Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Laughter Yoga

This has to be the best news ever! I've been reading about "Laughter Yoga" and what I've learned is astonishing. I always thought that good hearty laughing works your stomach muscles and burns calories, but the benefits seems to go much deeper than that. Not only does it provides an aerobic workout that exercises the heart, diaphragm, abdominal, intercostal, respiratory and facial muscles, but scientific studies show that laughter boosts our body's oxygen and energy levels and also boosts levels of immune cells that attack cancer, infection and virus.

Laughter releases endorphins, a natural pain killer that is responsible for the 'runner's high'. Laughter yoga sessions stimulate the lymphatic system and boost our immune system, and can reduce levels of stress poisons in our bodies by 50% or more within an hour. Laughter is used in hospitals around the world to speed healing and improve patients mental outlook. It can be especially beneficial to cancer patients. It can treat and often cure depression and improves our ability to cope with stress. Studies show that laughter boosts creativity and communication skills and also boosts our self confidence.

Can you imagine all this good can come from simply enjoying ourselves? So go get yourself a good comedy, a joke book, or watch America's Funnies Videos and know that you're truly doing by body some good.

Here's a little something to get you started:

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