In this video John Cleese meets with the founder of Laughter Yoga and my teacher, Madan Kataria in Mumbai, India. Surely one of the wests greatest comedic actors, Cleese joins in with some of the exercises and learns about some of the benefits of laughter.

To learn more about Laughter Yoga visit www.laughteryoga.org

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEfjVnYkqM[/youtube]

We recently discovered this wonderful site called Risatel. They have a Laughter Hotline where you can call up and share a laughter session one-on-one or in a group. Oscar left a beautiful comment on my site and thats how I found out about them.

They are lovely people and are giving you a chance to have direct contact with laughter. Sometimes we just need to break our pattern of depression and negativity, and laughter is the best way to do it!

To find out more about them and what they can do for you, visit their website at www.risatel.es, and have a chat to either Oscar or Celeste.

The idea that laughter has analgesic properties is not new. Dr. James Walsh, an American physician, noted in his 1928 book, Laughter and Health, that laughter appeared to reduce the level of pain experienced following surgery. This observation then disappeared from the medical literature until the publication of Norman Cousins’ 1979 book, Anatomy of an Illness. (more…)

In this study, conducted at the Indiana State University Sycamore Nursing Center,  33 healthy adult women were divided into two groups. The treatment group watched a humorous video, while the control group viewed a tourism video. All participants completed questionnaires regarding their stress and humor levels before and after watching their videos. In addition, blood drawn before and after treatment was tested for natural killer cell levels.

Compared to the control group, the laughter group reported a significant decrease in stress following treatment. Their stress level appeared inversely correlated with their level of mirthful Laughter. Participants with high scores on the humor questionnaire also had significantly higher numbers of natural killer cells after treatment.

The laughing participants?

Natural killer cell levels were significantly higher than those of the control group too. (more…)

Some questions to ask yourself….

Do I look for the humor in every day life?

Am I ‘fun’ to be with?

Am I happy and smile and laugh frequently?

Do I hang out with happy people?

…..Like attracts Like….
So if you want to be happy……hang out with happy people…

1. Stress is the major workplace injury of the 21st century – fun at work has been proven to boost productivity, co-operation, creativity and wellness.
2. It is much easier to keep on working than to take time off to relax and go to a seminar on stress – it takes self discipline to do this.
3. You don’t have to be a victim of stress – there is always something you can do, but the answers are not always obvious.
4. When you can’t change what’s making you stressed, you must change you – you can learn how to change your outlook.
5. Laughter is the best stress buster of all.  There are UNIQUE TECHNIQUES that enables you to laugh WITHOUT JOKES because humor is a personal feeling.  What’s funny for some can actually be  actually offensive to others.  So laugh because you CAN…..for no reason other than to feel great.

Humor perception involves the whole brain and serves to integrate and balance activity in both hemispheres.

Derks, at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, has shown that there is a unique pattern of brain wave activity during the perception of humor. EEG’s were recorded on subjects while they were presented with humorous material.

Laughter truly is the best medicine! (more…)

Because it’s a form of self medication.
Because WE CAN … laughter is a flat out CHOICE.
Because it energizes our mind to be creative.
Because it alters the brain neuron chemistry.
Because it increases the hormones that make us feel good – such as ……dopamine and Serotonin.
Because it’s convenient.
Because it’s safe.
Because it’s easy to access.
Because there’s no cost.
Because it’s fat free.
Because it burns calories.
Because there’s no cholesterol.
Because you need no elaborate equipment.
Because it can be used anywhere for any reason, almost.
Because there are few, if any, side effects
Because it’s healing to the brain and body.

Dr. Leroy Berk who researches the benefits of laughter…..from California USA……..says…………………..

“Laughter is like aerobic exercise…….
20 seconds of aerobic laughter gives the body a work-out equivalent to 3 minutes. of hard rowing in terms of giving the heart a work-out”

LAUGHTER is a bit like changing a babies nappy.

“It may not be permanent

But

It sure makes things a whole lot better for a while”

We don’t stop playing cause we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine – Proverbs.

A day without laughter is a day wasted – Charlie Chaplin.

If I have caused just one person to wipe away a tear of laughter, that’s my reward – Victor Borge.

The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is L A U G H T E R – Mark Twain.

You can turn painful situations around through……….. L A U G H T E R . If you find humor in anything, you can survive it – Bill Cosby.

There are some things so serious you have to laugh at them – Niels Bohr.

L A U G H T E R is the shortest distance between two people – Victor Borge.