Daily Practices for Health and Happiness

Description

Could you use a good laugh? This definitive guide by the founder of the worldwide laughter yoga movement will show you how to giggle your way to good health! Bring laughter into your life at any time of day—no special equipment needed, no new wardrobe, no expensive classes, not even a sense of humor! Laughter yoga is all about voluntary laughter—how you can learn to laugh even in the absence of humorous stimuli, and reap the extraordinary, scientifically proven benefits, which include stress reduction, pain relief, weight loss, heightened immunity, and, especially, enhanced mood: If you act happy, you'll become happy—your body can't tell the difference! Children laugh more than 300 times a day, adults fewer than fifteen. But it's easy to start laughing again. The exercises in this book combine voluntary laughter with yogic breathing to give you a full body-mind workout. And it turns out that laughter is the fastest way to reduce stress and the best kind of cardio: Ten minutes of hearty laughter is equal to thirty minutes on the rowing machine. With Laughter Yoga, join the growing worldwide movement and discover how laughter really is the best medicine. A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE Contents Praise for Laughter Yoga About the Author Title Page Copyright Dedication Epigraph Foreword by Andrew Weil, M.D. Introduction Find Your Laughter Quotient PART I: ORIGIN 1. Origins of Laughter Yoga 2. What Is Laughter Yoga and Why Do We Need It? 3. The Essential Link Between Yoga and Laughter 4. Laughter Yoga and the Science of Breathing PART II: HOW DOES IT WORK? 5. The Concept and Philosophy of Laughter Yoga 6. Voluntary vs. Real Laughter 7. Fifteen Steps of Laughter Yoga in a Group 8. Laughter Meditation 9. Yoga Nidra in Laughter Yoga PART III: LEARNING TO LAUGH MORE 10. Cultivating the Habit of Smiling 11. Practice Laughter Yoga Alone 12. How to Laugh Without Laughing: In Your Mind 13. Join or Create a Social Laughter Club 14. Laugh Online Every Day with Skype Laughter Clubs 15. Four Strategies to Bring More Laughter into Your Life PART IV: BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER YOGA 16. Laughter and Stress: Physiological Opposites 17. Laughter Yoga for Wellness 18. Laughter Yoga for Healing: Therapeutic Effects 19. Laughter Yoga for Personal Development 20: Laughing Through Challenging Times PART V: APPLICATIONS OF LAUGHTER YOGA 21. Laughter Yoga at the Workplace 22. Laughter Yoga for Seniors 23. Laughter Yoga for Schoolchildren 24. Laughter Yoga for People with Special Needs 25. World Laughter Day: Mission World Peace Through Laughter Afterword Appendix: More Laughter Exercises Notes