Laughter Yoga Helps Seniors

AARP: Laughter Yoga to Improve Health? It’s No Joke

These are exerpts from an article by Sally Abrahms published on August 8, 2008 in the AARP Bulletin Today (30+ million members in the USA). Click here to read the full article.

“At the beginning, I felt silly, but then I forgot about my pain,” says Mund, 85, who has osteoporosis, arthritis, high blood pressure and circulatory problems. “You look around and see everybody laughing and smiling. It’s a lot of fun.”

“Studies indicate that participating in laughter therapy is beneficial in terms of disease control,” says William Fry, M.D., professor emeritus at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

“We think this is the real deal,” says Michael Miller, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center. “There’s no question in my mind that there is some physiological benefit from laughter. Now, we need to translate what those changes in our blood vessels mean clinically.”

Although there’s no scientific explanation, it’s widely known that one of laughter’s most therapeutic characteristics is that it is extremely contagious. Recently, Millie Mund decided to spread a little cheer by introducing laughter yoga to her son, daughter-in-law and adult grandchildren. “They thought I was crazy,” she says, “but before I knew it, they were all doing ‘ho ho, ha ha ha’ and laughing!”

Include Laughter Yoga Exercises In Your Program Of Activities For Seniors

Laughter yoga is especially beneficial for older people.

Many seniors are in need of more human contact. While most of them are surrounded by peers whom they like and share similar interests with, many still dearly miss their children and family. Deeper down, what they really miss is the need for someone close to them with whom they can confide their emotions.

Laughter can give seniors that much needed feeling of closeness and fraternity.

Laughter Yoga exercises are simple, structured and entertaining. They are easy & safe and provide a genuine form of physical exercise. They are appropriate for all, regardless of their cognitive, sensory or motor abilities / limitations. People's participation is invited and not imposed. [view a video testimonial]

Laughter Yoga appears to lift depression and replace it with a positive outlook. Health improves, many chronic ailments disappear, the exercise improves mobility and staff-patient communication and relations also improve.

People with senile dementia and the onset of Alzheimer’s show remarkable improvement.

How It Works:

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Consider attending a training with us to deepen your understanding of Laughter Yoga and how it can help you and those you work with and care for. You'll be surprised at how many doors this will open for you. Here are a few things people have said after training with us:

Do you need an experienced speaker to present Laughter Yoga to your group / conference? Click here to read more.

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