This book is dedicated to my mother Raj Karni Kataria & my wife Madhuri Sun demands no reason to shine; Water demands no reason to flow; A child demands no reason to smile; Why do we need a reason to laugh? L AUGH For No Reason DR. MADAN KATARIA Founder Laughter Yoga Clubs Movement Copyright 1999 © by Dr. Madan Kataria. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without permission in writing from Madhuri International. First Edition 1999 Second Edition 2002 Third Edition 2008 Fourth Edition 2011 Published by: MADHURI INTERNATIONAL A-1, Denzil, 3rd Cross Road, Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (W), Mumbai - 400 053. Tel Mumbai: 91-22 - 2631 6426 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.laughteryoga.org ISBN 81-87529-01-6 QUANTITY SALES This book is available at a special discount when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations or groups. WEBSITE ORDERS You can also buy this book on our website: www.laughteryoga.org Disclaimer: This book gives non-specific, general advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for proper medical consultation. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for illness arising out of the failure to seek medical advice from a doctor. CONTENTS 1. Laughter Yoga A Breakthrough .................................................................... 09 2. How Did The Idea Originate ........................................................................... 23 3. Why Do We Need To Laugh More Today .................................................... 29 4. Essential Link Between Yoga And Laughter ............................................. 33 5. What happens During A Laughter session ............................................... 42 6. Laughter Meditation & Grounding Exercises ........................................... 55 7. Who Should Not Do Laughter Yoga Exercises ......................................... 61 8. Health Benefits: LaughterY oga For Wellness ........................................... 67 9. Health Benefits: LaughterY oga For Healing............................................. 76 10. Global Laughter Yoga Movement – The Happy-demic Spreads.... 91 11. Is Laughter in Laughter Clubs Real .........................................................113 12. How To Convert Laughter Exercises Into Genuine Giggles ............121 13. Difference between Laughter Clubs And Humor Based Activities ...128 14. Sensible Living: Paying Compliments ....................................................134 15. Sensible Living: The Value Of Apology & Forgiveness ....................140 16. Laughter Clubs – An Extended Family ...................................................150 17. Laughter Yoga In The Workplace .............................................................160 18. Laughter Yoga For Seniors .........................................................................170 19. Laughter Yoga With School Children .....................................................175 20. Laughter Yoga For People With Special Needs ...................................201 21. ‘‘Woman Power’’ in Laughter Clubs .........................................................206 22. World Laughter Day: World Peace Through Laughter......................210 23. Scientific Research On Laughter And Humor......................................216 24. What Is A Laughter Club And How To Start A Club ...........................233 25. Role Of A Laughter Leader .........................................................................236 26. Laughter Workshops And Training Programs .....................................244 27. International Laughter Yoga University – A Dream Come True ....250 Before You Begin To Laugh t was on 13th March 1995, when the first Laughter Club was started in a public park in Mumbai, India, with just five people. The way it Ihas grown in more than 65 countries, leaves me with no doubt that this Laughter Movement is a kind of Divine Wisdom, and I am glad it has been manifested through me. I must confess I am neither a comedian, nor a great joke teller. I do not have any extraordinary sense of humor and am also not a Yoga Expert or well versed in the philosophies of the Vedas, Upanishads or Gita. In fact, I am just a physician who comes from a large agricultural family, from a small village with a population of not more than 500 people. I spent my childhood with rustic, innocent and hard-working people, who taught me that laughter can come easily and in abundance, if one has a childlike heart, full of love and innocence. In contrast to this simple philosophy of life, people in big cities often hold back their laughter for reasons like appropriateness, and for the sake of looking good. In doing so, they deny themselves the manifold benefits of the wonderful gift from God - the ability to laugh, freely and openly. This book seeks to inform all those who would like to know the concept of a Laughter Club, how it started and what it seeks to achieve. You will get an in depth knowledge of Laughter Yoga and its enormous benefits which help in complete body mind wellness and fitness. A number of people have said kind things about me. While I am very grateful to them, I must mention that it has, all along, been a combined effort of several Laughter Club leaders, teachers and members from all over the world. It will not be incorrect to say that each one of them has contributed, in one way or the other, to the growth of Laughter Clubs, while my role has been that of the facilitator. At the outset, when Laughter Clubs started it was meant to combine laughter exercises based on yogic breathing and stretching techniques, so as to make the benefits of laughter freely accessible and free of cost to one and all. But soon after, we discovered a whole new significance of laughter. We realized that laughter is not about amusement and entertainment, giggling or chuckling; instead it has a great deal to do with our inner self - it has to come from our deep within, straight from the soul, and one can experience this laughter from the soul only when the heart is pure, full of love, kindness and compassion. Laughter becomes more meaningful when it is intended not only to make oneself happy, but also to make others happy. This in Laughter Clubs, is known as the ‘‘Inner Spirit of Laughter’’. Laughter Clubs are instrumental in bringing attitudinal changes to facilitate peace and harmony around the world, as it is an ideal platform to help people connect through love and laughter. It will not be very long before the slogan, ‘‘World Peace Through Laughter’’ becomes a reality. It is my firm belief that we have already started out on the journey towards a ‘‘Unified World’’, where every human being in the world belongs to a large extended family - that of LAUGHTER. This is how we can achieve World Peace “WHEN YOU LAUGH; YOU CHANGE, AND WHEN YOU CHANGE THE WHOLE WORLD CHANGES” CHAPTER – 1 Laughter Yoga A Breakthrough ver the past two decades, extensive research all over the world has shown that laughter has a positive impact on various Osystems of the body. Most noteworthy is laughter’s ability to unwind the negative effects of stress: the catalyst for many of our health problems. More than 70 per cent of illnesses - such as high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, depression, frequent cough and cold, peptic ulcers, insomnia, allergies, asthma, menstrual difficulties, tension headaches, stomach upsets and even cancer are in some way related to stress. It has become a challenge for people to combat daily stressors and maintain good health. They resort to several therapies and expensive medication, but somehow fail to spot the simplest of them all – Laughter which is the easiest and the safest way to alleviate stress and prevent sickness. It has been scientifically established that laughter has a profound impact on the body and mind. Not only does it help to prevent the onset of sickness by way of strengthening the immune system, it also has a healing effect. It has the power to unwind stress, uplift joy and strengthen the mind … all in an instant, thereby proving 9 that it is the best remedy for complete body - mind wellness. In 1979, celebrated American writer Norman Cousins published his book ‘Anatomy of an Illness’ in which he explains his battle with the potentially fatal and extremely painful disease, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and describes his discovery of the healing powers of humor and other positive emotions. He found, for example, that ten minutes of mirthful laughter gave him two hours of pain-free sleep. His story baffled the scientific community and inspired a number of research projects. Included was the discovery that laughter causes our body to produce endorphins, which are natural painkillers. Dr. William F. Fry, psychiatrist at Stanford University, while studying physiological effects of laughter in the late 1960’s and demonstrated that most of the body’s major physiological systems are stimulated by laughter. He finally proved that mirthful laughter provides good physical exercise and can decrease the chances of respiratory infections. Dr. Lee Berk, PhD at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and his team of researchers found that laughter also reduces the level of stress hormones and results in improved immunity. He documented that laughter increases the level of immunoglobulin IgA, a special immune protein that protect us from a respiratory tract infections, and that laughter increases the number of NK Cells (Natural Killer cells), a type