What is Laughter Yoga ?
Laughter Yoga is a revolutionary idea – simple and profound. An exercise routine, it is sweeping the world and is a complete wellbeing workout.
The brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a Physician from Mumbai, India, launched the first Laughter Club at a Park on March 13, 1995, with merely a handful of persons. Today, it has become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 Social Laughter Clubs in about 60 countries.
Laughter Yoga combines Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Media coverage
This innovative concept has a worldwide following, and has been featured by many popular publications like TIME Magazine, National Geographic, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Daily Telegraph (UK) among others. Laughter Clubs have appeared on popular Television: Oprah Winfrey Show, BBC, CNN, ZDF (Germany) NHK (Japan), ABC News (USA) and others around the world. Many film features on Laughter Yoga and Laughter Clubs have been produced in different languages of the world. The media has been highly influential in the growth of Laughter Yoga globally.
Laughter Clubs Free for All
Laughter Yoga Clubs are Social Clubs, free for all. There is no membership fee, no forms to fill, and no fuss. These Clubs are run by volunteers trained as Laughter Yoga Teachers and Laughter Yoga Leaders. Laughter Clubs are non-political, non-religious and non-profit, and run directly by Laughter Clubs International in India, and Laughter Yoga International in the rest of the world.
Mission - World Peace
The goal of Laughter Yoga is to bring good health, joy and world peace through Laughter. Laughter is universal with no language and cultural barriers. Laughter Yoga Clubs are fast growing into a worldwide community of like-minded people who believe in unconditional Love, Laughter and Fellowship. Every first Sunday of May is celebrated as World Laughter Day. In the year 2000, nearly 10,000 people laughed together in Copenhagen, Denmark to set a Guinness Book Record.
Life Changing Experience
Throughout India, thousands of Laughter Yoga Clubs meet every morning in public parks. Most Laughter Club members proudly report that they have not missed a day in five years or more. They say it makes them happy, healthy and energized - effecting a transformation in their lives. The Laughter Yoga session each day, results in positive energy that makes it easy to cope with stress of daily life and saves them from depression. In fact, the impact of laughter is so profound that many practitioners claim they no longer need anti-depressants. The sustained positive emotions keep them coming back for more.
Participants of Laughter Yoga report significant general health improvements. Many have felt a reduction in the frequency of respiratory infections like common cold and flu, and some others reported overcoming depression, relief/cure from chronic medical problems. With people's committed participation, Laughter Yoga has helped many people become healthier.
Scientifically Proven
Clinical research on Laughter Yoga methods, conducted at the University of Graz in Austria; Bangalore, India; and in the United States has proved that Laughter lowers the level of stress hormones (epinephrine, cortisol, etc) in the blood. It fosters a positive and hopeful attitude. It is less likely for a person to succumb to stress and feelings of depression and helplessness, if one is able to laugh away the troubles.
Laughter Yoga in Schools
In India, Laughter Yoga has been introduced in many schools of Surat, Baroda and Bangalore. The school schedule includes ten minutes of Laughter in the Morning Assembly, followed by five minutes of Laughter Session in the classrooms both at the beginning and at the end of the day. This routine has shown that the mood and atmosphere gets energized. Teachers and students are happier together, with a more positive outlook, and improves communication, discipline and attendance. Academic results have also shown improvement. Outside India, Ithaca College, New York and in Minnesota in the United States are fast becoming popular with the college students.
Laughter Yoga and Business World
Scientific research reveals that Laughter can help resolve many major issues at the workplace, yet, till now there has been no reliable and effective system to deliver laughter. Humor was the only tool available, but it is not reliable and seldom leads to continuous hearty laughter. Laughter Yoga is a breakthrough laughter delivery system that can enable a person to laugh continuously for 15 to 20 minutes with short breaks of Yogic Breathing. Many Laughter Yoga professionals have presented sessions to the business community, with positive results.
The concept is gaining popularity in companies and corporations in India, Denmark, US and many other countries. It is a powerful force for improving staff performance at the workplace. This was recently confirmed by studies in India and the USA, that showed a substantial stress reduction and enhanced productivity by the staff after just three weeks of Laughter Sessions.
Seniors and Laughter Yoga
Laughter Yoga is being practiced by Seniors in many aged care facilities in Canada, USA, Israel and Europe. There is a distinct rise in life expectancy with improvement in health care, and advancement in medical technology. In fact, ten years from now the number of older people would have almost doubled. Faced with age and age-related troubles, Seniors find their physical and mental faculties on the decline. Since the cognitive abilities in seniors are compromised due to senile dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, they find it difficult to comprehend humor. Therefore, Laughter Yoga is the ideal form of exercise routine that can help them to get complete health benefits of Laughter.
Laughter Yoga and Cancer Patients
A significant number of Laughter Club members around the world suffer some kind of cancer, and laughter has brought a new hope in their lives. Many have reported that regular Laughter Sessions have benefited them tremendously. Cancer is the next biggest killer after Depression and Heart problems. Scientific research has proved that laughter has a profound impact on the immune system that influences the course of survival of cancer patients. Laughter Yoga has been effectively implemented in many Cancer Hospitals, helping the patients and their caregivers, cope with pain and trauma. Swedish Cancer Hospital in Chicago, USA, conducts Laughter Yoga regularly during the chemotherapy sessions.
