Laughter is a magnet! It draws people together! When Bridgette Capina of RCBC requested for a Laughter Yoga session for their 400 branch managers from all over the country at their sales conference in Dusit Thani Hotel, I readily agreed because I like their number: the more participants, the more people LYoga is able to reach out to.
We were there before the appointed time to check on things needed for the session. At the convention hall, the participants, dressed in their business attire, were excitedly waiting, wondering what the much-talked-about-and-anticipated LYoga is all about, and how it is conducted.
People who laugh together work better together. The reason is that laughter demolishes barriers between and among people. After some warm-up exercises to boost the participants’ energy and drop their inhibitions, the participants began to relax as they moved and swayed their bodies, swung their hips, bent their waists, danced and laughed hilariously .... feeling young and strong again.
The participants were taught how to argue in the workplace or elsewhere — laughingly through the Argument Laughter. When one commits a mistake, as we all do, he must say sorry, admit the mistake, and make up for it as demonstrated by the “I’m sorry†Laughter. On the other hand, when a good deed is done, appreciation must be expressed through the Appreciation Laughter.
When told that laughter is nature’s best moisturizer, they gasped and muttered unbelieving oohs. More muscles are utilized when one laughs and the cheeks become pinkish after a round of hearty laughter. Their interest in Lion Laughter was heightened when told about its anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, good-for-the-face- and-throat-muscles benefits. Vanity immediately drew the ladies and gents nearer the stage! Hahaha! We all had a super relaxing, almost nonstop laughing time as we did the LYoga exercises, and the eye palming techniques I taught as a bonus. They helped me regain my normal eyesight. It was a fantastic, super-enjoyable LYoga session!
After just one LYoga session, according to the Deakin University Study in Australia, the “general life satisfaction, personal well-being index, mood, self-esteem, optimism, and control rose from 4.5 percent to 10.8 percent. At the same time, stress decreased by 9.8 percent, anxiety by 5.9 percent, and depression by 5.8 percent.†The study proves Laughter Yoga’s immediate effect, and that the more one does it, the greater its beneficial effects will be. At the end of the classes on workplace well-being, “the participants felt a greater sense of satisfaction with more specific job-related areas, such as being valued as a person at work, and receiving recognition for good work.†This just affirms Laughter Yoga’s effectiveness in improving the work environment.
Nina Michelle Reyes told me how her RCBC managers glowingly narrated the LYoga session they had, and added she had not laughed that much before and never felt happier in her entire life!
Let us start the New Year with renewed hope, optimism, and positivism to help move our beloved country to the path of lasting peace and prosperity shared by all Filipinos! Happy, healthy, and positive people equals less graft and corruption, less crime, less sickness.
Some encouraging, inspiring, and supportive comments from the participants:
• Ligaya Gabriel: Thank you, Ms. Elvie, for sharing your knowledge of Laughter Yoga. I really appreciate it. My first time to experience this kind of yoga. Ha ha ha!
• Priscilla Papena: Fantastic! I will do the Laughter Yoga and the exercises every day.
• Rowena Macaspac: Very applicable to us.
• Crissa Olalia: Ms. Elvie was so good with her contagious laughter. I felt light after the session. Suddenly, I realized I acquired so many diseases because of stress, and I need to laugh more.
• Dolores Padilla: Very enlightening and enjoyable.
• Elmer Awatin: De-stressing!
• Grace Katigbak-Dalawampu: LYoga is a very good form of relaxation. It helped a lot in releasing stress and relaxed my respiratory tract.
• Mabel Ozaeta: Very good, very relaxing … effective talaga.
• Alma Orate: I enjoyed it, very useful in our daily office work.
• Russ Ricardo: Thanks for sharing your LYoga knowledge, will share it with friends and family. Good job.
• Romy Dy: Thank you, Ms. Elvie, we felt the “healing†by your warm and sincere laughter!
• Nina Samson: Ho ho ha ha ha happy, relaxing!
• Bridgette Capina: I mostly enjoyed the unstoppable laughter .… there’s nothing like this!
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E-mail me at laughteryogaclub.phils@gmail.com. Visit www.laughteryogaphils.com. To laugh, visit youtube: lycphohohahaha.