Laughter Yoga- Daily Laughter Practices for Health and Happiness

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BBC and Google have used it in their offices Oprah Winfrey promoted it on her show Aamir Khan loved it on Satyamev Jayate Mira Nair filmed a documentary, The Laughing Club of India, on itLaughter yoga is a revolutionary idea: simple and profound. A practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter, it is based on scientific studies that have concluded that such laughter offers the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Today, laughter yoga has become popular worldwide as a complete workout. It is practised in more than 100 countries, with as many as 2.5 lakh people laughing out loud in India alone.

This comprehensive book by the founder of the laughter yoga club movement, Dr Madan Kataria, tells you what laughter yoga is, how it works, what its benefits are and how you can apply it to everyday life.

Dr Madan Kataria,

popularly known as the guru of giggling, is the founder of the laughter yoga club movement that started in 1995. Dr Kataria, who is from Mumbai, is a sought-after keynote, motivational and inspirational speaker for corporations and organizations across the world. He has conducted seminars and workshops for UBS, Emirates Bank, IBM, Hewlett-Packard,etc. He has also featured on television and radio programmes across the world and is associated with an increasing number of medical research projects analysing the benefits of laughter. Dr Kataria, having retired from medical practice, devotes all his time to writing, teaching, coaching and training laughter leaders in order to foster the spread of laughter clubs. He is also the creator of the immensely popular World Laughter Day which is celebrated on the first Sunday of every May.

The success of laughter yoga and scientific studies across the world have left no doubt that laughter has a powerful and profound effect on the human body and mind. Not only does it help to prevent illnesses but also contributes towards healing chronic diseases-both physical and mental. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the benefits of laughter if practised regularly. Until Dr Madan Kataria made laughter yoga popular both in India and globally, there was no reliable method of bringing more laughter into people's lives. His breakthrough has allowed people to enjoy the many benefits of laughter without depending on external conditions and stimulation. It employs a remarkable exercise routine that combines yogic breathing with laughter, making it an ideal tool for complete body-mind wellness.

The method is straightforward. After brief physical and breathing exercises under the direction of a trained individual, people simulate laughter with vigorous repetitions of 'ha ha' and 'ho ho'. This fake laughter soon becomes real and contagious and may even continue for half an hour or more.

Laughter increases the supply of oxygen to body tissues, boosts immunity, relieves pain, lowers stress and even helps protect against heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, migraine and cancer. It is a powerful technique: safe, easy and a lot of fun.

This book is a testament to my journey with laughter yoga which began in India in 1995 with only five people and has reached over 100 countries today. Not only has laughter changed my life dramatically, it has also touched the lives of many others around the world.

The way laughter yoga has been growing exponentially without any marketing or advertisement indicates how effective and powerful it is. Laughter yoga is not rocket science-it is simple but profound. In fact, this unique concept has redefined laughter. Most people knew that laughter was the best medicine for the body and mind, but there was never a reliable delivery system. Laughter was simply the end result of some entertainment or amusement. Laughter yoga took it to an all-new level with a complete delivery system that allowed laughter to be prescribed as part of daily routine in order to realize all the health benefits it has to offer.

The concept of laughing for no reason stems from my roots. The youngest of eight children, I grew up in a small farming village, Mohrewala, in Punjab. It was here that I learnt about the relationship between simplicity and laughter. Most people in the village could laugh at the smallest of things. They did not need a reason to laugh or share jokes. For them, laughter was the most natural outcome of their uncomplicated daily lives. Meeting each other and dancing and singing at festivals, weddings and celebrations was reason enough to laugh and have fun. However, my perception of people and their ability to laugh underwent a major change while studying medicine in a big city.

**Contents and Sample Pages**