Category Archives: Laughter Yoga
International Pickle Day
My life has gotten a bit hectic and I haven’t kept up with my blog schedule very well. For today, I had planned to celebrate National Love a Tree Day with a beautifully written entry about the beauty and necessity of trees as well as tree pose… but that’s not coming together. Time to switch to plan B. Instead, let’s celebrate International Pickle Day with a couple of silly songs because I feel like we could all use a little laughter.
First up, Mr. Arlo Guthrie and The Motorcycle Song, sometimes referred to as The Motorcycle Song (The Significance of the Pickle).
For some reason, thinking of this song brought another one to mind. Maybe it’s because Steve Goodman wrote City of New Orleans, which Arlo recorded, as well as our next selection. Here’s David Allan Coe with You Never Even Call Me by My Name. Even if you don’t like country music, you should listen until the last verse; I still laugh every time I hear it.
And just for kicks, here’s what is probably my most loved silly song: Roger Miller’s You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd. Good advice for us all.
May you put your mind to being happy,
Debra
Laugh and Get Rich Day
February 8 is Laugh and Get Rich Day. Even though the world can seem very dark at times, finding a little time to laugh each day can make things a little brighter. There’s even Laughter Yoga!
Benefits of Laughter
Laughter does a number of wonderful things for us.
From webmd.com, laughter:
- helps reduce stress hormones;
- boosts the immune system;
- benefits the circulatory system by boosting heart rate, regulating blood pressure, and improving blood flow; and
- lessens stress and depression.
How to Practice Laughter Yoga
I usually close my Gentle Yoga for Cancer Patients and Survivors with a round of laughter yoga, a tradition passed down to me from the previous teacher. It’s really easy and we’re all usually generally laughing by the time we’re done.
- Sit comfortably with a long spine and bring your hands to your heart center in anjali mudra.
- Take a deep breath in and lift your heart center skyward (remember to breath as often as you need to).
- As you exhale, bow slightly and briefly say “ha” eight times as if you’re laughing. Deeply inhale and repeat twice more.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3, replacing “ha” with “ho”.
- Repeat again, replacing “ho” with “he”.
- Close with “namaste”.
Yours in love and laughter,
Debra
