Laugh For No Reason
By Dr. Madan Kataria
Forth Edition 2011, Published by Madhuri International
Julie P HLTH 1243, Karen Bayard, Instructor
Synopsis
Laugh For No Reason is an outstanding book to get an excellent overview as to what Laughter Yoga is. It gives a comprehensive look at how Laughter Yoga started, the positive effect it has on the various systems of the body with scientific research back-up to give the reader an understanding of the benefits of Laughter Yoga for people of all ages and physical abilities. It is a wonderful beginner’s book to help you gain a thorough understanding of Dr. Kataria’s philosophy, what happens in Laughter Yoga sessions, how to become a Laughter Yoga Leader and the progression of the movement as it has become worldwide.
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Review
Laugh For No Reason is an excellent book for beginning laughter yogis to gain a basic understanding of the philosophy and benefits of Laughter Yoga. It explains the concept of how the body cannot differentiate the difference between real and fake laughter and that the body reacts to laughter no matter how it is created. An important part of the laughter concept is that one need not have to have a reason to laugh but laughter can still be produced to improve the health of the body both physically and emotionally.
The world is in a constant state of change which is stressful and unhealthy both physically and emotionally to one’s health. People laugh less than we did back in the 1950’s. Our lives are more hectic. Suicide rates are up and in general the world is less happy. For this reason, Dr. Kataria felt that something needed to be done. He started in 1995 in India with just five people meeting in a park to laugh together and has grown into a movement in over seventy countries worldwide with thousands of clubs. Dr. Kataria calls it a Happy-Demic . It consists of yoga breathing and laughter exercises combined to create a childlike playfulness to help deal with the stresses of daily life and improve health. In the beginning, Dr. Kataria only started laughter clubs as a way to induce laughter. But as he was practicing yoga he realized that yogic breathing could be combined with laughter exercises and become more of a serious discipline rather than just a fun exercise. People were very drawn to the clubs as they realized the benefits of deep breathing and laughing.
Dr. Kataria explains in his book the basic aspects of Laughter Yoga in detail. There are three components of a laughter yoga session. They are: Laughter Yoga session, Laughter Meditation, and Grounding Techniques. The group dynamics dictates the type of yoga session and end goal of a session to be conducted. As an example: a laughter session for seniors will differ greatly than a laughter session for a corporate employee group or children.
The four steps of component one, a Laughter Yoga Session are: 1. Clapping and Warm-up exercises where the group chants and moves about and can include gibberish; 2. Deep Breathing to help flush the lungs and help the body to physically and mentally relax; 3. Childlike Playfulness to help the group laugh unconditionally; 4. Laughter Exercises which consists of playful, value based, stretching, neck, shoulder and body stretching exercises.
Component two is Laughter Meditation. During Laughter Meditation one must detach themselves on a mental and emotional level and avoid any distractions. When laughing we have no conscious thought process, so when we laugh our senses combine in harmony giving joy and peace. Because of this, Laughter Meditation is easiest form of meditation.
The third component is Grounding Exercises. Laughter is very stimulating and can leave its participants in various emotional states such as angry, sad or irritable. Grounding exercises are done after a laughter yoga session to bring the body and mind back to a normal state. This can be done by guided relaxation, Ho Ho Ha Ha dancing or humming.
These three components of laughter Yoga, when practiced correctly, can bring the whole body into a state of happiness whereas the body and mind is healthier.
For Instance, when we laugh for 10 to 15 minutes continuously it brings physiological changes to our body such as blood levels and circulation and releases hormones in the body. Laughter can be a great cardio workout as well as way to get more oxygen into our lungs. Laughter is also a great way to release stress in our bodies.
Laughter Yoga has shown to help with the healing of the body by boosting the immune system, increasing oxygen levels and decreasing heart disease and hypertension. It has shown to help with diabetes, asthma, depression and anxiety, and is a natural pain killer. Scientific research is quoted in the book and it well documents the health benefits of laughter.
People often ask if laughter in a laughter club is real and the answer is: “yes”. As club members make eye contact with others in the class the laughter soon begins to be contagious. Soon everyone is laughing and enjoying being happy. Even for those who fake their laugh, they still gain a great benefit to their health. The chapter on how to convert laughter exercises into real giggles explains that through good eye contact, playfulness and fun, childlike actions and gibberish genuine laughter can be achieved. Gibberish is a very important part of laughter yoga as it gives one a chance to speak in a way that cannot be understood and still unleash emotions without offending others. It is truly part of childlike playfulness which is one of the ultimate goals of laughter yoga.
The aspects of the book that really impressed me were the chapters on paying compliments and the value of apologies and forgiveness. He points out how hard it is for some people to pay compliments but also discusses the importance of doing such. He also talks about how important it is to apologize and be forgiving in order to truly achieve ones full potential of happiness. Paying compliments, apologies and forgiveness is part of our personal happiness and giving back to others. The chapter on spirituality also brought into perspective how important it is to have the body totally connected both physically and emotionally in order to be truly healthy. As a laughter yoga leader, promoting these values in a class or club can be beneficial to the members as these chapters teach how to bring true happiness into one’s life.
Laughter Yoga clubs are “Social Glue”, as Dr Kataria puts it. It is a way of socializing and connecting to people, we are better able to cope with life’s challenges, healthier, have better self-confidence and self-worth.
Dr. Kataria gives examples in the book of how to work in different environments such as the workplace, with seniors, school children and people with special needs. He devotes a chapter for each and gives a good background of how to make laughter a part of their good health.
Dr. Kataria gives the guidelines for starting a club, what the role of the laughter leader should be and what training programs and workshops are available. It has been “a dream come true” for Dr. Kataria to see the laughter movement grow into what it is today. His unconventional International Laughter Yoga University has great promise towards the growth of Laughter Yoga.
The world needs more laughter and as more people become aware of Laughter Yoga Clubs and participate, they will enjoy all the benefits talked about in this book. This book is a complete introduction to Laughter Yoga. The information is helpful for anyone, not just for those interested in Laughter Yoga. I enjoyed the book and feel it will be a good reference for me in the future as I progress and make Laughter Yoga a regular part of my life and work to enhance the lives of others through laughter.
To quote Dr. Kataria
“When you laugh, you change and when you change the whole world changes"
