Laughter Yoga Exercise for the Funny Bone as Well as the Body

Yoga has been practiced in the United States for more than 100 years. Americans liked its original form not only for the exercise component, but also because it helped relieve the stress that seemed to be an integral part of the modernization of this country.

Being Americans, they also adapted the original form to suit their lifestyles and different needs. Now they are embracing a new kind of yoga - one that was developed in its birthplace, India, but which is proving to be very appropriate for the American way of life. This new form is called Laughter Yoga.

Origins of Laughter Yoga
Laughter Yoga was developed by Dr. Madan Kataria, who became excited about research showing a connection between laughter and healing. In 1995 he started a laughter club, where people met to tell jokes to get each other to laugh. It didn't take long, though, for the jokes to evolve into sexist comments that offended some of the participants. Dr. Kataria did more research and discovered that the human mind can't tell the difference between real and faked laughter, so he came up with the idea of laughing for no reason.

Dr. Kataria's wife, Madhuri, a yoga teacher, suggested adding yogic stretching and breathing exercises to the sessions. And Laughter Yoga was born.

Laughter Yoga in the United States
Currently there are about 60 Laughter Yoga instructors scattered around the U.S. (with about a third in California). Their sessions involve traditional yoga stretches and breathing, but also include a lot of activities that are just plain silly, like imitating animals and telling jokes in gibberish. Using a fake language instead of a real one eliminates the chance of offending someone, and the use of gibberish helps people relax and start laughing.

In the beginning people may feel self-conscious and the laughter is usually forced, but it doesn't stay that way for long. Eventually everyone loosens up. It does seem that, when it comes to laughing, fake it until you make it works well.

Benefits of Laughter Yoga
According to the American School of Laughter Yoga, this kind of yoga is being used for a lot more than stress relief and improved flexibility. People like it because it can help them manage their anger and deal with depression. And unlike many other forms of yoga, which tend to appeal to introverts and loners, this one encourages people to interact with each other, which can help improve their social skills and self-confidence. It's also recommended for those who are dealing with physical challenges; the exercises are gentle, and the laughter helps people take things less seriously.

Laughter Yoga teachers emphasize that having a sense of humor is not a prerequisite to enjoying their style of yoga. You don't have to be a normally happy person, or even arrive at the sessions in a good mood - although you'll probably leave that way. Laughter Yoga is designed to be useful for a wide range of personality and body types.

Where to find classes
Laughter Yoga classes are being taught in many states. The American School of Laughter Yoga has a directory of locations, and if you can't find a group (called a Laughter Club) in your area, they offer online training, books, CDs, and DVDs. There's also a certification program for Laughter Yoga instructors.

Laughter Yoga is fairly new to the United States, so how popular it will eventually become remains to be seen. But there's no denying the fact that laughter can help us loosen up, handle stress better, and in some cases even heal our illnesses. If Laughter Yoga can contribute to some of those benefits - and it seems that it already has - it may have a bright future here.

By Peggy Adamik

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Yoga Poses are Therapeutic!

The entire subject of yoga in relation to health is about various postures. For every disease, it can be wildly claimed that there is a posture prescribed. Ask any yoga enthusiast/teacher and he will not only vouchsafe for it, he will promise cure and give you proofs of cures!

And many a times, he is not wrong and his stories are believable.

Many postures in yoga are tricky and difficult at least in the initial practicing stage. When it is done effortlessly, that means you are perfect in that posture. And over a period of time, it is possible. The result of practice of any yoga posture on the first day is certainly joint pain. Keep up the practice and be regular. Good results are assured.

Slowly and steadily your body will also increase its capacity of resistance. Mentally you will become more stronger. Don't be in a hurry- after all, it is your body and your precious bones are at stake.

It is well known that yoga postures not only relate to body fitness, they give path to spirituality as well. It tones up muscles and many internal glands. You will feel the flow of the vital energy and the importance of correct breathing! Any yoga exercise session starts with warm up exercises and poses like eye exercises and neck exercises, shoulder shifts and shoulder exercises.

Every Yoga pose, for example delivers concrete benefits. It is not possible to give the names of all the postures and related benefits on this web page but let us examine some asanas and their benefits, with anatomical focus on their therapeutic applications.

Tree Pose, for example, strengthens thighs, calves, ankles and spine; stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders; improves sense of balance; relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet.

A mention may be made about some more important poses. Cat-Bidalasana, Mountain-Tadasana, and standing poses like Triangle-Trikonasana, Hands to Feet Pose-Pada Hasstana, Mountain-Tadasana, Standing Stretch-Ardha Chandrasana, sitting poses like Easy pose-Sukhasana, Lotus-Padmasana and many Inverted Postures and Balance Poses!