Laughter Yoga in Prisons
Laughter Yoga is being practiced in several prisons in India, Europe and USA. British actor John Cleese visited Mumbai Prison in the year 2001 during the making of a documentary for BBC, on Human Expressions. He found that laughter had a profound impact on the prisoners, and the atmosphere in general lightened. With the rise in crime all over the world, the prisons are overburdened with prisoners, harboring negative emotions and thoughts. Laughter Yoga is a great method of dissipating negative feelings of anger and frustration. Many prisoners in India have found Laughter Yoga an effective tool to release their negative emotions. There have been positive changes in prisoner attitude, better prisoner-staff relations and reduced violence.
Laughter Yoga with Physically and Mentally Challenged
Laughter Yoga has made a major difference in the lives of many people with physical and mental disabilities in India, Canada, USA and Portugal. In fact, in Bangalore, India, the introduction of Laughter Yoga for the mentally and the physically challenged children has revealed a marked improvement in their motor and expressive skills besides control of hyperactiveness. Many such people who come to these sessions in wheel chairs have shown tremendous improvement in their physical condition and mental health. Laughter Yoga has also been introduced in many schools for the Blind, and among the deaf and mute children, to help them cope with their disabilities and generate a more positive attitude, that will help them to enhance their wellbeing.
History Of Laughter Yoga
In March 1995, Dr. Madan Kataria was writing an article ‘Laughter - The Best Medicine’ for a health journal. In his research, he discovered many modern scientific studies, that described in depth, the many proven benefits of Laughter on the Human mind and body. In particular, Dr. Kataria was impressed by Norman Cousins' book Anatomy of an Illness and the research work by Dr. Lee Berk. Profoundly inspired and being a man of action, Dr. Kataria immediately decided to field-test the impact of laughter on himself and others.
Starting with just a handful of (5) persons, at 7 am on March 13, 1995, at a public park in his neighborhood in Mumbai, India; and managed to persuade four people to support him in launching a ‘Laughter Club’. They laughed together in the park that day to the amusement of bystanders; and the small group quickly grew to more than 50 participants, within a few days. In the initial meetings, they stood in a circle with one person in the center, to tell a joke or a funny story. Everybody enjoyed and felt good for the rest of the day.
After two weeks, the Laughter Club hit a snag. The stock of good jokes and stories ran out, and negative, hurtful and naughty jokes started to emerge. Two offended participants complained that it would be better to discontinue the Club than to continue with such jokes. Dr. Kataria asked the Club members to give him just one day to develop a ‘breakthrough’ that would resolve the crisis.
That night, Dr. Kataria reviewed his research and finally found the answer he was looking for: Our body cannot differentiate between pretend and genuine laughter. Both produced the same ‘Happy Chemistry’. The next morning he explained this to the group, and asked them to try to act out laughter with him, for one minute. Amid skepticism they agreed to try…. The results were amazing. For some, the pretend laughter quickly turned into real laughter - this was contagious and in no time others followed. Soon the group was laughing like never before. The hearty laughter that followed persisted for almost ten minutes. This breakthrough was the birth of Laughter Yoga.
Realizing that there are ways other than humor to stimulate laughter, Dr. Kataria developed a range of Laughter Exercises including elements of role-play and other techniques from his days as an amateur theater actor. Giving a thought to the importance of childlike playfulness, he developed further techniques to stimulate this within the group.
As Yoga practitioners, Dr. Kataria and his wife Madhuri, Co-Founder of Laughter Yoga, saw the similarities between Laughter and Pranayama exercises, and incorporated elements from this ancient form of Yoga into Laughter Yoga, including the deep breathing exercises now used between Laughter Exercises, to deepen the impact.
The result - Laughter Yoga: A blend of Yogic Deep Breathing, Stretching, and Laughter Exercises that cultivate child-like playfulness.
Concept and Philosophy
Is it possible to Laugh for No Reason?
Dr. Madan Kataria and Madhuri Kataria, Founders of Laughter Yoga International
Dr. Madan Kataria and Madhuri Kataria, Founders of Laughter Yoga International
Contrary to popular belief, Laughter Yoga has proved that one does not need a sense of humor, to laugh. Laughter can be learnt and programmed into the body, to bring about a complete transformation. Research has proved that just 10-20 minutes of fake or real laughter has a profound benefit on the human body.
It is generally believed that in the absence of humor, Laughter is almost unthinkable. But, we cannot always depend on a sense of humor to create laughter, since humor is a phenomenon of the Intellect, the Mind. Moreover, humor is unique to the individual, their culture, and it varies from person to person. There may be few reasons for us to smile and laugh, while there are many reasons for us to be sad, depressed and frustrated.
In fact, regular conditioning as we grow up, has led to undermining of emotional expression. If we notice, children are absolutely natural when they laugh. Their laughter is not dependent on any external stimulus like jokes, comedy or humor. Adults, on the other hand, learn the art of suppressing emotions for fear of being ridiculed or facing a conflict, which proves to be detrimental in the pursuit of physical and mental well being.
Laughter Yoga is a unique concept of Unconditional Laughter, according to this, anyone can Laugh for No Reason. It does not rely on jokes, humor or comedy. It initiates laughter as a form of an exercise in a group, and as the Laughter Sessions progress; Laughter becomes real and contagious.
