Laughter Yoga Engages the Law of Attraction

My sister is a Laughter Yoga Leader. She took up Laughter Yoga a short time after her hubby died when she was having a hard time dealing with the sadness and loneliness of her loss. Now, just for your information, my sister has always been on the leading edge of anything new in the alternative health field—espousing and using various nutritional products and “new age” healing modalities years before they became main stream. In fact, back in the early seventies, her co-workers in the government office she worked in called her “Rice Cakes” because of her habit of eating those now common, but then, very hard to find bread substitutes.

When she first got into Laughter Yoga my very first thoughts were—what next???—and I just shook my head at the absurdity of people coming together, regularly, no less, to laugh on purpose. Weird, thought I—not for me—concluding that I got enough incidental laughter without having to laugh on purpose.

That was about four years ago, and as the years have progressed, I have watched her become happier, and happier, and happier! She has blossomed immeasurably through her regular practice of Laughter Yoga. In fact, she has really come into the essence of who she is as a person, and is now helping others do the same, travelling around to senior’s homes and churches to help spread the word—and the laughter!

So what happens when we laugh? And why is it so good for us? When we laugh long and well, we inhale and exhale deeply. In other words, we breathe deeply. When we breathe deeply, we expand the cells of our lungs more effectively, preventing them from sticking together and becoming predisposed to infection. People with lung disease experience air hunger because their lungs can’t expand enough to breathe in the oxygen they need or expel the carbon dioxide they don’t need. Inhaling more oxygen and expelling more carbon dioxide as we laugh, is therefore good for our overall physical health. Research has also proven that laughter is good for our emotional health because it stimulates the production of endorphins, those “happy” hormones in our brains that help to reduce pain and give us a greater sense of well being.

How was this information discovered? Well, way back in 1964, Norman Cousins, the then editor of The Saturday Review in the USA, developed a life threatening disease, and not wanting to succumb; he researched illness in general and read about the theory that negative feelings may be detrimental to health. He thus concluded that positive feelings may improve health, and began a now famous regime of laughing on purpose everyday until he felt better. He found that lots of laughter not only reduced his pain, but it also helped him sleep better. In fact he literally laughed himself into wellness by watching funny movies and reading funny stories. He lived fifteen years longer, and immortalized his experience in his book “The Anatomy of An Illness.” His work led medical scientists to study laughter and by 1989, the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association published the conclusion that laughter not only relieved symptoms, but it also improved patients overall quality of life.

You all know where I am going with this of course—I am going to start advocating that we all take a few moments of every day to purposely have a good laugh. I mean, why not? As students of the Law of Attraction our intent in every moment is to keep our vibes high—to keep feeling positive as much as we possibly can—and what better way than with laughter? Think of having a good belly laugh—think of the way that we feel when we are having one. Remember, our point of attraction is the way that we feel. When we laugh we are sending out the best of the best positive feelings. When we laugh we are raising our vibrations to the highest of the high. When we laugh well, we are also tapping into the source—the font of all wisdom, peace and love. Yep—as you all know, laughter is good for the soul because it connects us to Who We Really Are—and that is what we want to do at all times—stay connected to Who We Really Are. By laughing well and often, we can keep our vibes high so that we may attract more of the same—more laughter, more happiness, and more wisdom, peace and love.

Think I’ll put my pen down now and go join a laughter yoga program. Seems like “Rice Cakes” may just have the last laugh!

Lauren MacLauclan
Copyright 2011

Lauren MacLauclan, author of The Law of Attraction "How To" Book, http://www.lawofattractiontrainingroom.com/how_to_e_book/ is an entertaining and captivating trainer who is well known for her sense of humour, warmth and authenticity. She connects instantly with audiences and coaching clients, transferring content effortlessly with a practical approach that inspires. A former Registered Nurse who designed and ran her own seminars on the purpose driven life, she is now thrilled to be able to focus specifically on the Law of Attraction. You may visit her website at http://www.lawofattractiontrainingroom.com