All these postures prove what meticulous care the ancient masters of yoga took to formulate these poses. Yoga postures take in to care of every part of the body and its movement in all possible directions. And every pose is related to the spiritual aspects as well. All these achievements were possible only because they had perfect understanding of the body in relation to the Spirit!

To read more articles on yoga, yoga postures and yoga tips visit http://www.therealyoga.com/


About the Author

The author writes articles on different topics. To get more yoga articles visit http://www.therealyoga.com/

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Standing Yoga Poses

Several of the most effective poses are the standing positions. They provide superior stretching of the muscles and they have recognizable effects on the speed and efficiency of the nervous system. Most standing poses manage to enhance the asanas and they offer you an increased opportunity of mastering equilibrium, both physical and mental. In the following paragraphs we will take a look at two of the most significant standing poses, the Mountain pose and the Triangle pose.

The mountain pose (known as the Tadasana) got its name from a number of defining properties that share the symbols of the mountain. The pose benefits from a high level of relaxed strength and a sense of invulnerability. Very like a mountain, the person practicing this pose will be surrounded by tranquillity and will feel a heightened impression of balance. The clarity and profound vision offered by this pose permit you to go deeper in your inner emotions and unite with your inner self on a very deep level. The mountain pose is achieved by placing the heels slightly apart, so that toes are parallel. Carry out a back and forth rocking movement on your toes and slowly come to a complete stop. Raise the ankles in order to consolidate the pose while also tightening the leg muscles. Thrust your tailbone towards the floor while lifting your pelvic area towards the navel. Your arms should be resting near your body while you are pushing your shoulder blades backwards.

The clear-cut positive effects of the mountain pose made it the basis of many other poses. Tadasana implies that the practicing yogi has to discover the meaning of balance and stillness before progressing further. For this reason, the mountain pose is one of the best ways to connect with your inner emotions while uncovering the subtle ways of yoga. The energy channels of the mountain pose traverse your whole body, following the spine, from the back of the neck and on towards the legs.

The next significant standing pose is the Triangle pose, or the Trikonasana. This comparatively easy pose has a satisfactory stretching effect on the spine, giving it a good lateral motion that complements the stretching of alternate forward poses. The straightness of the knees is essential while performing this pose, as this will allow your movements to be fluent and to stretch all the targeted muscles and organs. Bending to the left and right needs to be done gradually and fluently. This is one of the yoga poses that is good for providing the foundation for the next levels of postures, which are more advanced and harder to perform. The stimulation of the spinal nerves is also useful and it improves complete body flexibility.

In order to enjoy the full advantage of the triangle pose you have to position your body properly. Your feet have to be spread apart while you are pointing to your toes. Try to alternate the pointing motion from your left foot to your right one while keeping a constant rhythm and perfect balance. After you extend your arms parallel to the floor you should breathe in deeply, allowing the energy to reinforce your movements. While exhaling aim to execute a slight bend to either left or right while sliding your hand down your foot. This motion requires a lot of flexibility in the lower back muscles area, so a good warm up session is completely essential before attempting the triangle. Yogis who try this pose often notice the sensation of a lighter body, joined with a feeling of mild warmth in the stretched muscles.


About the Author

To find out how yoga can be beneficial for you, check out http://www.infoaboutyoga.com

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Trying Yoga for Back Pain Then Pick the RIGHT Poses 2

I went over in detail the use of the shoulder stand sequence as ?the? Yoga exercise for back pain in part one of this article. Now let?s go over the rest of the applicable poses shall we.

FORWARD STRETCHES:

Wind Relieving Pose (Vatayanasan):

Lie down flat. Now take a deep breath and hold it. Now fold your right leg at the knee and press the folded leg against the abdomen. Make sure to keep the alternate leg straight while doing this. Now, switch legs and to conclude this use both legs at the same time. 5-15 Seconds

Plough Pose (Halasana):

Lie flat on your back on your blanket. Keep the hands, palms down near the thighs. Without bending the knees, slowly raise the hips and the lumbar part of the back and bring down the legs till they touch the floor or go as far as you can. The key here is to get as deep a stretch for the lower back as possible. 5-15 Seconds

Forward Bend (Paschimothanasana):

Lie flat on your back on the blanket, with arms overhead on the floor. Keep the legs and thighs firmly on the floor. Stiffen your body. Slowly raise the head and the chest and assume a sitting position. Now exhale till you are able to catch you toes, ankles or heels. You may even bury your face in between your knees. 5-15 Seconds

BACKWARD STRETCHES:

Inclined Plane Pose (Purvottanasana):

Rest on your hands on heels, keeping the body straight. 5-15 Seconds

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana):

This pose is hailed as the best backward bending exercise. Lie Prone on the blanket. Relax the muscles. Now bend the legs over the thighs. Catch hold of the right ankle with the right hand and the left ankle with the left hand firmly. Raise the head, body and knees by tugging at the legs with the hands so the whole body rests on the abdomen.