The name, Laughter Yoga, is derived from combining Yogic breathing (Pranayaama) with Laughter Exercises. This effective blend results in multiple health benefits, primarily increasing the supply of oxygen and boosting the immune system. It energizes and recharges the metabolism, making one feel fresh and energetic.
How to Laugh Without a Reason
The best part of Laughter is you really don't need any "Reason" to Laugh....Just Start. Initially Laughing alone may seem awkward, but joining a Laughter Club makes it easy. It provides a platform which helps to break psychological barriers and shed all inhibitions. One can actually feel ‘fake’ Laughter turn into ‘real’ and contagious laughter.
Fundamentals of Laughter Yoga
Theory of Motion Creates Emotion
The most Frequently Asked Question is --- How do you laugh when you're in no mood to laugh or when you don't have any reason to Laugh? The answer is simple...
There is a well-established link between the Body and the Mind. Whatever happens to the Mind happens to the Body as well. If you observe sad and depressed people, their bodies are also depressed. They walk slowly, talk slowly and their body functions are slow and sluggish.
The opposite is also true; whatever happens to the Body also happens to the Mind. I remember my father once told me: ‘If you’re sad, don't sit idle. Keep doing some physical work or go for a walk and jog, you will feel better’. And he was right; I have always felt better by keeping my body active.
Even when unhappy, behaving or acting happy will bring the mind to a state of happiness. Bring laughter to your Body and your Mind will soon follow.
Laughter Yoga uses the two-way Body-Mind link to change the state of the Mind through voluntary physical gestures including Repetitive Clapping, Chanting, and specific Body Movements, together with Laughter and Breathing Exercises.
This effect is so powerful that we have seen Laughter Yoga overcome severe depression in thousands of people the world over. In fact, there is a saying in the Laughter Clubs: ‘If you can't Laugh, bring your body to the Laughter Club!’
Laughter is all about Playfulness
Bulls Eye - Laughter Yoga Exercise
Bulls Eye - Laughter Yoga Exercise
Do you know why children laugh 300 to 400 times in a day while grown-ups laugh only 10 to 15 times?
It is because adults use their brain to first comprehend humor and then laugh. This is called the Mind-to-Body Model or the Humor Model. It relies on the ability to understand what's funny and amusing. For example, the extent to which a person laughs at a given joke depends on how good the joke is, the narration and also the state-of-mind of the listener.
The only hitch in this model is - it does not guarantee how much a person will laugh. It is dependent on conditions like a sense of humor, the state of the mind and the quality of the external stimulus.
The other model is the Childlike Model or the Body-to-Mind Model. Observe children - they laugh the most while playing. Their laughter comes straight from the body and does not make use of any intellectual capacity of the brain. This clearly indicates that the source of laughter is within the body. One can use it whenever necessary by moving the body at will. The significant feature of this model is that the person actively participates in laughter and humorous activities rather than being a passive participant.
Laughter Yoga and Laughing with No Reason help to cultivate this childlike playfulness. Once you learn to play, laughter is a natural outcome. When you learn to induce laughter in the Body, the Mind just falls in step. The Physical Model of Laughter is easy to practice for most people, as they do not feel the necessity to identify with the mental part or the sense of humor.
Laughter Yoga is all about Joy, not Happiness
Laughter Yoga makes a clear distinction between Happiness and Joyfulness. Happiness is a conditional response, subject to fulfillment of certain desires of the Mind. This approach is related to how your life was in the past or how it will be in the future, but it almost never occurs in the present moment. The sad fact is that even if the conditions are fulfilled, Happiness is often fleeting as it is quickly displaced by new conditions (moving goalposts). Do you remember how long you stayed happy after getting that diploma, car, job, or new house that you had worked so long for?
In contrast, Joyfulness is unconditional commitment to be Happy and have fun for the moment, despite the challenges of life. It is easily triggered by joyful activities like laughing, dancing, singing and playing. It is purely a physical phenomenon while Happiness is a concept of the mind. Joyfulness is the basis of Laughter Yoga. During periods of joyfulness, physiological and biochemical changes take place that afford a sense of well-being, completely altering negative outlooks on life and its challenges.
Laughter can be Programmed into your Body
Did you know that we can actually learn to Laugh? Our Body and Mind can be trained to laugh at will. It is like learning to ride a bicycle. Once you learn, you never forget it, just as any skill.
Repetition is the mother of any skill. The repetition of any bodily behavior over a period of time leads to the generation of a corresponding emotion in the Mind. The brain develops new neuronal circuits for a particular body-mind activity that is repeated again and again.
According to the principles of Neuro-Linguistic association and to scientific research, there is very little difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it. Thoughts in the Mind, whether real or imaginary, produce similar physiological changes in the body. When a particular set of experiences are repeated over and over, the Body develops a fast ‘Knee Jerk’ reaction that is triggered without involving thinking and the rational brain. This is called Conditioning.
Russian scientist Pavlov’s experiment with dogs is a classic example of Conditioning. Every time he gave food to the dogs, he would ring the bell. After several days of repeating the same process, the dogs developed an association between the ringing of the bell (physical sensory experience) and the food. After some time, he stopped giving food to the dogs and just rang the bell. He found that ringing the bell, even in the absence of food, produced saliva in the mouth and gastric juice in the stomach as if there was food.
The brain can be cheated by such conditioned reflexes. Before the conscious brain can rationalize and think, the Body starts reacting. In everyday life, this conditioning happens during both positive and negative experiences. Repetitive experience of any kind can lead to automatic conditioned response.
