This is fascinating lecture by Dr Bruce Lipton on the biology of belief. "Our beliefs are altering our biology at all times, in every way. [...] Under stress you are reduced to reflex behavior = your intelligence is reduced."
Practices such as Laughter Yoga and the Laughter Wellness method help you feel at peace and good about yourself in the present moment, for no particular reason. They give you the ability to laugh at things that previously would have caused stress or anger, along with the ability to experience a new sense of forgiveness.
For family caregivers, the mountains of laundry, the endless messes that need cleaned up, the rushing to doctor's appointments, the complete surrender of one's personal life and the painful process of watching a loved one's decline is no laughing matter. You may feel like crying more often than you feel like laughing.
Patanjali Yogpeeth (one of the largest Yoga institutes in India) offers hours of free videos of Yoga Asanas & Pranayam exercises on their website at http://www.divyayoga.com/yoga-a-pranayam-videos.html
How to use the Emotional Freedom Techniques to empower yourself
[...] Dr. Charles Schaefer, of Fairleigh Dickinson University, said he’s not surprised that laughing yoga has caught on. He studied similar laughter and found that people who laughed heartily, for no reason and for just one minute, had a significant increase in mood. “I don’t think the body cares what the stimulus is, as long as you do that with hearty laughter,” Dr. Schaefer said.
In recent years, laughter has become more and more popular as a cure-all. In fact, it may be the next big thing. Laughter yoga clubs have been popping up everywhere. There is some bite behind the bark. Laughter has been scientifically proven to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Laughing also is a relatively intense cardio workout. It works the core quite thoroughly. Furthermore, melancholy is less common among laughers than non-laughers.
Quick: do you think working out is fun? If you're groaning at the thought of your next appointment with the treadmill, you may want to rejig your attitude towards getting in shape. Having fun with your exercise regime can be good for the head and the bod, says YuMee Chung, a Toronto yoga instructor who says her fitness routine these days is less and less about going to the gym and more about play.
Watch Mark Eldridge as he experiments with Laughter Yoga to take away his traffic stress in New York City (the laughter music he is laughing along is the most excellent HA! Laughter Workout CD).
It was off to Mumbai for Jessica Simpson and her crew on the Price of Beauty VH1 TV show to find the definition of beauty in India. There they also experienced a new form of yoga called, "laughing yoga." Verdict: "If you haven't tried it, it's worth giving it a try."