Laughter was the theme of yesterday afternoon's yoga class in my home studio. Giggles, gawfaws and bubbling up from the gut laughs informed our whole practice.
For a very brief moment at the first outbreak of giggles I had an urge to contain the class and "get back on track". I'm happy to report that I was able to let go of my need to control our practice, and instead I simply relaxed into the spontaneous expression of the simple pleasure of a good belly shake.
After that, we moved from vinyasa to laughter, back to vinyasa, then more laughter right up into shavasana. The giggle fest started again when one of the students fell into a deep sleep and began to snore, but not enough to wake him.
Dr. Lee Berk and fellow researcher Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California have been studying the effects of laughter on the immune system. To date their published studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being. Want more information about the practice of yoga and laughter? Check out this website: http://www.laughteryoga.org/
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