Wheel Pose (Chakrasana):

Lie down. Bend the arms and legs. Raise the body and rest on the hands and feet. Tuck your head firmly in between your shoulders. 5-15 Seconds

Spinal Twist: (Ardha Matsendrasana):

-Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you.

-Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee.

-Sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee.

-Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder.

Since this actually involves a twisting of the back, make sure you go only as far as it is comfortable. As a matter of fact, it is advised that depending on the severity of your case, you only go as far as the poses allow you to at any time. 5-15 Seconds

Corpse Pose (Savasana):

This is the relaxation pose. From experience, after the spinal twist above, if you immediately get into this pose, there is an indescribable feeling of relief from tightness in the back. You ought to try it out for yourself.

-Lay motionless on your back with the arms and legs slightly extended.

-Breathe deeply in counts of 5 that being in a ratio of 5:5:5 (inhalation-retention-exhalation)

-Lay as such for as long as you desire and you could mentally send relaxation messages to your body parts such as ?My ?.. is hereby relaxed? (filling in the space with whatever body part. Remember to start from the toes working upwards.)

Other factors to keep in mind when I say try ?yoga for back pain? are that Yoga involves the consumption of a healthy diet. This brings to mind Hippocrates? quote: ?Let your foods be your medicine??

That considered, do make sure your diet is primarily made up of the right stuff, raw and cooked fruits and veggies.

This will relieve constipation and this reminds me of a true experience with my father years back. He had suffered a severe back pain for weeks and an alternative health consultant told him to eat a meal of plain fruit on a given night and 2-3 hours afterwards, he was instructed to drink a laxative tea. After a really good bowel movement the next day, the pain magically subsided. That said you may want to try this tip as well.

It is my hope that all these pointers above will come in handy in your use of yoga for back pain relief-with the right poses. So go on and give it a shot today.

Foras Aje is an independent health researcher and founder of Bodyhealthsoul.com For more Yoga tips and information on Yoga for beginners stop by his website today.

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Yoga Exercises What Has Cannabis Got In Common With Yoga

What has yoga exercises and cannabis got in common - well that is simple they both relate to joints. Cannabis is smoked in a joint and yoga exercises help relax the joints. Let us focus on the how the natural way is the legal way to ease troubled minds, aches and pains.

The Natural way comes with no prison sentence.

Yoga exercises - moves and postures are easily practiced but most importantly should be supervised under the guidance from a master in the field of yoga. Tutorial videos are quite popular among the housebound. People with an illness that prevents them leaving the house can still follow the thousands of Yogis world wide by practising yoga exercises in the comfort of their own home.

One of the top reasons for why yoga exercises are performed on a wide scale is due to stress related concerns. Anxiety and sufferers of depression have seen the difference in themselves after learning yoga. Doctors are now referring their patients to join local yoga classes. Doctors realize that this is a safe natural mental medicinal medication which can ease symptoms of different types of illnesses and disorders. (Depending on the illness)

For beginners who are attending a class for the first time you can expect your yoga exercises to be light movements. This may entail short workouts on twists, balance, sit up poses and different other moves. You may also find that there is a time limit on how much you do in the first few stages of your yoga exercises due to you being a novice.

Once you have become familiar with what ever type of yoga you have chosen to practice - it is then you will begin to notice the change in your whole approach towards practice sessions. Yoga and the people who exercise this exercise become very devoted to an extent that it becomes a passionate piece of their life and why wouldn`t they when it helps them to keep in shape and lead a healthier life

Remember what is on the inside needs as much nurturing like that on the outside - in other words muscles joints and internal organs. There are many types of yoga exercises carefully structured to loosen the bones taking away stiffness or any other discomforts that can cause bouts of stress. By practicing yoga exercises on a regular basis you will notice the flexibility of how the body alters in a very relieving manner.

If you are not sure of the type of yoga that best suits your needs then talk with a yoga master. The Practice of yoga exercises due to health matters should not go ahead until you speak with your doctor - this goes for any exercises you intend on taking up.

Yoga is not a cure and has no magical powers where you regain sight after years of living in darkness nor can it cure the deaf from their world of silence but one thing it can do is work MIRACLES on the mind. This is done by positive thoughts inserted into the mind by your own way of thinking where you take what is rightfully yours and that is contentment.

By: Kacy Carr

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