There’s nothing better than a hearty laugh, the kind that makes you gasp with tears streaming down your cheeks. By the time you withdraw, your whole body is more relaxed, your mood is lighter, everything is cleansed. You can also become healthier.
Laughter therapies such as laughter yoga and laughter meditation have gained popularity over the past few decades as methods of improving physical and mental health. The benefits of using humor as therapy seem obvious. It’s not like asking people to clean up their diet or take drugs that have nasty side effects, just have people willing to do it for their favorite TV show or comedian.
Dr. Madan Kataria, a family doctor from India and founder of the laughter yoga movement, was researching the positive effects of laughter on health when he came up with the idea to officially incorporate the laugh at a wellness routine. Of course, Dr. Kataria was not the first to think of using “laughter as medicine”. The custom is perhaps as old as the human race itself. However, he formalized the practice of laughter yoga in the ’90s. Today, there are thousands of “laughter clubs” following Dr. Kataria’s method, along with countless yoga enthusiasts. and other meditations that use laughter to harness positive emotions, improve mental well-being, and possibly even improve physical health.
You don’t have to convince me of the many benefits of laughter. I could write an entire article about why laughter is a fundamental human experience and how it helps us evolve into emotionally complex, socially interconnected creatures. like we are today. (Oh, wait, I did.) It’s also pretty easy to sell me the concept of laughter meditation or laughter yoga to improve your mood and overall outlook on life. As for the larger claims of broad health benefits? I’m definitely open to the possibility.
Let’s start by looking at some of the basis and science behind the practice. Then I asked a few members of my uber-creative team to demonstrate a simple laughter meditation to get you started.
Laughter Yoga and Laughter Meditation
Laughter meditation and yoga share similar features and like with any type of yoga or meditation, there is no one right way to do them. In general, a laughter meditation session will consist of three parts:
- Gentle movement and breathing exercises to warm up and stabilize.
- Funny meditation part, which may last several minutes or longer. Start by smiling, then say a few “ho ho ho ho ho ho ho hostile” or “tee hees” sentences. Spoofing can feel awkward at first (although simulated laughter can be beneficial). Don’t be surprised if you soon start giggling, even going crazy, especially if you practice with someone else. After all, laughter is contagious.
- A cool-down phase where you sit in quiet contemplation. As with traditional meditation, try to be mindful and present. Note but do not analyze any feelings that come to you here. There’s a good chance you’ll feel great, but don’t be surprised if other emotions surface as well. You may also want to do some light breathing or exercise during this phase.
Laughter yoga is more involved. A typical laughter yoga session includes elements like deep breathing, movement, chanting, and structured laughter exercises. For example, the instructor might ask you to pretend you’re taking a laugh pill, each causing a different pattern of laughter. Or you can go around the room chatting with your fellow initiates, except all the words are replaced with laughter.
To reap the benefits, you must let go of any sense of self and enter into the (intentional) silence of all. Let yourself be childish and carefree. This is meant to be fun.
Benefits of Laughter Therapy
Many purported benefits are just what you would expect: improved mood, happier, less negative emotions, less stress.
In addition, laughter yoga and laughter meditation are both types of laughter therapy, a more clinical term that includes different methods of laughter and humor therapies. Some of the ways laughter therapy can help you, according to research, are:
- Reduce cortisol
- Reducing pain and improving physical function in older adults
- Improve sleep
- Reduce loneliness
- Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Improve heart health
- Reduce inflammation and boost immune function
Arguably, laughter is also a form of exercise. You won’t be ripped off from sitting on the couch watching your favorite rom-com, but you’ll activate those core muscles and burn a few calories. Perhaps we should include laughter in the list of microprocesses.
True, the research in this area is not of the highest quality. They tend to be small and, as the authors of several recent meta-analyses have pointed out, can be biased. But do we really need research to prove that laughter feels good and improves quality of life? Sure, if someone is going to make grandiose claims about laughter cures cancer or something, they’d better be prepared to back that up with hard data. Do you claim that a laughter meditation will brighten your mood and improve your outlook on life? I’m ready to accept that hypothesis.
Laughter Meditation Videos
Now is the time for you to try. The video below is only six minutes long and is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.
Try it out, then come back and leave a comment letting me know how you feel!
Need more meditation in your life? Sign up for my 21 Day Meditation Challenge HERE.
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