In Laughter Clubs, members develop Positive Conditioning of joy and bodily experience of Laughter by doing Laughter Yoga Exercises over a period of time. Clapping in a Rhythm, Chanting Ho Ho Ha Ha in unison, and positive affirmations like ‘Very Good Very Good Yaay’, are few examples of bodily expressions of joy that are practiced repeatedly in Laughter Clubs.
By repeating these Laughter Exercises, the brain develops new neuronal connections to produce happy neuropeptides and hormones in the body that can be triggered by the repetition of this physical action.
In NLP language eliciting such a bodily reaction is called an “ANCHOR”. By performing a joyful anchor action with the body, the mind can experience the emotion of joy, complete with the chemical reactions it triggers.
Laughter Yoga – The Power of Exhalation
Breathing is fundamental to our life. It would be difficult to survive if we stopped breathing even for a few minutes. From a medical point of view, this vital and life giving force in our breath is oxygen. The Yogic perspective, on the other hand, refers to it as a Life Energy Force that flows into the body from cosmic energy fields.
Dr. Otto Warburg, a Nobel Laureate, said that one of the basic reasons for falling sick is the lack of oxygen in the body cells. This is because we don't breathe correctly. Due to Stress and negative mental states, our breathing becomes shallow and irregular. This leads to lack of oxygen and accumulation of carbon dioxide in our blood which further causes anxiety, stress arousal and emotional reactions.
How do we get more Oxygen from Laughter and Yogic Breathing ?
Laughter Yoga in GermanyDuring inhalation, we breathe in 500 to 700 ml of air and almost the same amount is exhaled. This is called a Tidal Volume. But there is a huge volume of residual air in our lungs that amounts to almost 2500 to 2800 ml. This residual air is mostly stale and has more carbon dioxide.
Yoga emphasizes that the secret of good health lies in longer exhalation. Exhalation should be longer than inhalation thereby ridding some of the residual air from the lungs and allowing more fresh air and oxygen for the next breathing cycle. This can be done effectively by contracting the abdominal muscles and pushing the diaphragm outwards. Combine this with Laughter, and it becomes the easiest and the best possible way to regularize breathing, and enhance the supply of oxygen.
Mind and Breathing
It is apparent that our state of Mind directly affects our breathing. When you are upset or under Stress, the Breathing pattern changes. It becomes faster, shallow and irregular. When relaxed it becomes deeper and slower. This unique dual feature of Breathing is controlled by our subconscious mind.
Breathing is the only function of the Autonomic Nervous System that can be consciously regulated or changed. It has been proved that if we deliberately slow down our Breathing, and take deeper breaths by using the diaphragm, we will experience a sense of calm and the Mind will be more relaxed. Therefore, by changing the way you breathe, you can change your state of Mind.
Laughter Yoga Sessions
Laughter Yoga Sessions are led by a Laughter Leader or Teacher, who controls the Laughter Session, explains and gives commands to start and complete different Laughter Exercises. The Leader guides the members to start and complete Laughter Exercises together for improved group dynamic.
During most Laughter Yoga Exercises, group members keep moving, and establish eye contact with others in the group. Most Laughter Sessions focus on enjoyment, rather than force, when doing Laughter Exercises. The Laughter Session strives to cultivate childlike playfulness during Laughter Yoga Exercises.
A typical Laughter Yoga session has four steps:
Step 1. Clapping and Warming-Up Exercises
Clap hands parallel to each other for full finger-to-finger and palm-to-palm contact, thus stimulating Acupressure points in our hands to increase energy levels.
* Rhythm is added to the clapping, to further increase energy levels and group synchronicity, often a 1-2, 1-2-3 rhythm.
* Movement is then added. There are many variations, but most move hands up and down and swing from side to side, with corresponding movements of the hands and feet.
* A simple chant is added to the clapping, normally HO, HO, HA-HA-HA. These are heavy exhalations that come from the belly, to stimulate diaphragmatic breathing.
* Adding dance movements boosts feelings of happiness and joy. Enthusiastic clapping, chanting and movement, help build positive energy, gets the diaphragm moving, and creates a positive group dynamics in preparation for Laughter.
Gibberish - Warm up Exercise
Gibberish is a language of sounds without meaning. Children speak gibberish when learning to speak and during play. Gibberish may be used as a Warm up Exercise in Laughter Yoga, to help people to loosen up and reduce inhibitions and shyness.
Step 2: Deep Breathing Exercises
Laughter Exercises are interspersed with Deep Breathing Exercises to help flush the lungs, and also bring physical and mental relaxation.
Step 3: Childlike Playfulness
One of the objectives of Laughter Yoga is to cultivate Childlike Playfulness that helps us to Laugh Without Reason. A happy chant to use after a Laughter Exercise: VERY GOOD (Clap Forward), VERY GOOD (Clap Forward), YAAAAAAY (Swinging arms up into a Y shape with thumbs up in childish exuberance and exhilaration).
Step 4: Laughter Exercises
Three kinds of Laughter Exercises:
1. Yoga-based - Derived from Yoga postures.
2. Playful Exercises - Playful Exercises help to reduce inhibitions and shyness, and convert simulated Laughter into unconditional Laughter. They often include method-acting techniques to shift our mindset, imagining and acting out a situation or a role. One-meter Laughter, Milkshake Laughter, Mobile Phone Laughter and Hot-Soup Laughter are especially popular.
