Dr. Kataria’s Laughter Yoga Diary

Last week I watched one of our laughter leaders from Gujarat , Kamlesh Masalawalla introduce Laughter Yoga in a fitness centre. It was well received by youngsters in the gym undergoing bodybuilding and weight reduction programmes.

Laughter yoga is a very good value addition for fitness centers to bring some fun and joy along with their exercise programmes. Any exercise routine tends to become repetitive and boring and people have the tendency to give up their exercise programmes because of boredom. But Laughter yoga is a fun exercise that is easy to stick to.

Professor William Fry from Stanford University equated laughter with aerobic exercise in his research on the effects of laughter on human physiology. He found that 10 minutes of hearty laughter is equal to 30 minutes on the rowing machine. And this is in respect to cardiopulmonary endurance. The heart rate of 120 can be achieved much faster through laughing than running on the jogging tracks. Therefore, Laughter yoga is ideally suited for busy professionals and businesspeople who have very little time to exercise. Just 20 minutes of laughter gives similar results as those of going to the gym for an hour.

As compared to any other exercise programme laughter yoga is a cost-effective and time-saving technique. It is self motivating and improves the mood conditions thereby giving a sense of well-being.

Laughter yoga can also be beneficial for aspiring athletes who want to improve their performance. Since breathing capacity is one of the factors which determine stamina, a bout of laughter before any competitive sports activity will increase relaxation levels and reduce anxiety and nervousness. Laughter boosting technique or Calcutta laughter is the best technique to achieve this.