History of Laughter Yoga
In March 1995 Dr. Madan Kataria, a family physician from Mumbai, India, decided to write an narrative called "Laughter - the best medicine" for his monthly health magazine "My family Doctor". His desk investigate led him to examine an remarkable body of scientific literature that described in great distance the proven benefits of laughter on the human mind and body. In singular he was very impressed by American journalist Norman Cousins' book "Anatomy of an Illness" and the investigate work undertaken by Dr. Berk from Loma Linda University. Profoundly inspired and being a man of activity rather than an academic, he immediately decided to field-test the impact of laughter on himself.
At 7 am the next morning he went to his local social park and somehow managed to motivate four people to start a "Laughter Club" with him. This small group quickly grew to over 50 participants within a few days.
In the beginning, every person stood in a circle while one someone would come to the town and crack a joke or tell a humorous anecdote. every person enjoyed the fun and felt nice for the rest of the day. After about 2 weeks however the stock of good jokes ran out and the "bad", hurtful, sexist jokes came up. Two women were offended and complained. It became clear that an alternative to jokes had to be found if this "Laughter Club" was to survive.
Dr. Kataria re-read all of the scientific investigate he had on laughter and found the retort he was seeing for: the human mind doesn't know how to make a unlikeness in the middle of fake and genuine laughter. Either way it produces happy chemistry. The conception of laughing for no guess was born. His wife Madhuri Kataria brought in her perceive as a Yoga educator and suggested polite breathing and other yoga exercises be included in the disposition to deepen its impact. The resulting Laughter Yoga technique is a blend of yogic deep breathing, stretching, simulated laughter exercises and cultivated child-like playfulness.
The unique conception of Laughter Yoga and Laughter Club is the brain child of Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India. Any one can laugh in a group for 15-20 minutes without depending upon great sense of humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter Yoga combines straightforward laughter exercises (simulated laughter) and polite yoga breathing, which turns into real laughter when practiced in a group.
Laughter Yoga is supported by mighty tools derived from the Western psycho analytical methods as well as Eastern spiritual laws. It will help you to stay in high spirits when life throws up challenges. It will improve your quality to laugh and smile when dealing with negative emotions, situations and negative or difficult people.
These mighty tools include: how does the human mind work? What is the meaning and purpose of life? comprehension laws of the universe which govern our life? comprehension negative emotions like anger, fear, anxiety, greed, guilt, sadness, lust and attachments. And cultivating obvious attitudes like appreciation, forgiveness, assistance and devotion.
To promote laughter club around the world we are organizing Laughter workshops, laughter seminars, laughter yoga leader training, laughter yoga teacher's training, and laughter yoga spiritual recession and laughter yoga holidays.
At present there are more than 5000 laughter clubs in over 53 countries world wide and Laughter Clubs have been covered by prestigious television channels like Bbc, Cnn. Abc (Usa), Nhk (Japan), Channel 7 & 9 (Australia), Zdf Germany and newspapers, magazines like Time Magazine, National Geographic, New York Times, London Times, and La Times, the Guardian, Wall street Journals and many others.
In A Nutshell Simple, Gentle
Laughter Yoga is physically-oriented technique that uses a perfect blend of playful, empowering and otherwise "tension-releasing" straightforward laughter exercises, interspersed with polite breathing and stretching exercises, rhythmic clapping and chanting of Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha in unison. This is done as a way to improve health, growth well-being, and promote peace in the world through personal transformation. In Laughter Yoga you use laughter as a tool, not an emotion.
These exercises last about 20 to 30 minutes and are adapted to suit the needs, abilities and motivations of the group participating.
A Breakthrough
Dr Madan Kataria was the first one to examine and make use of the fact that anything can laugh for 15-20 minutes without depending upon a sense of humor or comedy. No joke: as of July 2005 there were over 5000 Laughter Clubs worldwide, counting 250,000+ members.
Powerful
Because it does not rely on the mind at all, Laughter Yoga helps you to unmistakably distance yourself from your fears, sadness, worries, self-defined limitations, etc. As a succeed you do not need to be happy, have a sense of humor, or even have a guess in order to laugh. Laughter Yoga bases itself on the doctrine of "acting happiness". We "simulate to stimulate". In time fake laughter becomes genuine and flows out like a fountain. Universal Laughter Yoga crosses all barriers: age, gender, language, culture, corporal abilities, race, religion, political beliefs, etc. Laughter is part of the universal human vocabulary. All members of the human species understand it.
Therapeutic
The therapeutic value of Laughter has been fully and scientifically researched in the past 40 years, and its corporal benefits proven beyond the shadow of a doubt.
The first scientific investigate on Laughter Yoga was done in 2003-2004 in Graz University, Austria, by Psychologist Dr Ilona Papousek. We are currently awaiting their valid publication in English.
Dr. Lee Berk (World master in the field of Psycho-Neuro-Immunology) and his investigate team at Loma Linda University, School Of social Health, in California have recently started a major and multi-study investigate project specifically on Laughter Yoga. The aim of this scientific investigate is to qualify and quantify the impact of laughing for no guess on the human body as well as stress levels. Interim results are imaginable in the procedure of 2006.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you my thoughts on motivational speaking and Laughter Yoga.
Cordially Yours,
