Madan Kataria M.D. - Daily Practices for Health and Happiness

ACCLAIM FOR THE PRACTICE OF LAUGHTER YOGA

Laughter yoga is a perfect way to laugh and get exercise at the same time. It approaches laughter as a body exercise, so its easy to laugh even if youre depressed or in a bad mood.... Ive tried it, and it works.

Oprah Winfrey

I cant think of any other body-mind technique that has caught on this way. I told [the] American Senate Committee during a hearing about health-care reform that laughter yoga could help lower American health-care costs.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Laughter yoga exemplifies a form of right-brain thinking that managers should promote.

Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of A Whole New Mind

Laughter connects you with people. Its almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when youre just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.

John Cleese, after visiting a laughter club in Mumbai during the filming of the BBCs TV series The Human Face

An ideal tool for complete body-mind wellness... Laughter increases the supply of oxygen to body tissues, boosts immunity, relieves pain, lowers stress, and even helps protect against heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, migraines and cancer. It is a powerful technique: safe, easy, and a lot of fun.

Andrew Weil, M.D., from the Foreword

PENGUIN BOOKS

LAUGHTER YOGA

Madan Kataria, M.D., popularly known as the guru of giggling (The Times, UK), is the founder of the laughter yoga club movement that started in 1995 in Mumbai. A sought-after keynote and motivational speaker for corporations and organizations around the world, he has conducted seminars and workshops for UBS, Emirates Bank, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Volvo, among many others. He has also been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and ABC, and is associated with an increasing number of medical research projects analyzing the benefits of laughter. Retired from medical practice, he devotes all his time to writing, teaching, coaching, and training laughter leaders in order to foster the spread of laughter clubs. He is the creator of the immensely popular World Laughter Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday of every May.

Andrew Weil, M.D., is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including Spontaneous Happiness, Spontaneous Healing, and Healthy Aging. A world-renowned pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, he is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.

PENGUIN BOOKS

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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First published in India as Laughter Yoga: Daily Laughter Practices for Health and Happiness by Ebury Press, part of Penguin Random House India, 2018

Published in Penguin Books 2020

Copyright 2018 by Dr. Madan Kataria

Foreword copyright 2018 by Dr. Andrew Weil

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

LIBRARY OF CONGR ESS CATALOGING-IN-PU BLICATION DATA

Names: Kataria, Madan, author.

Title: Laughter yoga : daily practices for health and happiness / Madan Kataria, M.D. ; foreword by Andrew Weil.

Description: New York : Penguin Books, 2020. | First published in India by Ebury Press... , 2018Verso.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019024295 (print) | LCCN 2019024296 (ebook) | ISBN 9780143134947 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780525506614 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: LaughterTherapeutic use. | LaughterHealth aspects. | Stress management.

Classification: LCC BF575.L3 K38 2020 (print) | LCC BF575.L3 (ebook) | DDC 152.4/2dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019024295

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019024296

Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate internet addresses and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Cover design and illustration by Sandra Chiu

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To all my students,from whom I learned more than what I taught

When you laugh, you change, and when you change, the world changes.