There is a general consensus that life just seems easier and more fulfilling the more we laugh.

In laughter yoga, individuals are encouraged to feign laughter until it transitions into the sincere form.

Research shows that laughter yoga can help attenuate stress and inhibit the rise of cortisol.

Most of us know from personal experience that we typically feel better after a good laugh. Our tensions are lessened, our anxiety reduced, and minor quarrels we have with others tend to fade into the background—at least for a while.

Scientists and therapists have generally known of these effects for some time. One explanation for why we as humans laugh, Tension Relief Theory, recognizes such benefits as part of its foundational premise. There is at least one major organization, the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), that fosters scientific research into this phenomenon and then conveys information about laughter’s healing and restorative power to lay and professional audiences alike.

Building on these findings are those who specialize in a particular type of therapy know as laughter yoga. This isn’t the sort of yoga most people are familiar with. It doesn’t have meditation, breathing, flexibility, or strength training as its chief focus. Rather it centers on laughter’s ability to bring about positive emotional states. In this post, I’d like to briefly touch on what laughter yoga........

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