The Venice Beach Laughter Club Meeting

Craig Cornell, a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader*, will lead a 45 minute laughter yoga session on the beach. Please bring a beach towel (we will stand, sit and lay down), plenty of water and leave your inhibitions at home! Laughter yoga is all about fun, letting go and wellness. This is not about humor or jokes. We use laughter exercises that anyone can do to achieve a sound mind and body.

*Trained at the American School of Laughter Yoga in the techniques of laughter based on Hasya Yoga (yogic laughter) as initiated and taught by Dr. Mada Kataria, MD and his wife, Madhuri Kataria.

The health benefits of Laughter Yoga include:

Anti Stress: Laughter is one of the finest, most economical and easy to practice anti-stress measures. Laughter is one of the best muscle relaxants. Laughter expands blood vessels and sends more blood to the extremities and other muscles all over the body. A good bout of laughter also reduces the levels of stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol.

A natural relaxant: While laughing, we do not have any conscious thought process and all our senses naturally and effortlessly combine in a moment of harmony, to give joy, peace and relaxation. In other types of meditation you need to concentrate a lot to take your mind away from distracting thoughts, which is easier said than done. Laughter is the easiest form of meditation and one that brings instant relaxation.

Strengthens the Immune System: The immune system plays a most important role in maintaining good health and keeping away infections, allergies and cancers. Negative emotions like anxiety, depression or anger weaken the immune system of the body, thereby reducing its fighting capacity against infections. According to Dr. Lee S. Berk from Loma Linda University, California, USA, laughter helps to increase the count of natural killer cells and also raises the antibody levels. There are many members of Laughter Clubs who have noticed that the frequency of common colds, sore throats and chest infections has decreased since undertaking Laughter Yoga.

Best Aerobic Exercise: The one benefit almost everybody derives from Laughter Yoga is a sense of well being. After 15 minutes of laughter in the morning, they feel fresh throughout the day. There is no medicine like laughter, which gives such an instant result! The reason for this sense of well being is that one inhales more oxygen while laughing. Laughter can be compared to any aerobic exercise. According to Dr. William Fry from Stanford University, one minute of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine.

Depression, anxiety and psychosomatic disorders: The stress and strain of modern life are taking a heavy toll of the human mind and body. Mind-related diseases like anxiety, depression, nervous breakdowns and sleeplessness are on the rise.

High Blood Pressure and Heart disease: Laughter definitely helps to control blood pressure by reducing the release of stress-related hormones and bringing relaxation. In experiments it has been proved that there is a drop of 10-20 mm. pressure after participating for 10 minutes in a laughter session.

Natural Pain Killer: Laughter increases the levels of endorphins in our bodies, which are natural painkillers. Norman Cousins, an American journalist who was suffering from an incurable disease of the spine, benefited from laughter therapy when no painkiller could help him. Endorphins released as a result of laughter may help in reducing the intensity of pain in those suffering from arthritis, spondylitis and muscular spasms of the body.

Alleviates Bronchitis and Asthma: Laughter is one of the best exercises for those suffering from asthma and bronchitis. It improves the lung capacity and oxygen levels in the blood.

Improves Stamina in Athletes: Since breathing capacity is one of the factors which determines stamina in sports, laughter before any competitive sports activity will increase the relaxation levels and hence performance.

Makes You Look Younger: People do exercise for all the muscles of the body, but there is no regular exercise designed for facial muscles except in Yoga. Laughter is an excellent exercise for your facial muscles. It tones up the muscles of the face and improves facial expressions. When you laugh, your face becomes red due to an increase in blood supply, which nourishes the facial skin and makes it glow. Laughing people look more cheerful and attractive. By squeezing the tear glands through laughter, it moistens the eyes, adding a little sparkle to them. Laughter exercises the abdominal muscles and helps to improve muscle tone.

Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter Clubs are fast developing into close-knit communities. With the spread of Laughter Clubs in every locality, each club has taken the shape of a small community, wherein its members experience a sense of affiliation and belonging to the group. Laughter Clubs are turning into large "Laughing Families".