3. Value-Based Laughter Exercises - These Laughter Exercises are designed to ‘program’ positive feelings to gestures, or situations while laughing, teaching our subconscious new auto-responses. Visa Card Laughter, Appreciation Laughter, Greeting Laughter, and Forgiveness Laughter are popular.
Physical Laughter Exercises
Some groups incorporate light Physical Exercises between bouts of Laughter, especially when Laughter Clubs meet in the morning for Seniors and special groups. The Physical Exercises chosen may promote mobility through Stretching, ease Cervical Spondylosis, Neck Stiffness and Frozen Shoulder, and other common complaints of Seniors. Some Laughter Yoga groups perform Laughter Exercises in a more energetic way and develop high energy exercises (like power Yoga). This can be invigorating with very high levels of energy being generated.
Laughter Meditation
Laughter Yoga Exercises are sometimes followed by Laughter Meditation. As you do Laughter Meditation, Laughter may flow like water from a fountain --- a more spontaneous and deeper experience than that achieved through Laughter Yoga Exercises.
Guidelines to Achieve this Meditative State of Laughter
o Sit comfortably in an inward facing group so people can see each other and make eye contact, not too spread out.
o Nobody should talk or try to communicate in any way with others (no eye messages, funny faces, and funny sounds), as this will engage the conscious mind --- the conscious mind must be disengaged.
o Sit in silence with eyes closed, keeping an awareness of your breathing. After silence, open your eyes and sit in a relaxed position (not a Yoga posture).
o Initiate by simulating Laughter in a slow and gradual manner as in Gradient Laughter. Soon one person begins genuine Laughter and others follow. If not, we may alternate periods of quiet with Pranayaama exercises to stimulate the diaphragm until Natural Laughter begins to break out, at which time we normally lie down and let the Laughter flow.
o It is not unusual for people to undergo strong cathartic moments during Laughter Meditation. This is positive as they are release powerful emotions and emotional problems that may have been pent up or many years.
o Laughter may be interspersed with tears and even anger, as emotions surface, and are released in wonderful non-violent catharsis. Should this occur, allow it – do not comfort that person. The Laughter Leader will gently bring people out of Meditation back to silence, with a focus on their breathing.
o Laughter will continue to bubble up but the Laughter Leader will take steps to settle the group, before leading Guided Relaxation. The extent of the Relaxation will depend on the group, Session intensity, the time of day and other factors.
Grounding Exercises after Laughter Yoga
During Laughter Yoga, Exercises stimulate blood circulation, raising the blood pressure for a period before it comes back below the base level. The muscles contract during a Laughter Session before they come back to their Relaxation Mode. Consequently, the real benefits of Laughter Yoga do not occur during the stimulation phase, but become apparent after the Laughter Session, during relaxation.
During 12 years of Laughter Yoga experience, we have found that some people complain that although they laughed heartily during the Session, especially during Laughter Meditation, they were left feeling emotionally unstable and ‘empty’ afterward.
Laughter is a powerful dynamic energy that can open your sub-conscious mind and release pent-up feelings and emotions. After intense Laughter Yoga Sessions, some people become sad and start crying, while others experience bouts of anger, irritability and other negative emotions. For that reason, it is important to do Grounding Exercises after a Laughter Yoga Session to normalize our systems, and allow Relaxation Techniques to ground the energy of Laughter.
Guided Relaxation
After Laughter Meditation, energy levels can be too high to return directly to normal. To reduce these levels the leader may talk the group through Guided Relaxation, also called ‘YOGA NIDRA’, or Yogic Sleep. This guided body tour brings immense Relaxation by bringing complete awareness to different parts of the body as guided by the Laughter Leader. There is no fixed route or sequence.
Humming
With eyes closed, take a long breath in and hum it out, actually saying the word "Hummm..." with upper and lower lips just touching each other. Vibrations are felt throughout the facial muscles, sinuses and, eventually in the head. This Exercise is also beneficial for those with Chronic Sinusitis and Nasal blockage, because humming vibrations help to dislodge mucus and also increase blood circulation. Humming has a powerful impact on the Autonomic Nervous System, and can activate the parasympathetic system that is responsible for Relaxation.
This Exercise is most effective when done in a group. It is better to hum at the same time under the instructions of the leader. Humming together creates a unique resonance which is very calming. Different people have different breathing capacities; some people can hum longer than others. When leading Group Humming, ask participants to hum for as long as they can, then inhale and repeat. Ten minutes of Humming is recommended for Grounding.
Ho Ho Ha Ha Dancing
Dancing is also a good form of Grounding. Participants should move their hands as if pushing the air forward, while doing Ho Ho twice, then push their hands towards the ground, while bending the knees slightly saying Ha Ha twice, moving around and dancing.
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Smile needs because .....
Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you. Not just any smile will do, though. With 19 variations on the smile, including 16 produced by enjoyable emotions, smiling is an incredibly important part of our lives. If you're looking to develop a genuine, infectious smile that can make a bad date turn good, seal a business deal, or help you make friends wherever you go, this blog will help you on your way. It's fun, fast, and easy! But best of all, it's a natural way to make yourself and others feel really good.
