laughter yoga experience

saturday i came back from an incredible week of laughter yoga. i had no idea what to expect prior to arriving. my heart guides me to strange places and i'm always better for it. well, i learned i still have alot of laughter in me, that i can laugh for no reason at all, that i don't need jokes to laugh, that laughing for 10 min is like excerising for 30 min and that laughing reduces stress and brings more oxygen to the body and brain therefore increasing our energy and levels of enthusiasm.

In addition to the laughter excerises, laughter mediations and guided meditations, i learned about the inner spirit of laughter from dr. kataria, the founder of laughter yoga and more than being our trainer for the week. i really felt my physical, emotional and mental self was stronger than when i came into the retreat. my husband even noticed the difference. i leave you with something i came away with from dr. kataria, it's an old concept from ayurveda that says that the body is like a house and in your house there are 5 rooms of work/life balance. if one of these rooms is dirty then there is imbalance. care for the rooms if there's imbalance.

the 5 rooms are:
1 - self: know who you are
2 - family: have connections with you biological family
3 - work: life doesn't begin and end with work
4- social: connect with other people, volunteer, social, neighbors, etc
5- spiritual: have your higher force working within you

"Life has no meaning, we put meaning into life"
- Dr. Madan Kataria