Stress Buster .. Stress Relieving .. Laughter Yoga !!

As they say, laughter is the Best Medicine. "Laughter is very, very healthy. It's very aerobic, it engages every single organ system in the body". There are certain core muscles that only get engaged when you're laughing. So does it work? Well, one study found those participants in an hour long laughing session experienced a reversal of stress hormones in their bloodstream. And best of all? You don't have to attend a class to benefit. "It has to be something that you know you'll feel better after you've done it and you really want to do it," she insists. "Otherwise it's just another chore and your life is going to be more stressful."

So get on with your laughter pangs... Laugh away your Stress !

Laughter Yoga (Hasyayoga) is a form of yoga employing self-triggered laughter. The "laughter" is physical in nature, and does not necessarily involve humor or comedy. The brainchild of Dr. Madan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India, launched the first Laughter Club at a park on March 13, 1995, with merely a handful of persons. Today, it has become a worldwide phenomenon with more than 6000 Social Laughter Clubs in about 60 countries.

Laughter Yoga combines Unconditional Laughter with Yogic Breathing (Pranayama). Anyone can Laugh for No Reason, without relying on humor, jokes or comedy. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter. The concept of Laughter Yoga is based on the scientific observation that the body cannot differentiate between fake and real laughter.

Yoga and Pregnancy

Yoga works great for pregnancy. That’s wonderful and TRUE. But do you know how?

Yoga has 5 vital tools for pregnancy. When followed together, they work wonders on your health and your capability to have a smooth pregnancy.

Smooth pregnancy and a natural childbirth are just some of the benefits of yoga. But more importantly, yoga does wonders on the physical and mental development of the foetus.

Ensuring a healthy baby is every woman’s dream and yoga helps you do just that.

So what are these 5 tools:

Yoga Exercises
These gently work on the reproductive organs and pelvis to ensure a smooth pregnancy and a relatively easy childbirth. At the subtle level, these ensure optimum supply of blood and nutrients to the developing foetus.

Breathing or Pranayama
These powerful techniques ensure the abundant supply of oxygen and a better life force for you and your child. These methods work on your fitness during pregnancy.

Mudras and Bandhas
The psycho-physical stimulation of these gestures and locks have powerful effects on a woman’s reproductive organs.

Meditation
As a therapeutic tool, meditation will help you resolve the deepest of neuroses, fears and conflicts, which are so common during pregnancy. Meditation brings with it an incredible awareness which helps you connect with your child in a way that is impossible to explain.

Deep Relaxation 
Yoga Nidra (Yogic sleep) is particularly effective during pregnancy for physical and mental relaxation as well as for childbirth preparation

For easy pregnancy yoga exercises and relaxation, you may use the specially designed "Twintex" yoga mats .They are soft yet firm which is what you require.

Yoga Can Do Miracles

What is yoga is the question which must be satisfactorily explored by anybody keen on yoga. Yoga is an ancient system for health of mind and body developed over the centuries by the Sages of India. It acts as a means of self purification to achieve oneness with supreme creator. Fortunately, this technique in its simplified form can be easily incorporated into our busy schedules to benefit mind and body.

Yoga is

• Conscious and sustained effort towards self perfection.
• Art of right living.
• System of integral education of mind, body and spirit for purification of soul and attaining oneness with the cosmic energy.
• Overhauling of all facets of human personality.

Yoga involves a continuous training in order to

• Restrain the senses.
• Follow a simple diet.
• Control the mind.
• Proper breathing and relaxation.
• Regular exercise.
• Regular meditation.
• Introspection to remove one's defects.

Stress Reduction and General Well Being with Yoga

Yoga is an ancient, Indian art and science that seeks to promote individual health and well-being through physical and mental exercise and deep relaxation. Although known to be at least 5,000 years old, Yoga is not a religion and fits well with any individual's religious or spiritual practice. Anyone of any age, religion, health or life condition can practice Yoga and derive its benefits.

Unique and multifaceted, yoga has been passed on to us by the ancient sages of India; early references to yoga are found in the spiritual texts of the Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita. Pantanjali's Yoga Sutras (the Eightfold Path) are still widely studied and practiced today. The Sutras form the basis of much of the modern yoga movement.

The three major cultural branches of Yoga are Hindu Yoga, Buddhist Yoga, and Jaina Yoga. Within each of these great spiritual cultures, Yoga has assumed various forms

Yoga is the practice of putting the body into different postures while maintaining controlled breathing. It is considered to be a discipline that challenges and calms the body, the mind, and the spirit. Preliminary studies suggest that yoga may be beneficial in the treatment of some chronic conditions such as asthma, anxiety, and stress, among others.

By focusing on the breath entering and leaving your body, you are performing an exercise in concentration. If your mind wanders to other things, your focus on the breath will bring your concentration back. Research confirms that consciously directed breathing can have the following benefits: reduced stress, sound sleep, clear sinuses, smoking cessation, improved sports performances, relief from constipation and headaches, reduced allergy and asthma symptoms, relief from menstrual cramps, lower blood pressure, and emotional calmness.