxiety, anger or sadness when you’re laughing!
Laughter also helps release and reduce stress levels, plus increases energy. Clinical research shows that laughter lowers the level of stress hormones (epinephrine, cortisol, etc) in the blood, reducing stress and anxiety! Plus, many studies demonstrate that happiness can double your critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and creativity. It has been shown that the happier you are, the longer you live. And, it’s been shown to create more fulfilling and longer-lasting relationships and more successful careers!
Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. Laughter stimulates the brain into a positive state, which helps clear the mind and allows you more clarity and focus.
Laughter helps change your perspective. Laughing, especially when you’re having a tough time (even faked, forced laughter), creates psychological distance and can slow the momentum of overwhelm frustration or disappointment. Getting in a positive physical and emotional state, triggers your mind to recall positive memories and have an optimistic outlook.
Laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun. Laughing in a group can produce euphoric experiences as everyone else’s laughter and joy becomes infectious, signalling your brain to let go and have a really good time! Even just smiling or laughing by yourself, with others observing, can help boost their mood too.
Now for the physical benefits!
Laughter is a great cardiovascular workout, especially for those who are unable to do other physical activities due to injury or illness. It gets your heart pumping, and lungs working and burns a similar amount of calories per hour as walking at a slow to moderate pace. In fact, researchers such as William Fry have found that one minute of a good laugh is like ten minutes on a rowing machine. So, laugh your heart and lungs into health!
Laughter has been demonstrated to be a great way to lower your blood pressure. Even if you have a normal blood pressure lowering it will reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks, it's not lowerd to a dangerous level! To back this up researchers at the University of Maryland were able to demonstrate the impact of laughter by showing two types of videos to people: some saw a drama and others saw a comedy. They determined that the comedies normalized blood vessels and increase blood flow, while drama restricted blood vessels and flow!
As touched upon, one of the best benefits of laughter is that it decreases your stress levels, it also increases your immune response. T-cells are specialised immune system cells just waiting for activation. When you laugh, you activate T-cells that immediately begin to help you fight off sickness Some studies have demonstrated that laughter increases levels of infection-fighting antibodies and boosts your levels of immune cells. So, if you feel a cold coming on, add laughter to your illness prevention plan, along with Vitamin C, D and magnesium.
Studies into laughter have also demonstrated tha diabetics showed lower blood sugar levels after a laughter session than they did when eating the same thing and not participating in a laughter session!
As if you needed any more reason to try out a laughter session... Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. By laughing, you release endorphins, which can help ease chronic pain and make you feel good all over!
Last, but not least, another top reason to try laughter yoga is that it can help you tone your abs and strengthen your core muscles. When you are laughing, the muscles in your stomach expand and contract, similar to when you intentionally exercise your abs!
The one thing there is no real research into, yet, is laughters ability to heal trauma. Trauma is an energy, you body holds on to and stores this energy. Like a diary, your body holds onto all experiences positive and negative. Energy can not be destroyed, only transformed. It is believed by many (my self included) that laughter yoga, with the intent, helps to release and transfomred the stagnant low vibe energy into high vibes! Releasing physical symptoms as well as energetic!
Fancy trying a quick 10 minute session? You can try one out below. If you enjoy that, and fancy trying out a live class - yu can register your interest beow so you are the first to know when they start!
