It’s known that yoga is a good form of physical therapy. Laughter is generally the best and cheap form of therapy you can gift yourself. A combination of yoga and laughter (laughter yoga) is the best exercise for your mind and body. Laughing yoga has existed for years. You can participate alone, with a friend, or with a group of other participants in a yoga club. Since its introduction, some participants chose and still choose to be more than that. They train as coaches or yoga leaders to facilitate the growing movement. But how did the laughter yoga movement come to be?
History of the laughter yoga movement
Dr. Madan Kataria was the force behind the origin of laughter yoga. At the beginning of 1995, his interest in laughter increased. This was a result of the scientific evidence given about laughter. In particular, laughter was a considerable research point for scientists earlier on. They highlighted its advantages and its effect on humans, which attracted Dr. Madan.
Learn the 6 ways Laughter can improve Children's Wellbeing
So, he decided to experiment with the points on people practically. He came up with a carefully thought-out plan for realizing these benefits. He located a park in Mumbai, India, and summoned a group of people with no specific regard to age, profession, or other factors. They told jokes, which resulted in laughter. More and more new jokes kept coming as more people noticed and joined the group. Laughter was constant as long as the jokes kept coming. So the people would bond over them and have fun while at it. This group of people formed the first laughter club.
Despite the remarkable success, the club took a great hit. What he thought would continue to grow into something much bigger was suddenly going down fast. Remember, the jokes kept the sessions alive. However, a time came when no new jokes were heard, and the old ones became boring. Monotony took over and was the primary cause of the fall. He realized the group would soon be no more if he didn’t act quickly to save the situation.
After an intense and thoughtful process, he came across fake and real laughter. Since the joke technique couldn’t work anymore, he decided to apply the two kinds of laughter. While seated in a group, you can tell whose laugh is genuine and whose is fake. Dr. Kataria knew this perfectly well, and the laughter benefits were similar in each scenario. With his tool in hand, he approached the people and asked each to fake a laugh.
Some found it easy, while others struggled at first. Nevertheless, the sight of others pretending to laugh turned into genuine and hearty laughs that saw everyone join in. He continued applying the technique over a couple of weeks; the people kept laughing, meaning he finally had his breakthrough. The number of people rose as days passed, and he never encountered another obstacle.
Learn the 6 ways Laughter can improve Children's Wellbeing
Laughter was there every time the group gathered. Before the downfall at the beginning, he had named the first group of people the Laughter Club. Now, at this point, he labelled the practice ‘Laughter Yoga,’ which was the start of what we know of currently. He incorporated more ways of causing laughter, like laughing exercises and role play. Step by step, the club had significant improvements to suit all participants. What began in Mumbai slowly spread to other regions of the world, and the laughter yoga movement was realized.
To sum up,
Laughter yoga is now a worldwide practice despite the drawback it suffered at the start. Its invention was one of the most incredible ideas. It owes its success to the benefits it brings to people’s health and general wellness. It is fun, playful, relaxing, and hence the perfect exercise. Since its introduction, laughing yoga has seen major growth and continues to do so to date.
