Oct 23, 2009 12:41 pm US/Eastern
'Laughter Yoga' May Be The Best Medicine
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Children laugh up to 400 times a day. Most adults, however, laugh only 15 times a day. Experts at Mass General Hospital say laughter yoga is a great way for grown-ups to get some exercise while finding their inner child.
"It's good for the body and the mind," said Laura Malloy, Director of Yoga at
Mass General's Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. She says the body does not recognize the difference between real laughter and laughter exercises, so it still receives all of the physiologic benefits of laughter.
Laughter yoga was developed in 1995 by a doctor in India. It combines laughter exercises with more traditional yoga breathing techniques. Malloy says a good belly laugh can reduce stress, increase endorphins, and improve mood. But not only that, it's also a wonderful cardio work-out. Experts say that one minute of hearty laughter is equivalent to 10 minutes of jogging.
Everyone who leaves the laughter yoga class leaves with a smile on their face. Linda Ardisson of Tewksbury said that before the class she was worried the forced laughter would feel unnatural. "It really didn't," she said. "You just kinda get the giggles."
Emarie Pope of Malborough, another class participant, said she was reminded not to take things so seriously. Ann Vandeman of Winthrop called the class refreshing. "It gets you out of yourself. Everybody needs to laugh."
There are now 6,000 laughter clubs in sixty countries worldwide.
The Mass General class costs $10 per session and is open to the public. You can find out more
on their web site.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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