Those who believe that laughter is the best medicine may want to give this a try: Laughter yoga blends attempts to provoke laughter via eye contact and childlike playfulness with breathing exercises. “The idea is that if you’re laughing on the outside—even if, initially, you’re faking it—it will create an effect on the inside that brings joy and releases endorphins,” says Mary-Laurence Bevington, director of Movement Climbing & Fitness in Boulder, Colo.

Healing power of Laughter Yoga

Indeed, research suggests that laughing generates feel-good hormones while lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and that it boosts the immune system, improves blood flow, and increases oxygen intake, which replenishes and invigorates the body’s cells. Laughter yoga has been introduced into senior centers, cancer wards, corporations, and prisons.

Read the full article at health.usnews.com