Nat Steel@26thMay'11

Had a joyous session with the group of 22 staff organized by the Health and Nursing group of Nat Steel - Melissa and Michelle. An hour session was extended as the staff were heartily laughing away. Looking forward to more LOL (laughing over lunch) sessions. ha haha!!!
The session was supported by 2 laughter partners: Eric and LohSM.

Article on Laughter is the best medicine - from helpguide.org

Laughter is the Best Medicine

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter

http://www.helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

Humor is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

1.  Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”  ~  Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Laughter is good for your health

• Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
• Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
• Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

The Benefits of Laughter
Physical Health Benefits: Boosts immunity Lowers stress hormones Decreases pain Relaxes your muscles Prevents heart disease	Mental Health Benefits: Adds joy and zest to life Eases anxiety and fear Relieves stress Improves mood Enhances resilience	Social Benefits: Strengthens relationships Attracts others to us Enhances teamwork Helps defuse conflict Promotes group bonding

2. Laughter and humor help you stay emotionally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good. And the good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humor helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in on the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

1.  Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
2. Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
3.  Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

 3.  The social benefits of humor and laughter

Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.

Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

• Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
• Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
• Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
• Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

Article on stress - from about.com

The Stress Management and Health Benefits of Laughter

Health Benefits of Laughter: Stress Relief, Immunity, and More

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/laughter.htm

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com Guide  - Updated January 10, 2011

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Research has shown that the health benefits of laughter are far-ranging. While more studies need to be done, studies so far have shown that laughter can help relieve pain, bring greater happiness, and even increase immunity. Positive psychology names the propensity for laughter and sense of humor as one of the 24 main signature strengths one can possess, and laughter yoga clubs are springing up across the country. Read on for more findings about the health benefits of laughter, and see how to incorporate more humor and fun into your life.

Stress Management Benefits of Laughter:

• Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
• Physical Release: Have you ever felt like you "have to laugh or I'll cry"? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.
• Internal Workout: A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.
• Distraction: Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
• Perspective: Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a 'threat' or a 'challenge'. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as 'challenges', thereby making them less threatening and more positive. (For more on changing your perspective, see this article on cognitive reframing.)
• Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter connects us with others. Just as with smiling and kindness, most people find that laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

How To Use Laughter:

Laughter is one of my all-time favorite stress management strategies because it's free, convenient, and beneficial in so many ways. You can get more laughter in your life with the following strategies:

• T.V. and Movies: There's no shortage of laughter opportunities from the entertainment, both at the theater and in the aisles of the video stores, as well as at home with T.V. comedies. While wasting your time watching something marginally funny may actually frustrate you, watching truly hilarious movies and shows is an easy way to get laughter into your life whenever you need it.
• Laugh With Friends: Going to a movie or comedy club with friends is a great way to get more laughter in your life. The contagious effects of laughter may mean you'll laugh more than you otherwise would have during the show, plus you'll have jokes to reference at later times. Having friends over for a party or game night is also a great setup for laughter and other good feelings. (See this article on laughing more for additional tips on getting more fun and laughter into your life.)
• Find Humor In Your Life: Instead of complaining about life's frustrations, try to laugh about them. If something is so frustrating or depressing it's ridiculous, realize that you could 'look back on it and laugh.' Think of how it will sound as a story you could tell to your friends, and then see if you can laugh about it now. With this attitude, you may also find yourself being more light hearted and silly, giving yourself and those around you more to laugh about. Approach life in a more mirthful way and you'll find you're less stressed about negative events, and you'll achieve the health benefits of laughter. (See this article on maintaining a sense of humor.)
• 'Fake It Until You Make It': Just as studies show the positive effects of smiling occur whether the smile is fake or real, faked laughter also provides the benefits mentioned above. The body can't distinguish between 'fake' laughter that you just start doing on purpose, and 'real' laughter that comes from true humor--the physical benefits are exactly the same, and the former usually leads to the latter anyway. So smile more, and fake laughter; you'll still achieve positive effects, and the fake merriment may lead to real smiles and laughter.
• More on Having Fun: See these additional suggestions on laughing more and having fun in your life.

