A Laughing Matter
VIDEO: Laughter is being incorporated into the movement and meditation of yoga. more >>
Laugh Your Way to Health
Thank God for the newly popular "laughter yoga," a fun and therapeutic form of exercise developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria and being pioneered here in Tucson by yoga instructor Patti Wheatley. more >>
Thank God for the newly popular "laughter yoga," a fun and therapeutic form of exercise developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria and being pioneered here in Tucson by yoga instructor Patti Wheatley. more >>
A Laugh a Day
She rubbed her hands together vigorously, reached out to touch someone and laughed like a wild woman. Heartily, her victim laughed back. Soon, everyone in the room was miming the static electricity prank and guffawing. more >>
She rubbed her hands together vigorously, reached out to touch someone and laughed like a wild woman. Heartily, her victim laughed back. Soon, everyone in the room was miming the static electricity prank and guffawing. more >>
World Laughter Day
It's World Laughter Day, and the Tucson Laughter Club is looking to put a chuckle into everyone. more >>
It's World Laughter Day, and the Tucson Laughter Club is looking to put a chuckle into everyone. more >>
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Laughter Yoga combines the deep breathing found in Yoga with laughter exercises designed to create laughter without the use of jokes, words or tricks. The combination of breathing, stretching and laughter exercises increase circulation, stimulate the immune system, exercise the muscles, massage the internal organs and invigorate the brain (Fry, William; Stanford University.)
The word "YOGA" is drawn from its Sanskrit root "yuj" which means to integrate, harmonize, conjoin and to get hold of. It means getting control of our lives, integrating all aspects of it - harmonizing our bodies with our minds, spirits and society.
There are three types of laughter exercises:
- Value based- exercises designed to help us get in touch with core values and beliefs. Also allows us to work out stresses & tensions in life using right brain activity
- Playful- these exercises work to re-ignite our inner childlike playfulness and help us to awaken our “inner Spirit of laughter”
- Yogic- directly related to Yoga practices and designed to provide the same benefits as the traditional poses themselves.
Pranayama - an important yogic exercise which involves deep and rapid breathing. It has been liberally introduced between laughter yoga sessions as a pause and to increase lung capacity. This basic and important yogic exercise is further used as the underlying foundation of the hearty laughter pose in laughter yoga , where the arms are raised up to the sky and a cycle of rapid inhalation/exhalation ensues.
Kapalbhati - a yogic exercise which entails contraction of the throat and palate muscles and entails a jerky and rhythmic movement of the diaphragm to expel air in a series of bursts. This is the foundation of the HO-HO HA-HA-HA exercise between each laughter yoga exercise, used as both a warm up exercise and to move from one exercise to another.
Bhastrika & swash shuddhi - are yogic exercises used to clean the respiratory passages in forceful jerks of breathing and the contraction of lung and throat muscles - the same muscles and actions used in laughter yoga during the HO-HO HA-HA-HA exercise and other playful laughter exercises.
Talasana - is the yogic stretching of arms and exercising the neck and shoulders while taking a deep breath. This is used in laughter yoga exercises.
Simha mudra - is the famous lion laughter. Laughter yoga uses the Lion Pose which entails keeping the eyes wide open, fully extending the tongue and roaring like a lion. In Laughter yoga roaring with laughter.
The YOGA JOURNAL, America's most respected and widely read YOGA magazine, has featured laughter yoga and recognized it as beneficial. Visit http://www.laughteryoga.org/pictures/InNews/138.pdf
Talasana - is the yogic stretching of arms and exercising the neck and shoulders while taking a deep breath. This is used in laughter yoga exercises.
Simha mudra - is the famous lion laughter. Laughter yoga uses the Lion Pose which entails keeping the eyes wide open, fully extending the tongue and roaring like a lion. In Laughter yoga roaring with laughter.
The YOGA JOURNAL, America's most respected and widely read YOGA magazine, has featured laughter yoga and recognized it as beneficial. Visit http://www.laughteryoga.org/pictures/InNews/138.pdf