1. Enjoy the many benefits of a smile.
The following benefits are bound to make you lean towards sharing a smile with others most of the day:
* Smiles improve your appearance. Charles Gordy once quipped: "A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks". All you need to do is think about how you feel about a person who is frowning and a person who is smiling – who tends to be the better looking?
* Smiles make things right again and say much more than words can. If you've goofed, said something less than complimentary, feel lost or alone, or feel down, a smile can set things right again. A smile lets other people know that you're prepared to be open to them, and that you're willingly agreeing to set things right where needed.
* Smiles create trust and rapport. A smile is a great way of establishing mutual feelings of being on the same level as others, whether that is one-to-one or in front of a group giving a presentation. A smile says "I'm OK, you're OK, and we're all going to enjoy one another's company".
* Smiles make you feel good. Even if you're feeling a little blue, insert happy thoughts into your mind and just add that smile. The smile will trick your mind into feeling better, as endorphins are released to reduce physical or emotional stress.
* Smiles make other people feel good. An open-mouthed smile is visible from further away than a frown, offering people reassurance that you're friendly. And it makes people feel better to see a smile, from afar or close up.
* Wrinkles are better when they're smile lines rather than frown lines. Mark Twain said: "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been"; viewed this way, smiles are an indication of your overall character, which becomes more and more outwardly telling as you age!
* Smiling is a good long-term predictor of happier life outcomes. Smiling attracts health, happiness, friends, success, and a longer life.
2. A smile lights up your face
Become comfortable with smiling. If you're not used to smiling regularly, overcoming your nervousness or cynicism about smiling can take a little practice but like any habit, it's easy to reform with time. Some things to keep in mind include:
* A smile always looks good. Feeling nervous about the beauty or appearance of your smile is unnecessary. Trust that your smile makes you look great.
* A smile is professional. Smiling at work or during other professional occasions is not going to make you seem unprofessional. Quite the opposite, a smile will humanize you and make you appear more approachable. People will appreciate your recognition of their worth and of a job well done when you smile.
* A smile makes you real. If you're afraid of appearing vulnerable when you smile, accept that any form of vulnerability suggested by a smile is precisely what makes it such a powerful act. You're opening yourself up to others and people will respond better to that than to a serious, unmoved demeanor. Moreover, a smile accompanied by an assertive personality will take care of any sense that people will use your smile to walk all over you!
3. Make your smile genuine.
While it is perfectly possible to crack a smile when you feel terrible, angry, annoyed, or you're up to something nefarious, a genuine smile is much harder to fake; indeed, only around 10 percent of the population can manage that feat. A genuine smile is detectable by others because it is accompanied by a general glow, smiling eyes where the outer corners crinkle and the lower lid tightens, and a reassuring demeanor that helps the viewer to feel more at ease in your presence. A genuine smile comes from being happy, positive, and from drawing your feelings from the heart.
* Think happy thoughts. The easiest way to a fantastic, genuine smile is to be happy. Think about someone you care about (perhaps the person standing in front of you as you smile), about something that you genuinely love to do, or think of a funny joke that you just find hilarious. Or think about the happiest moments in your life.
* Be genuine. Draw on your heartfelt feelings, not just rationalizations. When you're confronted by a person or situation that makes you feel ambivalent and you're oscillating between giving the cold shoulder or smiling, err on the side of smiling – find one single thing in your heart that is positive about the person or situation before you, and use that to create your smile.
* Love people and your life. It's much easier to produce friendly, easygoing, genuine smiles when you love what you do, when you love the people around you, and when you love humanity in general. Be grateful for all that you have and you'll find smiles come far more naturally.
* Be playful. Intense times can make us too serious. See life as an adventure, be gentle on yourself and watch children at play. Being playful will bring a smile to your face much more easily.
4. Smiles are contagious.
Smile with your eyes. A wholehearted smile will naturally draw in the eyes. It is commonplace to hear a person say "her eyes were smiling", or to say "he didn't mean it; he was smiling but his eyes weren't". The eyes are essential for a genuine, warm smile. Your eyes light up, twinkle, and reflect your happiness. While it's hard to fake this unless you're really feeling it, you can try this exercise:
* To get a feel for how to make your eyes smile, stand in front of a mirror and practice smiling, but concentrate only on your eyes. You may find it helpful to cover the lower part of your face with a piece of paper. Play around with it a bit, and you'll find that you can make your mouth smile when your eyes aren't smiling, and you can also smile only with your eyes. When your eyes do smile, remember how it feels, which muscles are working and how. With practice, you may discover how to smile with your eyes at will by relying on your feelings and muscle memory.
5. Practice your smile.
There is no harm in practicing your smile – doing so will increase your smiling confidence, improve your sense of well-being, and help you to learn which of your smiles are your best. Look at photos of yourself smiling, with a closed mouth, open mouth, and from different angles. Which smiles and poses make your face light up the most? Which smile displays your other features to their best possible advantage? Which smile comes across as the most natural, the most "you"?
* Find that picture and focus on what your face is doing. Then practice in front of a mirror until you get it just right. Keep practicing, and pay attention to how that great smile feels, so that you'll be able to replicate it without looking in a mirror. Soon it will become second nature, and you'll likely find that you'll look more photogenic in your next batch of pictures.
* If you want to improve your smile, look at pictures of smiles you believe are beautiful. Also, remember that you're beautiful (inside and out); your smile is bound to look better if you feel good about yourself!