_{Sources:
Bennett MP, Lengacher C. Humor and Laughter May Influence Health: III. Laughter and Health Outcomes. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2008.
Bennett MP, Zeller JM, Rosenberg L, McCann J. The Effect of Mirthful Laughter on Stress and Natural Killer Cell Activity.. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, March-April 2003.
Berk LS, Felten DL, Tan SA, Bittman BB, Westengard J. Modulation of Neuroimmune Parameters During the Eustress of Humor-Associated Mirthful Laughter.. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, March 2001.
Skinner N, Brewer N. The Dynamics of Threat and Challenge Appraisals Prior to Stressful Achievement Events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, September 2002.}

SenjaCashewCC@23rdMay'11

Had a first session with 8 adults and 3 children from the Senja Cashew CC...a very good combination. The team enjoys the session so much so that I actually overrun by more than 45 mins...ha ha ha!!! Watch this clip and see for your self ...from the changing behavior on their face to the loud hearty laughter at the end. Thanks to Laughter Partners : Doris, Eric and Janice who came all the way to support the session...very good very good yeah!!!

Wellness by SCS at Toa Payoh Hub @22nd May'11-11am

Thanks to Florence and Eleanor representing SCS (Singapore Cancer Society) to make a suggestion to include a 20 mins. free Laughter Yoga for today wellness event.

Main Activity :
10.00am Start of Roadshow
10.20am Stage Activity
10.30am Arrival of Guest-of-Honour (GOH) and Guests
10.35am GOH Opening Address
10.45am Line Dance
11.00am Laughter Yoga
11.20am Testimonial Sharing by Cancer Survivor
 .... etc

With the support of Laughter Partners (Eric, Danny, Mdm Saw and Yan, Florence and Eleanor and myself) we show the audience present a short 20mins session on Laughter Yoga. From the attached short clip,  you can tell that they all enjoy the session. We hoped this session helps SCS and the representative sponsors of  today's event to see the therapeutic benefits and the joy of Laughter Yoga. Very good, very good, yeah!!!

Queenstown CC@20thMay'11-7pm

Ms Teo Lin-Lee representing Queenstown CC organized this one hour session for representative members from their various sub-groups.  I heard so much good stuff at the end of the session (see video)and hope that they can bring this joy back to their various sub-groups and suggest more such sessions within their members and residents. Am very thankful to have laughter partners: Eleanor, Eric and Janice supporting the session.

Sin Ming-FSC#3@20thMay'11-10.30am

3rd session in Sin Ming-FSC. This session, my student Jenny took leave to bring her father-in-law to join the fun. ha ha ha!!! About 70% of the residents present are coming for this session for the 3rd time. Let's hear what they have to say about today session.

LY session feedback from my students

After the session in Taman Jurong RC Zone E,  listen to Abragail, Doris, Betty and Eleanor. 

LY@TamanJurongZoneE RC-15thMay'11

Had a call for a last min  change. Originally, Taman Jurong CC, Sebastian booked me for a 1 hour classroom LYoga session for his committee members.

A few days ago,  I was told after talking to Chairman, Mr Tan Kim Huat, that it is going to be a 30 mins LYoga session for Taman Jurong  Zone E RC resident after their morning walk and jog.

The turnout was close to 70 though they plan 100 pax.

To my amazement, the session was great and for many of them it was beyond their expectations. We interviewed a few participants at the end of the session and they all speak their heart about the benefits even though the session

Chairman and Vice Chairman hoped to see more of such sessions...hurray!!!

  

This is the first time, my Laughter Partners experienced a laughing session with everyone standing in circles.

Special thanks to these Laughter Partners were waking up so early in the morning: Danny, Doris and Betty, Eric, Eleanor and Angel(camera), LohSiewMeng(video) and not forgetting our comedian, Abragail who turned up inspite of the fell she had a few days ago. I am also very happy to see one of my WPL student, Patona and her family. Very good Very good Yeah!!!

LY@New Horizon Centre-14thMay'11

As part of the talk on "Strategies on Managing Caregiver Stress" I was invited to do a Laughter Yoga session which was scheduled on 14 May @ 3pm. 

An interesting 40mins session with about 50 people.  Health care personnel, patient + care givers were having a fun time at New Horizon Centre in Toa Payoh. Everyone I asked after the session said they enjoy and are looking forward to more sessions..ha ha ha!!! Thanks to Eleanor for making this arrangement. Also special thanks to Danny and Elenor for helping in the laughing session. Not forgetting my camera man, Angel.