Besides the domino effect of joy and playfulness, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in our bodies. Laughter boosts our immune system and also our energy, and protects us from damaging effects of stress.
A few years ago a doctor from Mumbai, India, Dr. Kataria, started a revolutionary exercise called "Laughter Yoga". Laughter Yoga is very easy, there aren't any complicated stretches, you simply just laugh and you don't need anything funny to laugh about. Even if you have to fake it at first, just force it out. Laugh at the top of your lungs and as you force your laugh you will start to genuinely laugh. It helps if you have another person laughing with you or even a group; the more the merrier.
I just started practicing with my sister Sarah and it is a lot of fun we start laughing and then after a while we can’t stop.
Laughter is a great way to lose shyness and build friendships. At work when I give presentations or even orientations to new hires, I try to have humor involved. For me it makes the whole training experience fun and time seems to fly by. I remember my first day on the job and the lady giving the orientations to my group told a lot of anecdotes--it really put me at ease and I still remember a lot of our company policies because of the funny stories she told of how she had learned them the hard way.
At school when I am in front of a large classroom and I need to present my latest project, I do a quick tap dance before giving the presentation. People see this and chuckle or laugh, but it helps me do two things: one, I get their full attention and two, relieves me of a lot of nervousness and I am able to present with minimal stuttering.
So now when you have free time or feeling down force a laugh and keep doing it till you start genuinely laughing uncontrollably. It will brighten you’re outlook on life, boost your immune your system, help your blood flow and help oxygenate your lungs. Ever wondered why nobody likes a “grumpy pants”?
Matthew
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