* Note the difference between a smile and a grin. Grins bare a lot more teeth (think Cheshire Cat) and are not necessarily flattering on all people, although for some people they can make you appear cute. If you're prone to grinning and it's not doing your appearance any favors, try showing only your upper teeth when you smile. Showing your lower teeth can make it seem you're baring your teeth.
* When showing teeth, pressing the tongue behind the teeth will make small gaps look less noticeable.
* Practice smiling at random strangers. Make a choice that you'll do this, make brief eye contact with a person, and smile. As you do so, think happy thoughts (it helps to choose someone attractive to begin with). Don't choose a person with sunglasses; you need to see their eyes. Not everyone will smile back but note how you feel when they do!
6.Maintain good mouth hygiene.
One thing that can cause you to fear smiling is the worry that there is something stuck between your teeth, or that you have bad breath. Eliminate these hygiene sources of worry by taking active steps to keep your mouth fresh and clean. Brush your teeth regularly, carry floss with you wherever you go so that you can clean up after dining, and have breath freshener on you at all times (natural or commercial). In addition, see your dentist regularly for teeth check-ups and cleaning, as well as discussing options for teeth straightening, etc., if this is a concern for you. When you smile people will inevitably look at your mouth, so following these considerations will help you make a better impression, and, more importantly, a healthy mouth will make you feel more confident about smiling.
* Visit the dentist for a polishing or whitening. If your teeth are stained, consider your lifestyle habits that bring this about and try to minimize the impacts of such habits as smoking or drinking too much red wine, etc.
* Keep your lips in great shape to prevent chapping.
* Deal with bad breath. If it's surface, cleaning and fresheners should be adequate. If these do not work, it may be a sign of an underlying health problem, so see your doctor for advice.
7. Expect smiling to be difficult in some situations.
Smiling on demand can be difficult, whether it's for a photo or for the sake of keeping mom happy when the relatives you can't stand visit. This is because you are feeling self-conscious or you lack a genuine reason for smiling. In these sorts of cases, smiling needs to come from your memory of good smiles along with a little self-kidding or jokes in the head.
* For a photo, smile 20 percent more than you think you should.
* Smile wide and show the top row of teeth.
* Return to the earlier steps on thinking happy and practicing your smile. Simply know that you can do this without faking it. In doing so, when it comes to the more difficult people in your life, offering them a smile will also be a means by which you're accepting others for who they are and what they have to offer to the world, rather than worrying too much about their impact on you.
Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you. Not just any smile will do, though. With 19 variations on the smile, including 16 produced by enjoyable emotions, smiling is an incredibly important part of our lives. If you're looking to develop a genuine, infectious smile that can make a bad date turn good, seal a business deal, or help you make friends wherever you go, this blog will help you on your way. It's fun, fast, and easy! But best of all, it's a natural way to make yourself and others feel really good.
1. Enjoy the many benefits of a smile.
The following benefits are bound to make you lean towards sharing a smile with others most of the day:
* Smiles improve your appearance. Charles Gordy once quipped: "A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks". All you need to do is think about how you feel about a person who is frowning and a person who is smiling – who tends to be the better looking?
* Smiles make things right again and say much more than words can. If you've goofed, said something less than complimentary, feel lost or alone, or feel down, a smile can set things right again. A smile lets other people know that you're prepared to be open to them, and that you're willingly agreeing to set things right where needed.
* Smiles create trust and rapport. A smile is a great way of establishing mutual feelings of being on the same level as others, whether that is one-to-one or in front of a group giving a presentation. A smile says "I'm OK, you're OK, and we're all going to enjoy one another's company".
* Smiles make you feel good. Even if you're feeling a little blue, insert happy thoughts into your mind and just add that smile. The smile will trick your mind into feeling better, as endorphins are released to reduce physical or emotional stress.
* Smiles make other people feel good. An open-mouthed smile is visible from further away than a frown, offering people reassurance that you're friendly. And it makes people feel better to see a smile, from afar or close up.
* Wrinkles are better when they're smile lines rather than frown lines. Mark Twain said: "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been"; viewed this way, smiles are an indication of your overall character, which becomes more and more outwardly telling as you age!
* Smiling is a good long-term predictor of happier life outcomes. Smiling attracts health, happiness, friends, success, and a longer life.
2. A smile lights up your face
Become comfortable with smiling. If you're not used to smiling regularly, overcoming your nervousness or cynicism about smiling can take a little practice but like any habit, it's easy to reform with time. Some things to keep in mind include:
* A smile always looks good. Feeling nervous about the beauty or appearance of your smile is unnecessary. Trust that your smile makes you look great.
* A smile is professional. Smiling at work or during other professional occasions is not going to make you seem unprofessional. Quite the opposite, a smile will humanize you and make you appear more approachable. People will appreciate your recognition of their worth and of a job well done when you smile.
* A smile makes you real. If you're afraid of appearing vulnerable when you smile, accept that any form of vulnerability suggested by a smile is precisely what makes it such a powerful act. You're opening yourself up to others and people will respond better to that than to a serious, unmoved demeanor. Moreover, a smile accompanied by an assertive personality will take care of any sense that people will use your smile to walk all over you!
