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Imagine 30 minutes of guffawing, all in the name of fitness. Laughter yoga, part of a growing trend in parts of the United States, India, and other countries, can really make a difference to your overall health, according to fitness experts from the University of Michigan Health System.
While it shouldn't replace more traditional forms of aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, laughter yoga (also known as hasya yoga) is fun and can help to reduce stress, enhance the immune system, and--get this--even tone muscles, says Barb Fisher, a certified laughter-yoga leader with the University of Michigan Health System's MFit. "Kids laugh about 400 times a day, and adults only about 15," says Fisher. "Laughter is a gift that has been given to us to make us feel better."
Besides being a fun way to get in shape, laughter can offer other health benefits, such as strengthening cardiovascular functions, oxygenating the body by boosting the respiratory system, improving circulation, and helping with digestion and constipation. "Studies have shown that 20 seconds of a good, hard belly laugh is worth three minutes on the rowing machine," Fisher says. "However, that does not mean we want to stop doing all other exercises. It means that incorporating laughter yoga can add to the benefits we see from our regular exercise routine."
Like other conventional fitness classes, laughter yogis and yoginis require a warm-up period, including breathing exercises, stretches, and "laughing games." As developed by laughter yoga creator Madan Kataria, a family physician from India, these laughing exercises can include many varieties, such as:
1. Hearty laughter: Laughter by raising both the arms in the sky with the head tilted a little backwards.
2. Greeting laughter: Joining both the hands and shaking hands with at least four or five people in the group.
3. Appreciation laughter: Join your pointing finger with the thumb to make a small circle while making gestures as if you are appreciating your group members and laughing simultaneously.
4. Milkshake laughter: Hold and mix two imaginary glasses of milk or coffee and pour the milk from one glass into the other by chanting "Aeee...," and then pour it back into the first glass by chanting "Aeee..." Then, everyone laughs while making a gesture as if they are drinking milk.
Difficulty level: Easy
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