BY: JUGNU AGARWAL
Our life today is very stressful. The world is a complex place nowadays. There’s stress everywhere. Gone are those days when stress was restricted to office work or personal relationships. As relationships are becoming complicated and competition in the professional world is getting fierce, stress is something with which we have to live every day.
And such levels of stress is definitely not healthy. But what can you do to relieve stress? Don’t we crave for a time when we could forget all the worries and just do what The Beatles told us to do? Let it be. Thankfully there is something which can provide relief even if for a short span of time. In this article, we will tell you all about it.
The famous American comedian Milton Berle once said ‘Laughter is an instant vacation’. And that’s the key to relieving stress and open a doorway to a happier and healthier life. Don’t we feel happy when we laugh so hard that tears come to our eyes? According to many medical experts, laughter is the best medicine. However, thanks to our complicated lives, we hardly get the time to laugh. Hence, a form of exercise has been built where you laugh as a routine. This is called Laughter Yoga.
What is Laughter Yoga?
Laughter yoga is a concept which was conceived in the country championing in yoga – India. It was conceptualized around the mid-1990s and soon became very popular especially among the mass, thanks to the innocence linked to it. Laughter yoga is based on the premise that anyone can laugh without any comedy or humor. In this practice, yogic breathing is integrated with laughter to make it a form of exercise. It has innumerable health benefits. Laughing releases stress-relieving hormones in our body by releasing endorphins, the feel-good hormones of our body. It also increases the immunity of the body and releases infection-fighting antibodies.
What can you gain from laughter yoga?
To tell you the truth, several things. At first, it might feel strange to laugh for no apparent reason, however, soon you will see how good that feels. First and foremost, laughing relaxes the whole body and relaxes the muscles almost instantly. It boosts the immune system and decreases stress hormones. As we have mentioned earlier, it releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones which are responsible for our overall well-being.
Moreover, since it is a form of yoga, it incorporates various kinds of pranayama or breathing exercises. Such breathing exercises not only relax the body, it also helps make the lungs stronger. Deep breaths always calm us down, doesn’t it? Imagine what it can do to you if you practice the same for a specific time regularly. A calm body leads to a calm mind. As a result, you will be more aware of your surroundings. You will live in the moment, not worrying about the future or brooding about the past. Being relieved from anxiety is a great feeling and definitely several steps ahead of being able to live freely.
This is a feel-good exercise that we completely love. No harm has ever been caused by laughing, isn’t it? It is the cure for almost all problems. So, if you are looking for an interesting way to heal yourself and feel fresh early in the morning, join a laughter yoga club. Keep laughing and feel happy.