3. Make your smile genuine.
While it is perfectly possible to crack a smile when you feel terrible, angry, annoyed, or you're up to something nefarious, a genuine smile is much harder to fake; indeed, only around 10 percent of the population can manage that feat. A genuine smile is detectable by others because it is accompanied by a general glow, smiling eyes where the outer corners crinkle and the lower lid tightens, and a reassuring demeanor that helps the viewer to feel more at ease in your presence. A genuine smile comes from being happy, positive, and from drawing your feelings from the heart.
* Think happy thoughts. The easiest way to a fantastic, genuine smile is to be happy. Think about someone you care about (perhaps the person standing in front of you as you smile), about something that you genuinely love to do, or think of a funny joke that you just find hilarious. Or think about the happiest moments in your life.
* Be genuine. Draw on your heartfelt feelings, not just rationalizations. When you're confronted by a person or situation that makes you feel ambivalent and you're oscillating between giving the cold shoulder or smiling, err on the side of smiling – find one single thing in your heart that is positive about the person or situation before you, and use that to create your smile.
* Love people and your life. It's much easier to produce friendly, easygoing, genuine smiles when you love what you do, when you love the people around you, and when you love humanity in general. Be grateful for all that you have and you'll find smiles come far more naturally.
* Be playful. Intense times can make us too serious. See life as an adventure, be gentle on yourself and watch children at play. Being playful will bring a smile to your face much more easily.
4. Smiles are contagious.
Smile with your eyes. A wholehearted smile will naturally draw in the eyes. It is commonplace to hear a person say "her eyes were smiling", or to say "he didn't mean it; he was smiling but his eyes weren't". The eyes are essential for a genuine, warm smile. Your eyes light up, twinkle, and reflect your happiness. While it's hard to fake this unless you're really feeling it, you can try this exercise:
* To get a feel for how to make your eyes smile, stand in front of a mirror and practice smiling, but concentrate only on your eyes. You may find it helpful to cover the lower part of your face with a piece of paper. Play around with it a bit, and you'll find that you can make your mouth smile when your eyes aren't smiling, and you can also smile only with your eyes. When your eyes do smile, remember how it feels, which muscles are working and how. With practice, you may discover how to smile with your eyes at will by relying on your feelings and muscle memory.
5. Practice your smile.
There is no harm in practicing your smile – doing so will increase your smiling confidence, improve your sense of well-being, and help you to learn which of your smiles are your best. Look at photos of yourself smiling, with a closed mouth, open mouth, and from different angles. Which smiles and poses make your face light up the most? Which smile displays your other features to their best possible advantage? Which smile comes across as the most natural, the most "you"?
* Find that picture and focus on what your face is doing. Then practice in front of a mirror until you get it just right. Keep practicing, and pay attention to how that great smile feels, so that you'll be able to replicate it without looking in a mirror. Soon it will become second nature, and you'll likely find that you'll look more photogenic in your next batch of pictures.
* If you want to improve your smile, look at pictures of smiles you believe are beautiful. Also, remember that you're beautiful (inside and out); your smile is bound to look better if you feel good about yourself!
* Note the difference between a smile and a grin. Grins bare a lot more teeth (think Cheshire Cat) and are not necessarily flattering on all people, although for some people they can make you appear cute. If you're prone to grinning and it's not doing your appearance any favors, try showing only your upper teeth when you smile. Showing your lower teeth can make it seem you're baring your teeth.
* When showing teeth, pressing the tongue behind the teeth will make small gaps look less noticeable.
* Practice smiling at random strangers. Make a choice that you'll do this, make brief eye contact with a person, and smile. As you do so, think happy thoughts (it helps to choose someone attractive to begin with). Don't choose a person with sunglasses; you need to see their eyes. Not everyone will smile back but note how you feel when they do!
6.Maintain good mouth hygiene.
One thing that can cause you to fear smiling is the worry that there is something stuck between your teeth, or that you have bad breath. Eliminate these hygiene sources of worry by taking active steps to keep your mouth fresh and clean. Brush your teeth regularly, carry floss with you wherever you go so that you can clean up after dining, and have breath freshener on you at all times (natural or commercial). In addition, see your dentist regularly for teeth check-ups and cleaning, as well as discussing options for teeth straightening, etc., if this is a concern for you. When you smile people will inevitably look at your mouth, so following these considerations will help you make a better impression, and, more importantly, a healthy mouth will make you feel more confident about smiling.
* Visit the dentist for a polishing or whitening. If your teeth are stained, consider your lifestyle habits that bring this about and try to minimize the impacts of such habits as smoking or drinking too much red wine, etc.
* Keep your lips in great shape to prevent chapping.
* Deal with bad breath. If it's surface, cleaning and fresheners should be adequate. If these do not work, it may be a sign of an underlying health problem, so see your doctor for advice.
7. Expect smiling to be difficult in some situations.
Smiling on demand can be difficult, whether it's for a photo or for the sake of keeping mom happy when the relatives you can't stand visit. This is because you are feeling self-conscious or you lack a genuine reason for smiling. In these sorts of cases, smiling needs to come from your memory of good smiles along with a little self-kidding or jokes in the head.
* For a photo, smile 20 percent more than you think you should.
* Smile wide and show the top row of teeth.
* Return to the earlier steps on thinking happy and practicing your smile. Simply know that you can do this without faking it. In doing so, when it comes to the more difficult people in your life, offering them a smile will also be a means by which you're accepting others for who they are and what they have to offer to the world, rather than worrying too much about their impact on you.