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Laughter Yoga - Huh?

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Dec 3, 2020
  • 4 min read

When is the last time you had a belly laugh? It has been a while for me. As I looked over my state of stress lately, I realized I had to do better. Stress and Burnout are so prevalent right now and I don’t think I am the only one who hasn’t had a good laugh in quite a while.


The Benefits of Laughter

There is a lot of brainwork that goes into laughter. It activates areas of the brain that control motor, emotional, cognitive and social processing. And because it really stretches brain activity, it provides many benefits. Laughter has the power to activate the motor cortex (controls muscles), the frontal lobe (helps you understand context), and the limbic system (modulates positive emotions). You strengthen all of these neural connections when you laugh, making your physical and emotional response to stress less intense.


Laughter produces positive emotions that can lead to a meaningful life. That is a very big outcome to the act of laughing! When you are in this state of joy, you are literally building resilience and increasing your creative thinking. Laughter, in response to amusement is a healthy coping mechanism. These feelings increase subjective well-being and life satisfaction. Researchers found that these positive emotions experienced with humor and laughter, correlate with appreciating the meaning of life and helps older adults hold a benign view of difficulties they have faced over a lifetime.


The Benefits of Laughter Yoga

What is Laughter Yoga? It is a new twist on an ancient practice. Not only does it increase happiness, but it also strengthens the immune system, reduces pain and lowers stress. I challenge you to find a pill that does all that! Laughter is more contagious than a cough or a sneeze, and it relaxes the whole body. It triggers the release of endorphins, promoting an overall sense of well-being. When it is combined with yogic breathing, laughter truly becomes the best medicine, providing extensive health benefits.


In the mid-1990’s, the Indian physician Madan Kataria developed laughter yoga based on the concept that voluntary laughter could provide the same health benefits as spontaneous laughter. Instead of using humor, laughter is initiated through creative exercise. Practitioners do not have to master any of the traditional yoga postures. They simply need to laugh.


What Does a Laughter Yoga Session Look Like?

Classes start with some mingling and talking about laughter. Then the group will warm up with some stretches and breathing exercises. After that, the laughter games start. The whole session is a guided practice of deep belly laughing. Sessions end with silent meditation.


The instructor may explore new types of laughter when facilitating the group:

· Playful – In playful exercises, participants are encouraged to use their imaginations by role playing certain scenarios in a playful way. They take a prompt, such as a milkshake, and participate in a whimsical play-acting scene. This often produces contagious laughter as students overcome inhibitions and grow more comfortable with each other.


· Value-based – Many older people can develop negative feelings toward life in general. This is true of many people right now. Value-based exercises are designed to help. By associating laughter with common life-occurrences, they can develop a healthier mindset.


· Yoga-based – One of the foundations of a successful yoga practice is controlled breathing. Laughter yoga uses breathing techniques to force air (and subsequent laughter) out of the lungs and build lung capacity.


· Physical – Some classes focus on particular physical difficulties. For example, one session might target muscles in the neck and shoulders, using exercises to loosen those muscles and help them relax.


· Meditative – Many laughter yoga sessions are followed by laughter meditation. It starts with a quiet room. Then one person starts the laughter, and soon it becomes contagious, causing others to join in. Laughter meditation can be quite cathartic.

The main goal of laughter yoga is to release stress and physical and mental tension that often go along with it. The more participants laugh during sessions, the greater the benefits they are likely to receive.

(The Serious Benefits of Laughter Yoga, Jennifer Wegener)


What Do People Like Most About Laughter Yoga?

Laughter Yoga promotes health and wellness. This is what people like the most about this practice:

· Body – It makes you feel relaxed and energized; stress and pain melt away

· Mind – Your mind becomes clearer and sharper

· Emotions – You feel more grounded

· Social – You feel more connected to people around you

· Spiritual – It boosts your self esteem

(The Serious Benefits of Laughter Yoga, Jennifer Wegener)


The benefits of laughter have been known to us for quite a while. Laughter Yoga gives us the opportunity to laugh, an especially valuable practice these days. The Virtual Brain Health Center has a Laughter Yoga program available and it comes right into your own home. Go to www.virtualbrainhealthcenter.com and check out the calendar of events for December.


Note: By the time you receive this blog, the Laughter Yoga program might be over for this month. Feel free to contact VBHC to find when another class will be scheduled.


References:

Gibson,J. (November 23,2020). Laughing is good for your mind and your body – here’s what the research shows. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/laughing-is-good-for-your-mind-and-your-body-heres-what-the-research-shows-145984?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign


Wegener,J. (November 19, 2019). The serious benefits of laughter yoga.Retrieved from https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/laughter-yoga

 
 
 

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   And suddenly it is May!! April turned out to be an extremely busy month and I was caught off-guard by the start of May. There are a lot of activities and celebrations that kick off May and start the Spring-Summer season. The 151st Running of the Kentucky Derby was May 3. It was a mudder this year. We had experienced consistent rain throughout April, and it hasn’t left the area. The horses in that race are incredibly beautiful even when they covered in mud! Sovereignty, a three-year-old colt was the winner!! In a move I applaud, the owner of this beautiful horse was asked if they were going to have him run in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown. This owner deferred his answer because he wanted to talk to his team, but most of all, he wanted to see how Sovereignty was doing. The Preakness is only a couple of weeks from the Kentucky Derby and the lure of winning the Triple Cown has resulted in some bad decisions about entering a horse that hadn’t recovered from the Derby. May 4, was the 27th Flying Pig Marathon. If you have been following me for a while, you would know that my husband Russ and I volunteered at the race, running a fluid station for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for 25 years. This race is amazing. Last year it was voted as one of the Best Marathons in the Country. I watched from the comfort of my dry home (still raining) and finally got to see what happens at the finish line. The stories of the runners were great! This race was the first time that the male winner had ever run a full marathon! The female winner had run many marathons, but this was the first time that she ran the Flying Pig! It sounded like she will be back next year because she said she was thinking while she was running that this was the most fun marathon, she had ever been in. (I can’t imagine even thinking while I was running a marathon!) Then there was an older woman who had just finished her 159th marathon! She was incredible! Next week she is on her way to New Zealand to run again! Everything these runners practice can be applied to maintaining a high-functioning brain. Of course, the lifestyle they practice is phenomenal for brain health. I teach about neuroplasticity and the power that we possess to change our brain. But to do that we must be dedicated to that change by repetitively and consistently challenging our brain. It is a marathon for brain health that we must live.

 

   May is Older Americans Month, and it is a time to recognize the contributions of older adults and highlight the positive impact they have on communities. The 2025 theme is “Flip the Script on Aging” encouraging individuals and communities to challenge negative stereotypes and celebrate the diverse experiences of aging. Celebrations often involve community events workshops, and activities designed to engage and connect older adults.

 

   I am booking online and in-person presentations for June. Topics are extensive. Contact me at patricia@myboomerbrain.com if you would like to discuss a presentation for an event or organization.Enjoy the renewal of May.

 

My very best, Pat

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